Self-settling (sort of)

[Cinquefoil]

DS is 8 months and last night fell asleep on his own for the first time ever. Well, we co-sleep and I was in bed with him, but I put him down awake after feeding, and after ten minutes of chattering he happily drifted off with no shushing, patting, singing or stroking from me.

However, he woke more often than usual, and slept for shorter stretches!

Are longer periods of sleep to be expected soon after the baby has learned to self-settle?

For me self settling didn't really make any difference. DS can self settle at the beginning of the night, in his cot in his own room and has done from maybe 4 weeks. He is now 9 months and still wakes up lots in the night and needs me to help get him back to sleep.

Gah! I was hoping that that isn't the case, though expecting it is, as I fail to understand the link between methods of falling asleep and ways of getting back to sleep - I mean, why they have to be the same.

Shame - his self-settling felt such a milestone. I haven't had more than two hours of consecutive sleep since his birth, and was really hoping that this was the start of something new . . .

You may find (with time,if your one of the lucky ones) that his new found skill of self settling will help him to settle himself without your help in all those night wakings...
That's the theory anyway

Yes, yes, time and luck - hurrah!

I was so excited last night; sillily, I went to sleep happily looking forward to an uninterrupted night - almost convinced myself it would definitely happen.

Probably it's going to happen tonight, though, after last night where he was figuring it out

I have found its best to expect the worst then anything other than that is a bonus!
Know EXACTLY what you mean!

Definitely tonight. He's already asleep, and fell asleep a bit early, which would usually make me worry about ridiculously early wakings. But since we know that tonight is THE night, I'm guessing he's just trying to get in as much sleep as possible - he's probably terribly excited about his first night doing an all-nighter, and has worn himself out with excitement. Can't wait for all that lovely uninterrupted sleep I'm about to have. Yay.

LOVING your optimism!
Good luck!
And I WILL hate you if you get more sleep then me tonight

i have just laughed out loud reading this! Sooo, did he sleep through...tell me he did!! similar situation here, i started putting dd down a little awake after bfeeding and she managed to fall asleep, and in was so proud! but then also she just kept waking more, so have reverted back to feeding her into a sleepcoma! No idea with the self settling malarky over here!

Hello first time on mumsnet and desperate for sleep!!
I have a nearly 7 month old DS, until I started weening him he would settle himself after bfeeding most nights quite happily and sleep till about 3, 4 even 5am. NOW however he wont settle by himself and wakes at 11ish (I bFeed him then) and then about every 2 hours till dawn. I rack my brains wondering what has changed, he seems to wake up with bad wind all the time rather than hunger I think and needs either bfeeding or settling back to sleep by my Husband. Thinking of changing to a bottle wondering if he is just waking for a comforting bfeed - any one else have this problem or advice re the wind?? I use gripe water and infacol.

Help please!!

He didn't, no. You can imagine how amazed I am .

He woke up three times instead of the usual two, but he did at least sleep until past 6am instead of the usual 4-5am.

Hi jem - I'm sorry to say that the regular waking sounds normal to me. No advice re the wind, but bottle feeding make him more likely to get wind?

I missed out a "wouldn't".

Ah pants
Have some [coffee] I've had 3 already and am currently bouncing off the walls

Thanks.

He's been horribly tired all day, and refusing to nap, so looks like we're in for a bad night.

My LO had his worst bout of non sleep around 8-9 months. There's a well documented sleep regression around this time!
But if it's any consolation, he then had a nice(ish) spell of sleep for a few weeks after that. And now we're back in 'non sleep hell'

My Lo (4 months) settled once last night.....I was so stunned/excited I ran down the stairs to tell dh who kind of shrugged!! (He really doesn't get it.) However after this he slept as normal.....really badly. I have high hope for the future though.....certainly by the time he's a teenager....I'll be shaking him to wake him for school. If he improves before then it'll be a bonus.

My dd can now self settle at 5.5 months but was sleeping better before. Arse.