<yawn> anyone else got a developmentaly leaping, forgotten how to sleeping, growth spurting baby?

[Indith]

Want to come be sleep deprived with me?

Ds2 is 6 months old. By this age ds1 was sleeping 13 hours a night. I feel all misty eyed at the memory.

He started self settling at 4 months but then the 4 month regression hit and we've not seen that again but he as fairly settled, feeding 3 hourly and going right back to sleep.

Currently he is trying desperately to crawl. He fights sleep like crazy, hardly naps in the day even on the school run or in the car. If at home and I put him down he is awake and screaming within 5 minutes while trying to do press ups and crawl around the bed. When he finally gives up in the evening and either feeds to sleep or lets dh walk him around the house til he drops off he wakes several times during the evening screaming and tossing around and will not let dh settle him any more. He wakes constantly at night, I'm talking every half hour or so and for the first half of the night latches on and feeds back to sleep but then in the middle part is so bloody full of milk he won't latch on and just head buts me and hits me before he settles in to feeding again towards 4am.

This had bloody well better be a developmental leap that passes soon. So, so tired.

He woke this evening and screamed and screamed and screamed. He even screamed at me when I tried to latch him on. Poor baby really doesn't seem to be able to stay asleep any more even when he is desperate to :(

Well I'm glad we seem sane to you Hotpot! I certainly don't feel sane!

Notwoo how is the poo?

Ds2 is still very unsettled. He hardly naps int he day which can't help but what can I do when I need to be out dropping off and picking up the big ones? Poor ds2 ends up screaming and fussing at night desperately wanting to sleep, he hits himself and claws his ears poor boy. Doesn't want to feed most of the time either which of course is my default setting.

I feel some tough love coming up. I would never, ever, ever just leave a baby to scream. Ever. But getting him up and cuddling him and walking around with him jsut isn't working, he just screams and hits himself and can't get to sleep. I think I might have to just lie there upstairs with him and pat him as he cries until he goes to sleep. At least do that for 3 or 4 nights and see what happens. Ds1 did go through a phase of being unable to settle at around a year old and we did similar because getting him out of bed and cuddling made him scream even more and he didn't want to feed back to sleep.

Oh the poo is never ending. Will speak to HV next week I think. 40+ nappies in a week at this age isn't right is it?

He is fairly happy though and back to 'only' waking up twice in the night.

Yes indith - maybe your best intentions are getting him into more of a state? Just try being with him and let him cry for a bit.

Naps are tricky with older ones around aren't they. I manage to get DS to have a morning one on way to and from playgroup but can't get him to have a long one in the afternoon so he tends to get over tired by bedtime.

And speak of the poo devil... he's just done number 6 this morning. aghhhhhhh

Gosh that sounds like a LOT of poo, def talk to your HV. If there is some food he is reacting to then she will be able to point you in the right direction. Glad the nights are better though.

They aren't all big poos - more like lots of little bits. I remember DD having a very fast transit and being quite a prolific pooer but not to this extent!

Unsurprisingly his bottom is pretty sore so we're back to just using cotton wool and water which is a right messy faff.

Am laughing at the timing of my last post - I'd said to him earlier that if he did another one before midday I'd go mad. Looks like he just avoided that

Get yourself to poundland and buy some packs of baby flannels. They are perfect wipe size and great for poos. Then just bung them in the machine with towels and stuff. Mich less faff than cotton wool.

Good idea - thank you.

Please help I have hardly slept all week.

DD 8 months tomorrow. Used to sleep through (with the exception of a couple of growth spurts) but now very difficult to settle in cot and waking four or five times a night. Slept through Tuesday but awake almost all night the other nights this week

Gone off solids.

Possibly teething .

Lots of farts.

Did a huge wet poo Monday but nothing since.

Co-slept from 4am til 8 am today - she slept but I couldn't.

I have post natal anxiety and I'm scared of having a total breakdown.

Oh hairy I'm sorry you are feeling low. I sympathise, have been there with dd. You should see the go faster stripes on my car after having a panic attack in a carpark .

At the risk of being controversial if you think she may be teething have you tried the calpol test? As in give her a dose and if she is more settled then she is probably teething and in pain so keep dosing. If she isn't then cry and scratch youe head and think of another solution.

With the weekend can you escape to the spare room and leave your dh to deal with her and only bring her to you when she needs feeding so you can sleep?

I second the sleeping in another room & making DH the night nurse. We do this when I'm about to crack and it makes a huge difference. I've been shocked to discover how similar sleep deprivation and depression are. It's awful. No wonder they use it as a form of torture.

DP is equally sleep deprived and doesn't have boobs :(

Hairytale so sorry to best you are struggling. I don't have too many suggestions as I'm going through similar with 6 month old DD who has rarely slept for more than 2-3 hours at a time. Even on the odd occasion she's gone to 4 or so she's still very unsettled in her sleep and often needs shush pats every 45 minutes or so.

DD is in a cot in our bedroom, and we have a fold out single bed in the spare room as a place that either DH or I can retreat to during the night for guaranteed sleep. I often go in there between feeds to grab two hours or so. DD and I also co sleep about half the night, just the two of us. Learning to feed lying down has really saved my
sanity.

I have some postnatal anxiety as well, sleep deprivation really exacerbates it. The most helpful thing for me is fresh air everyday and meditation. Meditation is often a struggle though, even though I've been doing it for years. But the impact is noticeable. If meditation sounds too woo then cbt can also be helpful.

Between co sleeping and having a retreat to the spare room between feeds I get an average of about 5 hours a night, which alright. I also nurse lying down in bed when at home so get to doze s bit here and there through the day. Even if I don't sleep, just lying down, switching off, closing my eyes and cuddling DD is restful.

I hope you can get some help and support and that the sleep improves...take care.

Thank you mitsouko. That sounds like a good

plan.

I try to meditate but it's hard finding time and concentrating.

I just wish I had a magic solution for non-sleeping babies...really I do!

With meditation, I think it's important to remember that it's the effort that counts. Even if you have a hard time concentrating, and your mind is flooded with thoughts, just the deep breathing and active relaxation will rewire the brain so to speak. I often get distracted during meditation with random thoughts and brain chatter - I think everyone does. But you just let it go - or try to. But finding the time is hard with a baby. It's hard to find a moment to yourself. But for me, just 10-15 minutes twice a day done over a week or so makes a noticeable difference on my mental health.

Have you tried a hypnosis download? I put a sleep one on my iPod & listen To it at night. Helps me focus much more if I have someone reminding me tone aware of my breath or whatever.

Indith do you think your DS could be teething? My DS was the same with hitting himself, rubbing ears and he kept clawing at his nose, his face was always covered in little marks. His sleep started to go downhill at the same time, 12 weeks. He's now 17 weeks and has two bottom front teeth! And this week has started to go for longer periods of sleep, we just had 4 1/2 hrs for the first time in weeks!!
He is still rubbish at daytime naps though and now has my cold which hasn't helped. I tried a wee bit of tough love with him the other night, after the 3rd waking I didn't believe he was hungry so tried leaving him, then just holding him, but he just screamed and screamed so I gave in after half an hour and fed him. ( soft! )
It has worked during the day a couple of times though this week. I've put him down in his pram carry cot just while I eat, wash, go to loo etc, not expecting him to settle. Then after a couple of minutes of whinging ( not full on crying ) he's gone quiet and when I check him he's asleep! Sadly this is a rare occurrence though. Today he just had about five very short ( less than half an hour ) naps. Other days he might have one longer one. I give up trying to get him to sleep during the day and just let him go with the flow, which I know is probably wrong but saves my sanity. I don't even have any other children so have no excuse, but my baby doesn't want to follow a daytime routine so I'm not going to force him!
Sorry, am rambling, he's just finished feeding now so sleepy time for me....

Just to clarify I meant 4 and a half hours, not 4 x half hours, that would be rubbish!

Yes my affirmation tape is a good idea I did it yesterday and it helped.

I will try it once a day from now in.

Last night I co-slept and my DP slept in spare room and baby slept from 10pm til 4.30 then til 7.30 - I feel a lot better!

Hairytale really glad you got some rest and are feeling better.

DD was on half hourly wake ups last night. Left DH and I both shattered. Hoping and praying for an easier time tonight. Please oh please!

Don't want to tempt fate but we seem to be comig out of the other side of the poo fiasco. No poos in the night for the last couple of nights and 'only' 3 or 4 in the days.

Even got 6 hours straight sleep the night before last for the first time in months.

Hope everyone else's sleep improves soon too

Hurrah for those with better sleep and sympathy for those without.

After yet another night of waking every 20 mins or so I have thrown in the towel. I'd be able to cope if I could roll over and latch him on but unless he is actually hungry he doesn't feed and just fusses.

There is nothing apparent that is wrong at the moment. No teeth to be seen, no cold, poo is normal, solids going down well, he has cracked forward motion, no other new tricks coming yet so it is tough luck baby boy. While he was growth spurting I'd bring him down to feed in the evenings and while all wired and learning to crawl he was coming down when waking in the evening too as he'd scream upstairs so we are stopping that no there is no reason for it. He is staying in his cot and being sung to or patted or whatever. So giving comfort, being there, just not bringing him down. Fingers crossed it will have some effect! So far today he was shattered (because he only sleep for around an hour a day total spread over 2 or 3 naps) so he fed to sleep at 7 and went down. He woke at 7.40 and screamed at dh for half an hour. Dh is sleeping in the spare room tonight since he needs to be at least half alert for work so I am on my own unless I really need the help.

Good luck, hope you're successful!

Well that wasn't too bad I suppose. I fed every 3 hours, I'm a softie and no way could I make him go from feeding constantly to not at all. He was fairly settled with just a bit of patting until around 3 then did the 99% asleep but tossing around and starting at things until 6.30 then he fell into a nice settled sleep again but sadly I had to get up at 6.45. I woke him up at 8 as he usually needs a while to wake up before his morning feed and that needs to happen before I take the boy to school! Fingers crossed for tonight.

That sounds better indith

DS woke loads last night as he keeps rolling on to his tummy & getting stuck. when do they start being able to roll back?! Spend the night going in & turning him over. Brought him into bed around 5am & he slept through til 7.30am. He woke me up sticking his fingers up my nose