If they can self-settle.....

[IcouldstillbeJoseph]

DD is 11months now, breastfed. She has always been a bloody nightmare inconsistent with sleep.
Without warning at 10 months she started going 12 hours, or waking just once a night. What a glorious week that was .
Then she got a vomiting bug from hell and it all went wrong. That was 3 weeks ago now. She is fully recovered, eating loads. However is waking loads more now. So much so I have regressed to bed-sharing again.
DH thinks I should 'get tough' and stop bf overnight. To say I'm less than keen would be a gross understatement.
My question is this: DD can definitely self-settle, in the day I can put her down wide awake and walk away and she will drift off without a peep. So I see no point in sleep- training as they all seem to be concerned with teaching them to get off to sleep without you? But she does that, and doesn't fall asleep on breast at all, even during night feeds.
Anyone got any alternative ideas? Or some hope?

DD is my 2nd child - had no issues with DS....

What are you doing at the moment to get her back to sleep at her multiple night wakings?

I feed her but she goes back into the cot awake and pops her thumb in and goes to sleep
If it's for the third time etc I take her into my bed but she still just has a feed, stops, sucks her thumb and then falls back to sleep

Have you tried settling her in other ways? I cut down on night feeds by sending DH in to settle - then she just eventually stops waking up so frequently (clearly not as attractive to wake up for a cuddle with DH as it is for a bf!). She still feeds at least once in night.

But I'm interested to see what others suggest as last week we went through bad patch when she was waking loads, still only feeding once but needing rocking at other wake ups an would end night either sleeping on DH in arm chair or next to me in bed. This too was after she'd been ill. And I just ha no idea how to reduce the wakings as she already self settles at beginning of night and attempts to resettle her in cot failed terribly. Anyway, she seems to have gone back to just one wake-up of her own accord, but I'm sure we'll encounter this issue again and I'd like to know what to do to help solve it (rather than just keeping fingers x'ed it fixes itself)

What happens if you just go in and give her a cuddle then put her back?

Well she's just woken and I sent DH in - she went MENTAL. I had to go in as I couldn't bear it. I held her and rocked her for 10mins and she quietly clung to me. I've put her down and kissed her and walked away.
She is screaming. I'm going to have to go back in.

Went back in and couldn't bear the sobs - she was retching she was getting so worked up
So I fed her - she greedily took both sides like she'd never been fed
I hate this - mainly I hate that I feel guilty now for feeding her and that I've 'given in'. I don't want to feel like that.
I feel like I can't moan to friends about anymore as they all think I should have 'got tough' by now.

Icouldstillbejoseph dont beat yourself up over this. like you said, she greedily took both sides, maybe she was hungry? I regularly sometimes "give in" to my DS, but then I just tell myself this won't last forever! just follow your instincts and I'm sure she will be fine

also in regards to the night wakings, my 7 month old DS also went from 1-2 wakings a night to hourly about 6 weeks ago! he had a virus, the a bad batch of teething, then a cold! only now is he sort of starting to settle down through the night. but he is getting their again until the next thing happens and I'm sure in time your DD will too I just think do whatever you van to get the most sleep!