'Sleep is for the Weak' for anyone with August/Sep 06 DC's

[justJAM]

GM, Cruise and anyone else with LO's born around August/September 06' - this is a support thread for when you have no clue as to why your LO is doing the exact opposite to what they were doing last week and when you are thinking WTF????
Post on here and we shall all compare notes and comfort each other!!

CC, mine does this quite a lot, especially after lunch time nap. I've often woken her up poking the dummy in thinking she'd woken up for it. All hell breaks loose then!!

Think I may have an explanation for what happened last night - possible 6 mth growth spurt. Apparently he drank a lot more milk earlier than he normally does so maybe he needed to wake for all the feeding. ( well i'll give him the benefit of doubt for up to a week!)

I know I will be absolutely crap at any controlled crying and will cry myself to sleep - but i'm not sure my ds will ever change otherwise. How do you get them off the night feeds? I'm in the process of reducing my breast feeds but just can't see how i'm gonna get him to sleep at all without them if he wakes in the night.

Will keep you posted about his HUGE appetite at the moment ( he's only a wee thing as well!)

lol ginger - I've done the same! Fancy having a big plastic thing forced in your gob when your asleep, not much fun

DH insists I should wake her up as she is having 'nightmares'. No way I'm waking her, this is the only time I'll allow her to cry I think

Just caught up ... We did schedule feedings with DS1 (now 3), and I don't remember it feeling particularly cruel of us. DS2, as well, was on a 10a-2p-6p-10p etc. feeding schedue by 8 weeks ... seemed to help DS1 sleep longer as by this point he was out every night from 6 to 6 ... not so with this one, obviously ...

Up to our ears in spit up and the Prevacid dr. prescribed to us for baby's acid reflux doesn't seem to be working very well; we're going to switch to soy formula this week and see what happens.

At the times DH isn't at work, he & I are split pretty evenly on childcare duties. If we need to be productive over a weekend we'll go one hour on, one hour off, switching who handles the boys every hour, on the hour, and each of us gets projects done or has "me" time. Friday nights I do all the feedings while DH sleeps a 10-hour stretch, & Sat nights are mine to sleep as long as I want to. Slept 10 hours Sat. Still feeling def. rested.

There's really no practical reason for any of us to feel guilty about any aspect of the way we're raising our children. There are physical/sexual/emotionl abusers, and then the vast rest of us who can safely call ourselves good mothers. If we can say, when our babies are 40, that we did the best that we could at each stage of their lives with the knowledge and materials we had at that time, then IMHO not even our grown children could fault us, much less people who are not our children.

ginger - my night wasnt too bad actually we put ds in his own room last night which may have contributed....
He went to bed at 7:00 woke regularly at 7:45
8:45
9:45 ech time for a five - ten min suck
Then nothing till 4am!
Then again just before 6am
He was awake for hte day at 6:45 so by recent standards that ws a breakthrough
He had his three jabs today . Hoping he feels Ok - poor little man

LOL CC, what does your DH think she's having nightmares about? Giant dummies attacking probably

Cruise, flippin' fantastic news, hope tonight is as good if not better. Really pleased for you. Did you manage to get a light show mobile thingy?

Sleep tight everyone.

he's still asleep... he's stirred a couple of times but so far so good. he went to bed at 7.30 after a huge feed so fingers crossed he makes it to 11 before shouting for another, that would be massive progress

AHHHHHH!

he was still asleep at 11.30, so what do i do? i start to THINK. i start to think...'it's strange that he's been asleep so long, and he hasn't even turned over in his sleep for a while. i hope he's ok'.

not only do i start to think..... i ^BLOODY WELL GO UP!.

and despite the fact that i can hear him breathing from the door... i creep over to make doubly sure ... and his nose starts to twitch as he smells yummy milk in the vicinity so i slink back out.... and trip over myself in the doorway and bloody well wake him up

he's gone back down now... for the minute anyway! grrr.... do i at least win the award for dumbest non blonde on the planet?!

lol pink - have done that one before
Me - "I haven't heard a peep, do you think she's ok???"
DH - "she's fine"
Me - "hmmmm not sure" starts to ake towards DD's room
DH - "leave it darling, she is fine
Me - "just gonna check"
cue baby woken up in shock with face and inch from it's on starting to cry in terror
never done it since

so good to hear stories of good nights
how is the weaning off the breast going cruise?

ta for messages! Last night was Ok ish. He fell asleep around 6:30pm but then was unsettled till 8 when he crashed out.
Woke 11:50
12.20
4am for 1.5 hours
woke 6:30am

I gbuess things are getting better but still too slow!

We were back to 10pm, 1am and 4am feeds with replugging occuring at 3am and 6am. grrrr. I knew I shouldn't have got so excited yesterday.

Pink. LOL I've also done that, sometimes actually poking her.

lol at the waking lo up thing I have done that by adjusting blankets etc and then been so cross with myself
The weaning from bf is going Ok but I am weaning onto solids too and find the whole thing soooooo confusing. Esp the evening feed. I give a bottle around 4pm then some food then around 6-15ish he is having boob again before bed. It seems a lot of food in a short space of time. Any advice anyone?
GN - sorry your night went titsup (literally probably!). I am dreading the day I decide to stop giving boob in the middle of hte night. ds will not be impressed and does yell very loud -

gingrninja, i totally empathise with you over dh not understanding ds`s needs.we have had numerous rows over this issue. the most infuriating thing is he doesnt even admit that i could be right sometimes!
have been having a horrid week of nights-ds who used to sleep quite well has been waking up at 1.00 am,3.00 am,4.00 am ,5.30 am and then 6.30 am.i dont know what has changed.feel like i have aged 5 years in one week. due to start work tomorrow. my job is very stressful and i wonder how i am going to be able to cope again.
sometimes feel like leaving all this behind and doing a run....

Ginger - how do you not go insane with that sleep schedule??? Especially if that's a "good" night ... OMG. Maybe I don't belong on this thread ... just upset that he had been waking at 2 ... now he's not ... woke at 5am this morning. Spit up everywhee this am after feeding. Changed his clothes twice, my clothes twice. Now he's in his room ... can't hear him crying when he is. It's been 5 minutes seems like forever, even when I can't hear it. Have no choice - he'll wake up DS1 if I let him, and that's not fair to DS1. Checking ... still crying. He won't eat, he won't play, he was shattering my nerves and waking DS1 ... honestly just don't know what else to do with him right now. Calling Dr. again today.

I WISH HE WERE A YEAR OLD NOW!!!!!! I def. hate this stage.

Had a good night last night .

DD took 7oz ff about 7. Woke a couple of times before 11. Replugged dummy then she went till 3, then bf and woke at 7. Seeing as the only bf she gets now is in the night, not sure how long my supply will last

I'm not going to get excited as its normally short lived this kind of behaviour.

Cruise - like you have started weaning. DD has bottle about 3.30, then give food about 1/2 hour later at 4. Bottle for bed between 6.30/7. It is V confusing isn't it? How much ff does your lo have now instead of his bf? DD only has 4oz a time during the day and it does stress me that she isn't having enough. GAve a yogurt yesterday as I was worried she wasn't having enough calories. She loved it though, maybe thats why she slept. She a a big tummy fully of yummy yogurt - nx best thing to mummy milk

DS1 woke up just after last post & had to go get DS2 anyway since I'd never let him go longer than 10 min ... DS1 was an easy baby, and even then I really only began enjoying every day of parenting after DS1 was 6 months old. DS1 is a joy, and no doubt DS2 will be as well. But not right now.

DD has been napping in her cot for 40 mins now - a record for recent times Maybe the blackout blind does help.

Was so tempted to go in and see if she was okay but like previous posts say - don't want to wake her by checking on her

hi neilsmum

I really really empathise - it's SO tough - I went back to work mid december.

My 6 mth old ds did it again last night - woke 1-2 hrly thru the night and ended up taking him into our bed at 02.00 instead of the usual 5am. As a result my neck is absolutely killing me through sleeping in an awkward position and cradling him.

Please please can someone advise me...HOW DO YOU STOP NIGHT FEEDS!!!

I'm trying to give up breastfeeding but can't see how i'm gonna stop these ones.

PS - this thread is a real source of support and I don't feel so alone x

hi there! trying hard to wean dd off falling asleep at the boob. but the only other way she'll do it is to be walked around until sleepy, then put in cot. she's getting bit heavy now though for that but don't want to let her cry. had best night for a while last night, bed at 7, woke at 9.45 so missed end of waking the dead, did anyone watch it as missed who dun it!!? stirred again at 10.30, then fed at 11.15, straight to sleep (on boob!) fed again at 2.15, then not up til 6.45am. (shock) don't know what i did differently last night, hope it continues though as have been getting up to her hourly or two hourly recently. is this the start of something good? (hmm) thought it was supposed to get easier as they got older? (5 months)

God we are all martyrs to our lo's!
GN - I guess my schedule does seem like it is improving but am just so as I looked in ds baby record book last niht at from 8 weeks - 12 weeks he increased his sleep from 6hrs to 10 hours at night! Wtf is going on on then????
Neilsmum - your nights sound horrendous. I'm with you on ageing overnight . even my mum said I look haggard.... I sincerely hope your job goes ok for you - goodluck.
Marls - I let ds cry today in his cot for a nap. He was shattered but screamed on and on until I had to give in or leave him and I chose to give in. I don't think he will learn anything from my attempt at tough love. I'm not cut out for it. My dd was a model baby. Slept like a dream, napped well etc. This is a shock to my system!
cc21 - How long ago did you stop bf in the day? Curious as to how long my nighttime supply will lst once the days stop for good
Amijee - No idea how to stop night feeds! I am having nightmares about the trauma it will bring when I stop bf at night. I am hoping for a miracle that he will lost interest good luck!

marls - you sound so down . we are all in this together tho miles divide us. it is tough and confusing and tiring and all consuming and relentless and ......... but to see our lo's smile with such love and unerring trust in us as trheir mummies makes every second worthwhile. hth

Stopped b/f during day about a week ago, and stopped bedtime boob feed on Sunday night. I dread the thought of having to give a bottle in the night!! Last night she only had one feed from me, so one boob hasn't fed her since Sun night - might try it when she wakes in night and see if there is anything left in it. It feels soft....

cc - did you feel sad when you gave your last few feeds? I am beginning to feel regretful already but I nkow it is the right thing for me now .

I just got home from dropping dd at a her dance lesson and my ma was looking after ds for about 30 mins leading up to bath, boob and bed. When I came home she had bathed him, got him in bedclothes,grobag etc and he was fast asleep! I have put hmi to bed without his feed . I guess he will wake in shortly when he realises he is hungry but it proves that he can fall asleep at bedtime with teh aid of my breasts! Funny isn't it, but I feel kind of sad that he didn't need me .What's wrong wiht us?!

Cruisemum - please don't worry I just think it is SO HARD to be a baby, and for LO's sake as well as my own, I'm wanting this period to be over. He can't eat good food, play with toys yet, ask me, tell me, reply to anything I say. He can't tell me he's tired or hungry or why he has been throwing up all day (big sound-effect ones too: "Splorg!"). There can't be anything left in his stomach, yet he doesn't want to eat. He has just fallen asleep. I just want him happy, and he's not, and if he were older he could tell me why. (This is more the "what's wrong with my baby" thread than "baby's not sleeping" ... sorry abt. off-topic. But Cruise, thanks. )

Amijee ... I don't now if this is what you want to hear, but ... either you just, one night when baby's healthy, stop the feeds - keep going in and soothing every 5 min or so ... or alternatively give water instead (not the way we did it, but told by others it works) until, either way, baby realizes there's nothing worth getting up for. This worked with DS1. Our DS2's still getting up at night, very brief periods at 2, 4... but it's not hunger ... probably this stomach thing whatever it is ... What finally worked for us to drop feeding at night (if not waking at night) was the 6a-10a-2p-6p-10p feeding schedule during the day ... it's much easier to comfort them putting off their feeding for a few hours during the day than to try to look at doing that for the night in full ...baby becomes accustomed to taking a full feed each time, and that helps them go longer times between feeds in general .. at least, that's the theory. Our baby has been a challenge, to say the least, but if you have not yet tried to schedule feedings, then maybe give it a go and see what happens.