'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!!

Ginger - you poor thing. I had a similar thing last night. ds slept 7ish to 10ish, then again till 1ish (from what I remember) then it was every hour for a suck. tbh I felt quite resentful today and when he was crying out of tiredness I shouted at him to stop it . I felt ashamed afterwards and smothered him in kisses and we have had tons of hugs but it is so hard when you are exhausted. At lesat your dh does the night shift with you. My dh never does. Actually I think it would crank ds up even more and we would end up rowing so there is no point. ds takes hs formula really well. I have replaced 10am feed for three days and tomorrow will add 1pm feed. Slow but sure so i don't get too engorged and hormonal. I found it tough stopping with dd so am expecting the same guilt feeling with this one. i have also given babyrice for 3 days and he loves it! sweet dreams GN - CM

you knwo what just occurred to me.... we are all moaning about our sleepless lives, our errant offspring and exhaustion in general but what are we doing about it? It feels like we are all resigned to living like zombies in the hope that our darling cherubs will suddenly decide that they will do 7 - 7! wtf are we expecting!? I am going to make a plan and implement it beginning now! Anyone got any good ideas???????

cruisemum don't feel ashamed - none of us feel good about getting annnoyed with our non-sleeping los but you will be far from alone in having a yell now and again. I know on occasion towards the end of a particularly hellish night I have turned the air blue. It'll probably come back to haunt me as his first words .

We are only human!

Good luck for tonight everyone.

DD has collapsed in bed with exhaustion from her water babies session Might take her again tomorrow

However she has decided to refuse the bottle all day long after nearly a week and a half of having it . She had boob at 7.30am, and has only had 9 oz of ff throughout the day. have just fed her by boob and she's now asleep. But I am worried she's not had enough calories today to ensure a restful night. But am determined not to give in and give her boob , even if it does mean more sleepless nights till she settles again. Do I sound mean?? I do feel a bit mean but feel its time to stop bf for me.

cruise, how old was your DS when you tried Pick up/Put down? - is only really effective after 16 weeks as before that can stimulate the LO more. I used it for DD's naps in cot - it did take a few days (less each time) of PU/PD but has worked now and no controlled crying needed (I just couldn't do that) - your DH may be better doing it as if DS smells your milk it'll be hard, plus if you do usually BF back to sleep it can wind the LO up more if mum does PU/PD as she is withholding something she usually gives. If DH/DP does it the LO doesn't feel upset because mum isn't refusing BF/comfort.
It may be worth another go, it has a good success record and worked for DD, I think it worked because once I started using it I knew I couldn't give in (which was fecking tempting the first day!! )
Just a thought hon as you mentioned idea's

cc21 -you have to take decisive action sometime so don't feel bad. only thing is after today, wot if she is either sickening 4 something or genuinely hungry? will you still have the resolve to offer only bottle? be strongh good luck.

Cruise, I'm ashamed to admit that I often shout at DD and then feel terribly guilty about it. She seems to think it's funny, especially at 5 oclock in the morning! I've just had it this evening and am getting myself so wound up and cross because she won't settle. It's just frustration because I just don't know what to do anymore. I've made all the excuses under the sun and nothing seems to work. She's been in bed for an hour but hasn't slept for more than about 10 minutes. In the end I just snapped at DH that he'd better take over. I'm going to post another message because she seems to be constantly clawing her ears and the side of her head and I can't decide if it's teeth or itchy cradle cap (she has it quite bad) either way, it seems to be that waking her up.

PS. DH only did the night shift with me last night because he wasn't at work today. Most of the time he sleeps in the spare room!

Boo, I'm in a right grump I'm so knackered

I think I'll have resolve to stick to it . problem is I don't think she's ill as in fever but teeth do seem to be bothering her I think. So feel so tight that she hasn't got comfort of the boob if she is in pain

My mum informed me today of a woman she knew who also weaned her bf baby onto ff, and the baby didn't feed for for 2 whole days nothing at all apparently . Mum is prone to exaggerating though . She also suggested weaning now so I can get calories into her via yogurts, cheese etc etc Will try another day with bottles. She's having another ff tomorrow first thing, so my resolve will be tested first thing.....

oh ginger - i do feel for you so much. it is the ultimate test of your patience as a parent when they do this. I do try and project myself into the future and hear myself saying "my ds was a right monkey at bedtimes" but now he sleeps 7 - 7 (it is my mantra) and my lifes work . I think you may have to take the hardline if she continues.

gn - how was your night?
cc - didd dd wake hungry? how did she take to ff at nite?
jj we did pu/pd at 12 wks or so. it was awful . i think with ds it cranks him up more and confusess him. donn't really know what to do for sure but am starting nxt week.

Cruise, i agree PU?PD was a nightmare for us. She got very very distressed, so did I.

Our night was marginally better. She slept with me from the start and we put a jumper on over her grobag as our room gets really cold and I was wondering if that had anything to do with it. Anyway, went to bed at 10.30 easily. Bit of fuss about 12ish but went back to sleep until 3.30. Fed and fussed plus two nappy canges! til 4.30 slept until 7.15. Much better I thought.In hind sight I don't think she really needed the feed because she didn't take much. Think she just needed a poo and she seems to need to suck when she needs a poo. Dummy won't do so it's either a finger or boob. So here's hoping to an improved day. She's in her cot at the moment napping.What about you cruise? any improvement?

gn - kind of. ds slept like a baby(!) from 7pm to 12:30am then woke at 2:30am and took ages to go back to sleep. After that it is all a bit hazy. I think it was around 5 when he would not settle in his cot. i guess that is an improvemnt on last night but still far too much waking up. I am going to hv today to get him weighed etc and talk about weaning from breast and weaning onto food (both of which I have already started but it is all so confusing!)
ds currently napping in car seat after school run

Anyone.....can you recommend a good mobile with sound/lights for nighttime?

Wondered if I could join your gang?

My ds was born end july and is coming up to 6 mths and in that time, I have had no more than 3.5 hrs uninterupted sleep. Am beginning to wonder about the long term effects on my brain but dh says i've always been mad!

I do all the things you are not supposed to - put in cot fast asleep, fed to sleep, ds is carried a lot and hardly left to cry. Trouble is - I've been at work for the last 5 weeks, so it's getting harder and harder.

Last night, I brought him into bed with us at 2am as i was so tired and the monkey slept quite well but don't really wanna go there.

Got no answers - just wanted to share!

Welcome amijee - may your stay on this thread be shortlived (in the nicest possible way ).

Well we had uninterrupted sleep between 12.30 and 5.30 last night, first time for a long time . And this despite ME waking at 4.30, checking ds was still breathing and in the process knocking my full glass of water off the bedside table, bending down to pick it up and banging my head on the cot. Oh yes, I do nighttimes really well...

Cruise, we have a lullaby light show thing which is OK but DD is either so worked up or sleepy by that point that she doesn't really notice it. I'm sure there are better ones on the market. The actual tune it plays is very tinny and not very relaxing imo. I bought some pink heart lights in the sale from B&Q after christmas and drapse them over the fireplace in her room which she seems to like so we sit and look at them for a bit before her feed. Tantrum permitting. Think they hae a womb like glow! I've also got a lullaby CD which is quite nice or a CD that plays white noise ie tumble drier. I'm not sure if either settle her. (Works for me tho) but they're definately good for cutting out other noises in the house so if we're thumping around downstairs it doesn't wake her up.

Can I join your gang too? My DD (17 weeks)has been waking up at least every 2 hours, usually more often, for the last 3 weeks, boo... I think it was triggered by teething - she got her first 2 teeth at 14 weeks (biting! ouch!)- but the waking has continued after the teething pain had stopped.
The single most helpful thing I have read is that it is completely normal for babies to wake up every 2 hours at this age, and the ones who sleep through are the wierd ones (sleep is really for the weak!)and to accept and try and enjoy it(Hmmmm).
Anyhoo, am currently trying to extend daytime naps in the hope that it will help, anyone had success with this? She has just woken up from a 2 1/2 hour nap (!) with me rocking her chair the whole time, usually she'll manage 1/2 hour, if that. Let's see...

Hi all - sorry PU/PD didn't go so well - DD was 16 weeks before I tried it as I had been warned before that could go tits up, and I found it invaluable, but we all know how individual babies are and what works for one may not work for another.
I wish I could suggest something else, sorry

DD slept ok. Woke at 10.30, had a feed took a bit of settling but slept till 3.30. Went straight to sleep after a quick feed. I am just confused....

She has been slightly better with her bottle today - but did get an extra oz down her via baby rice She thought all her Christmases had come at once. I know I'm a bit early but she certainly seemed ready for it.

Cruise - we have a Winnie the pooh lullaby/light show thing. Its quite good but think sometimes it keeps her awake rather than send her to sleep

QoftheN, welcome. Really interested in what you're saying. Gutted that you're LO is still waking after cutting the teeth. I'm deluding myself obviously that it'll stop when weaned and teeth come through. Bugger. Not sure I'll ever be able to enjoy waking every 2 hours but I'm definitely finding myself more and more hysterical and not of the funny variety!

How are you managing to get your DD to extend naps? I've tried allsorts and it just doesn't seem to make any difference. She naps for exactly 30 minutes and flatly refuses any more. I was kind of hoping that short daytime naps would also be 'a phase' and as their sleeping habits mature she'd nap better. Obviously delusional!

hey guys... haven't posted here in a while as ds has been teething horrifically so things are getting worse not better

the night before last wasn't too bad even though he was feverish as every time he woke and had a feed he was happy to go back in his cot but last night was a nightmare. he went back down the first time he woke but when he woke just before 11 he absolutely refused to settle... even when i brought him into the bed he spent another hour scratching at my face and generally being a nuisance... i'm shattered!

Would love to join y'all ...

My DS2 (4.5 months) is a nightmare compared to DS1 ... I'll admit gingerninja after reading your posts I'm with you ... but I went a step further (Cruise, this will be new info for you; too embarassed on the other thread to post anything like this) and told DH I'd just be leaving DS2 on his own between 11pm and 5:30 am. I had been going in at every cry and it never seemed to comfort him & he always fell back asleep within 10 minutes anyway. So about a month ago I decided I didn't want to know when he cried, or for how long, as it didn't seem to make a difference to the baby whether I ever heard him or not - but it sure was making a difference for me. I knew he wasn't going to be dead in the morning, you know? Made sure room wasn't cold or hot, he was comfortable, in his seep sack with no blankets, etc. DH let me do this for 5 nights or so, with no ill effects whatsoever on DS2, who has a happy daytime disposition ... but then DH caved, and he's been sleeping with the monitor ever since. Had insomnia so severe every time DS2 would wake me up that I'd had it. Many days had basically begun starting, for me, at 2am (ending at 10). This is our last child, and I've been through all of this before; it was a nightmare then but there was a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak - DS1 was sleeping through by 4 months. Really if it were still up to me, unless DS2 were sick we'd just set him in his room and see him in the morning. DH needs his sleep probably even more than I need mine. Had told DH that when DS2 hit 4 months, I'd be leaving him alone ... now the new deadline is after he's been introduced to sold foods ... I mean, really, how long can this continue?

Marls, I admire your honesty. I assume your DS didn't need to feed during the night? Most of the time my DD does still need to feed in the night so I couldn't ignore her and to be honest I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep anyway so not sure that approach would work for me. I guess at the end of the day the approach I've taken has been just to respond, put up with it and just have a bloody good moan about it. Obviously that wouldn't work for everyone and I'm lucky that I don't need to go back to work for while. I'm not saying that either approach is easy, or better and maybe it's because DD is my first but I just can't bare to hear her cry. She's been in bed almost 2 hours and has already woken up 3 or 4 times but given that she's teething and has also got a bit of a cold I couldn't live with myself for not at least offering a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hope your DS starts sleeping soon

evening all....
Ami - I'm with you on teh not co-sleeping thing. I am sure that ds would sleep beautifully if we did but not for me I'm afraid. Stand firm!
Ginger - lullaby CD sounds good. I just want something to sooth ds to sleep but worried about overstimulating. he goes into his own room over the w/e and I'm nervous!
Queen - I have read that somewhere too. My dd was never like this tho and I really cannot continue not knowing how much sleep I am gonna get night by night. I would love to lenghten ds naps but he just wakes after 30/45mins unless it is the first nap of the day for some reason. Let me know wht works for you other than rocking! I want to have him napping in his cot.
CC21 - I began weaning this week too. ds loves it!!!. They are weird with their inconsistency regarding sleeps aren't they. Lst night ds went from 7 - 12.30 but tonight he was awake again by 8 grrrrrrr. I think at some point WE ahve to take charge, after all they are the babies!
PInktulips - re the scratching. was he feeding at the time? my ds does this when he is overful/overtired. He just doesn't kow what he wants by then and I am pretty sure it is out of frustration. That is what makes me think that we ought to take charge of the situation - but how !!!
Marls - I didn't realise you were having such probs. You should never be embarrassed. Sleep deprivation is just awful. It mars your judgement/outlook and everything else, esp when you don't know for sure how long it will go on for. Another reason whey we should be taking control. These poor lo's don't know how to fix themselves! It is up to us and they will never remember these days anyway. Sometimes I think I am such a pratt for making such heavy weather of things. Embarassing really since I have done this all before with dd - mind you, she was pretty textbook by comparison.
I have made a plan beginning next week. I can't go on being baby led. Not fair on him or anyone else in this family. Hard but true I think and I am the biggest softie going. Feel good about yourself Marls - get some sleep, sort your lo the way you think is best. In a matter of days your nights will be your own

lol... no, it's his new thing. he gets all lovey dovey and cuddly and wants to touch our faces but gets overexcited and grabbs... with his little dagger nails! ouch!

he's just woken up ... had a feed and is up there kicking around his cot wide awake he'll either doze off after a while of us going up and down when he cries or be up half the night, it's anybodies guess.

marls, be warned... not every baby goes along with cc. with dd we tried it a few times out of desperation when she was little and it failed every time until she was a year