Everything's gone backwards with DS

[APocketfulOfStars]

Up until 5 or 6 months, DS was a great sleeper. He woke 2, maybe 3 times night max. He would never fall asleep on the boob, just roll away and then I'd put him in the cot and he'd go off to sleep quite happily, with his dummy.

Around 6 months, he started waking 3, 4, 5, 6 times a night, but went back down fairly easily..

At around 7 months, he started needing more boob to become drowsy before putting him in the cot.

Now, at almost 8 months, he will not go to sleep without the boob. For the last 3 weeks or so, he's needed to be properly asleep on the boob. If I try to pull away before, he latches back on and starts sucking again. He screams if I put him in the cot before he is totally asleep. He does 3 or 4 hours at night, then wakes every 60/90 mins throughout the rest of the night. He will only go back to sleep on the boob.

When he wakes at night, he doesn't cry, he just moans (ohhhhhhhh, uhhhhhh) very loudly. Very occasionally he goes back to sleep, but usually gets louder, and either more frustrated or more awake. And then will only go back down with boob.

Why has this happened, and what can I do about it??? Is it a phase? In the last 3 weeks, he has also started pulling himself up and cruises round the furniture. I do always still try and put him down awake, but always end up back with the boob. It's a cycle, the more he wakes and I give him boob, the more he wants/needs it, the more he wakes, the more tired I get so give him boob to get back down quickly!

Also, my nipples are starting to hurt!

Any ideas?? Many thanks!

I totally get how you feel, though with DD2 it wasn't boob she needed to sleep, she had to be holding my hair/touching my face and it was a nightmare, we were both so tired and she was really suffering from the shit quality sleep.

in desperation I asked on here for advice and opted for a modified version of supernannys CC. I fed her, put her down and used a stock phrase of night night DD, sweet dreams etc and left. She got upset, went in at 2 mins, 2 mins, 3 mins, 4 mins etc til 5 max and she cried maybe 15 mins in total. Did this 4 times the first night, 3 the second and by the 3rd she woke once after putting her to bed but went off without a sound herself

I get its not for everyone and I was dreading it, but it actually really wasn't that bad and she has been a good sleeper since bar illness, goes off by herself 6.30ish and sleeps til 5.

It's so.hard to know what to do isn't it!

I've tried soothing him and then putting him back down a couple of.times, but then give in as I'm tired! I think your approach is something I might try one day, but I'm not quite sleep deprived enough yet!

I forgot to say, he has also completely rejected the dummy. Considering how anti I was,and upset that he wanted it, I am now surprisingly unhappy that he won't take it anymore!

Might not be for you but would co-sleeping help? I found it much easier to feed to sleep and sneak away when leaving DD asleep in a bed than trying to transfer to a cot. They definitely need to feed more when they're practising all those physical skills!

I sometimes bring him in with us but he doesn't always like it there either, and i have to stand up and hold him until he's fully asleep, then put him down again.

I also think I'm maybe not co sleeping 'properly' when we do have him in the bed. I put him on the outside of the bed, with me in the middle, then DH, I have the covers around me, but not DS (he's in his Gro-Bag etc). There isn't much space so I sleep on my side with one arm over him in case he rolls. But then my hip/thigh starts aching (exactly like it did in late pregnancy) from staying in the same position. Is that right? Or should I put a pillow or something on the edge of the bed?

Also, does that mean I'd have to sleep with my boob out? It's cold here and we have no central heating! I think, on balance, co sleeping is something I would do if I get too sleep-deprived, but would rather not for the moment!

Sorry for all the questions.
To add to the mix, he's just gone down super early, having fed and then just relaxed against me. He almost went off when I put him in his cot awake but worked himself up again. In the end he fell asleep with me holding him, then I transferred him. (but NO FEEDING TO SLEEP!!)

I'm wondering if he needs to be more upright to get to sleep for some reason.

Glad you've had a successful evening!

The way you cosleep is virtually identical to how we did, including aching joints which did seem to get better. Can't remember how old DD was but maybe at about 10/11 months, we got these foam bed guards that stopped her from rolling out of bed. They've actually been a really good buy because she now has them on her single bed (moved her into that from 17/18 months).

I think most people end up sleeping with one boob out, lots of layers seems to be the key. I wore a vest and long sleeve top last winter so top could come up and vest down to minimise the amount of skin getting cold!

Apologies for the delay in replying! We're in the middle of a house move.

I'll look out for the bed guards! Although, I've been thinking about this over the last couple of days, and it's not really the lack of sleep that's bothering me, it's more the fact that this 'sleep regression seems to have been going on for a long long time. We did have only two wake ups last night, but were up for the day at 5.30, so slightly better.

He's still in with us at the moment. When we finally move in (hopefully next weekend) to the new place, he's going in his own room. I think I've been picking him up and feeding him back to sleep too early. He's just so loud with his moans that I worry about him keeping DH awake (who's done the entire makeover of our house every evening and weekend for the last 9 months). Hopefully once he's in, I, a will only hear the really loud moans and the cries, and b, we won't disturb him.