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So tired.

50 replies

Nosleepforthewicked · 06/12/2017 06:35

Hi,

My baby is 5 months next week and has never been good at sleeping. Ever. I've come to terms with his day time sleep. He naps for 30 mins and usually gets around 2- 2.5 hours day time sleep. Last nap is USUALLY 4.15/4.30 and lasts for an hour. He always wakes up screaming from this but I think it's because it's the witching hour!

My problem at the minute is nighttimes. He has a bath at 5.45. Can't push him back any longer than that because hes exhausted (BECAUSE HE NEVER SLEEPS) he is usually being fed by around 6pm and will fall asleep on the breast anytime between 6.20 and 7pm. My husband feeds him a bottle of formula at around 11pm. But DS is often up and down between going to bed and last bottle. This used to take him to around 3am and then he'd be up hourly but he's now getting up between 12am and 2am and up hourly. He's breast feed the rest of the time so I end up bringing him into bed to feed him and he generally feeds all night. I can't rest as some women can when laying down feeding. The times he does stop feeding i get about half an hour before he's wanting to feed again. When he falls asleep i try to put him back in his cot but he wakes up and screams. He has an unbelievably loud screech which I can't leave to go on and on (not that i would anyway) because my husband is working and I think my face would burst.

I don't want to do anything like controlled crying or cry it out.

He generally feeds 2 hourly in the day and sometimes more frequently.

Not that it makes a difference but he's not a huge baby. He's between 9th and 25th centile.

This is making me miserable. I regularly cru though the night from sheer exhaustion. My breasts can be in agony some mornings.

I'm not sure whether to move him to his own room in case im disturbing him. Just no idea. Sad

Co sleeping was never my plan and I would be happy to go ahead with it but it's doing me no favours. He sees it as an all night buffet. My skin getting bad and I just want to eat rubbish because I'm so tired.

Please can someone give me their magical cure?

I'm trying to think of any other info.... He he usually wakes about 6am. Although recently its been earlier! I could cope with this if he actually let me sleep. He sleeps in a travel cot in our room in his grobag. For naps ive only just started to not swaddle him because he wouldn't sleep without.

I've tried not feeding him in the night when he wakes up. He sometimes falls asleep. I would then either put him in his cot and he pings awake. Or lay him in bed with me and he wants to feed.

Sorry for the long post.

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Nosleepforthewicked · 07/12/2017 07:23

Thanks for your advice Fate. He's never normally awake for any longer than 1.5 hours. Usually I settled him ready for a nap just after an hour and it'll work out 1.5 hours he's been awake by the time he's sleeping. I think I've added it up wrong! 😴

I agree the dummies amazing. He has it for every nap. Sometimes he goes down without it because he spits it out when hes in a deep sleep before going down.

As for the cot. There's no way it'll fit in our room. Weve already tried moving furniture around. Which is why we bought a travel cot. I'll be putting him in his own room in the new year.

With the bouncy chair. I've tried this lots of times as it's something I've read on your other posts. He just sits running at me. I'm quite happy with getting him down for naps though and am accepting of his 30 min stretch!

Last night was slightly better. He had his formula at around 10.45. In his travel cot for 11 and got up again just before 2. He stayed in bed with me for the rest of the night. I'd say he took one full feed and woke up another 3 times wanting the breast but on the 3rd time I let him knaw on my finger and he really went for it and ended up dozing off so I'm pretty sure it's teething.

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Nosleepforthewicked · 07/12/2017 07:24

Grinning not running!!!!

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Nosleepforthewicked · 07/12/2017 07:24

Oh and we got up at 6.45 so a good time!

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Chosenbyyou · 07/12/2017 08:22

Glad it went better Nosleep! You did better than us - we were up at 4.45 :(

As soon as he went back to sleep the toddler was up! I try not to worry :)

Nosleepforthewicked · 07/12/2017 09:18

Oh my god chosen! You poor thing. Hope you had an early night! X

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TheLegendOfBeans · 07/12/2017 09:42

I feel for you mate, I really do.

I’ve had no sleep past 24h so sorry for staying the blindingly obvious but do you use infacol before formula feeds? DD got hella windy with formula feeds and only a shot of infacol right before feeding would avoid her pinging up 10 mins after settling crippled with wind.

Goes without saying as well we held her up for burps for 20min each feed without fail.

Solidarity OP Flowers Sleep deprivation is used as a torture device by rogue states for a reason!

Ps @gannetseatfish you’re definitely from my part of the world. Your posts are making me homesick! X

Gannetseatfish · 07/12/2017 17:13

@thelegendofbeans it's hella windy here at the moment and that's not the baby!!

Gannetseatfish · 07/12/2017 17:17

@no sleep sounds a bit better last night (it's all relative). After the advice on here I gave DD some calpol as she kept waking up early in the evening....and she slept for 2.5 hours and was then up 2 hourly which was good for us (again all relative!)

Nosleepforthewicked · 07/12/2017 18:29

Thelegend... welcome to the walking dead club! Grin I had two hours sleep after from 8pm last night then slept from 11pm to 2am. (Up mostly after that but god it felt good to have slept!).
Yeah we give infacol and it does help! Solidarity right back at ya! SmileBrewFlowers

Gannetseatfish that's great! We're moving slowly forward (hopefully not two steps back!!) I posted about ibuprofen yesterday... Campbell has an issue with his kidneys so I ended up calling his doctor who advised against it and said it should really only be used to being bring down a fever and only used for 24hours! Just incase anyone thought about that. Weve been hitting the Calpol today though. X

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Nosleepforthewicked · 12/12/2017 03:15

Eugh! Hi guys.. just an update... we are currently on one of the worst nights yet. Sad roll on when bubs only wakes up once!

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TheLegendOfBeans · 12/12/2017 07:53

@nosleepforthewicked

We were fine....

Then round three of the “family cold” started...

We had a crap night too. See you in 18hrs or so x

Gannetseatfish · 12/12/2017 09:06

I was wondering how you guys were getting on. It’s gone from bad to worse here. Up between 2-3 screaming last night and Ive realised I can’t keep giving her ibuprofen and calpol doesn’t touch it. Where are the teeth that’s what I want to know?!

Nosleepforthewicked · 12/12/2017 09:49

Same here! He was up at 12.10, 1.40, 2, 3, 3.45 and 4.10. Then slept thru to 6.40. The last couple of times I didn't lift him just put his dummy back in and hushed and stroked him for a while. That felt like improvement but today I feel like every bone in my body aches! Naps have gone tits up too... He won't sleep anywhere other than in my arms. X

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Gannetseatfish · 12/12/2017 10:05

Oh dear @nosleep I feel so sorry for you but also sort of glad someone else knows exactly how awful it is. The aches are amazing, I can’t face the stairs half the tome and I’m not that old! I’ve been trying to get DD to nap for an hour, she’s been up since 7 (a lie in)!

Nosleepforthewicked · 12/12/2017 12:18

I've just had to accept that he wot so ay where other than on me for now. Xmas Sad

1 step forward 2 steps back!!!

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Abijam · 12/12/2017 16:32

Try not to make him sleep at least 4 hours before bedtime so that he will feel sleepy at night. also why not try co sleeping? I used to give Ibuprofen syrup for toothaches for my DD.

Nosleepforthewicked · 12/12/2017 18:08

Hi abijam, I wouldn't be able to keep him up that long, he usually goes 2 hours at the very latest between last nap and sleep and that's pretty rare. Usually it's just 1hr-1.5hr.

I have quite often co slept but he will breast feed all night long and I don't get any rest. Although i do like it when he just sleeps! My DS has a problem with his kidney so we have been advised against ibuprofen x

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Nosleepforthewicked · 14/12/2017 11:21

TheLegendOfBeans....Gannetseatfish....

He slept from 11 to 5am last night! 3rd night of being in his own room. I feel great today! Naps still awful but so happy about last night. Please god may it continue! X

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TheLegendOfBeans · 14/12/2017 11:47

MUst be catching, DS went from 11 -5 as well! Trouble is I’m on the sofa as I’ve got such a hacking tickley cough it wakes everyone up but I’m happy someone’s sleep is going in the right direction!

Gannetseatfish · 14/12/2017 14:43

Hey guys that's brilliant! Can you send over instructions to DD as she didn't get the memo...we had 3.25 hours in a row last night and I thought that was amazing 😞 On the plus side naps are getting better here and we've had at least one decent nap a day since Monday. Onwards and upwards!

Babybeesmama · 14/12/2017 19:36

I could've written this myself! My 5 month old is so similar 😢. I'm exhausted.. got 2 other children & am being a crabby cow!

I've been feeling like I must be doing something wrong (even tho I know my other 2 slept through of their own accord when they were ready!)! It's so tough... you have my complete understanding & sympathy! Xx

TheLegendOfBeans · 15/12/2017 14:11

Another night of sleep 11pm - 5am thank god.

@Nosleepforthewicked

Does your wee one feed like crazy through the evening? Now ideally DS would feed at 7, nap until 10, then feed 10-11.

But he guzzles from 7:30 - 11...I’m compltetely ready to take the hit on watching Masterchef uninterrupted for the sake of 6 hours’ unbroken sleep. Same for you? X

Nosleepforthewicked · 18/12/2017 14:50

Hi guys, well generally we've had 11- 3/4am! Fingers crossed it continues. However I've taken to bringing him to bed at the wake up time otherwise he fart-arses about for a couple of hours, singing, shouting at his toys, laughing or just kicking about in his cot! Naps still not good and have to be on me. Gannet... glad the naps are getting better I'll keep everything crossed that nights are too. Legend, did your long stretch of sleep continue?

Babybees, how's things at the moment? X

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Gannetseatfish · 18/12/2017 16:33

Hi nosleep a 4/5 hour stint sounds amazing, well done you guys! We are still a long way from that but we have had a few 2 hour sterches which is good. We are cosleeping and it’s working really well as I’m basically not waking up properly so feeling okay. Naps are still a bit dodgy but happening at least. It’s funny the being up in the middle of the night, DD is often kicking around at 5.30 for an hour and then goes back to sleep. Party time for the under ones!

Nosleepforthewicked · 18/12/2017 20:26

The co sleeping from 4/5am is working better for us. Before he used me as all all night buffet but he seems to feed and go back to sleep now he's in his cot. I think we all disturbed each other too much as well. He's developed the habit of coming to life just as it's bed time over the last few nights! Wooping away like he's at a festival. I keep placing him in his cot until he whinges and then help him get to sleep. Hoping that doing this enough might let him fall asleep on his own! (Fat chance!) X

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