I feel like I’ve failed my little boy, I actually feel sorry for him. He’s never really been a great sleeper but since he hit six months it’s gone so so downhill.
He’s breastfed, but self settles for naps and bedtime 99% of the time. However getting him to self settle has made zero difference to his sleep.
During the night the only way he’ll go back to sleep is by feeding (despite him never doing this in the day). I’ve tried dummies, rocking, shh-ing, patting, I’ve even just left him to it whilst sitting next to him (just for a few minutes), nothing else works.
This wasn’t a problem as before the past month I’d feed him (maybe 2-5 times a night) put him in his cot and he’d roll over and go back to sleep for 2+ hours.
However now he does it 8+ times a night, and when he falls asleep and I put him back in his cot he screams the minute I let go of him, then I have to pick him up and feed him again for him to go to sleep and this cycle can happen 2-4 times before he eventually gives up, moans a bit and goes to sleep in his cot. But this is maybe 45 minutes to an hour of the night, and this is one one of 5/6/7+ wakings he’ll do in one night. Basically, it’s a disaster.
Recently I’ve just been putting him in my bed by about 2-3am just for my own sanity, but this is less than ideal as even then he’s not very settled and I’m worried that it’s contributing to his hatred of his cot.
He’s currently still in my bedroom, he’s in a cot attached to my bed. We have blackout blinds, he’s in the right clothes for the temperature or the room and we use white noise. I’m not asking for him to sleep through, but even just 2-3 hour stretches would be amazing. I don’t know what to do, I feel there’s something wrong with him or me. He’s so tired and I’m so knackered it’s affecting my mental health quite badly some days. It makes me resent breastfeeding.