6 months old is a whole other struggle! Please tell me I'm not alone.

[thisfridayfeeling]

I need to offload to strangers. I’m burnt out and don’t know what to do. I know these things are all a phase and what is my “problem” now wont be my “problem” in a couple of months, just like my “problem” now wasn’t the one I had a couple of months ago. Oh how I wish things were like they were a couple of months ago! I had so much more sleep! Though if you’d have told me that a couple of months ago I’d have slapped you in the face.

My 6 month old won’t sleep at night unless she is attached to my boob. Constantly. No amount of holding, cuddling, shushing, patting or Dad (much to his disappointment) works. She wants to sleep in her cot with a boob. All night long. This isn’t an exaggeration I promise. I’m exhausted. I have no time to myself in the evenings. Woe is me I know. But on a serious note, sitting in a dark room by myself all evening is starting to really get to me. I sometimes lie there crying which I’m sure is not good for my little girl to experience but I’m so lonely and isolated. I just want to sit downstairs with my partner, watch a bit of TV and maybe enjoy something to eat for once. I’m not asking for a whole night without a get up. I’m realistic. Just an hour would be bliss. Does that make me a bad Mum?

She doesn’t do it for daytime naps which are mainly in the car or bouncer if we’re at home. I feel like I’ve done something drastically wrong to cause this. It hasn’t always been this way so I have no idea how I ended up here. We were getting solid chunks of sleep but that’s a distant memory now with her waking up nearly every 30 - 45 minutes. Tonight for example, she’s been asleep for 2 hours but she’s already woken up 4 times. Dad is up there now with her just to give me a break. I was starting to think maybe she needs to drop her 3rd nap but on the days where she hasn’t had it, night time is no different.

I’m just looking for someone to tell me it’s vaguely normal for babies to go through this or offer some solidarity? I know there’s no magic cure or answer so I’m not looking for one. I just needed to vent and speak to people in a similar situation. Literally ALL of my friends are formula feeding and apparently have babies that are sleeping through.

Apologies I've not read all your posts. If you feeding to sleep try bouncing on yoga /birthing ball rhythmically and shushing to the sleep instead if you can

They're not @mishmased

Maybe also download the Huckleberry app and follow it's guidance on naps and sleeping times. It's been bang on for me xx

@WheresMyCycle I was trying to be funny because it feels like it.

Ah sorry 😂

@mishmashed I felt the same when I was clock watching. For some reason it made me feel a bit better knowing she had woken up X times. Now I don’t know whether it’s 2 times or 32. They all merge in my sleepy state 😂

She woke up at 4 today from her 2nd nap so I might try a 3rd nap shortly. It just seems late to be doing a nap and she doesn’t seem tired yet.

It really does get better. None of mine were sleepers, my youngest at nearly 5 is still a bit shit and more often than not migrates at night. It’s torture!

I can’t say I tried everything because I tried sod all. I was too soft for crying and I got fed up with rapid return. But it does get better and I remember 6-9 months being particularly shit.

I remember nights like this. My boob permanently in her mouth feeling empty like a deflated airbag. It does get better though...and then worse...and then better again.

DD is 10.5 months old and she still contact naps and cosleeps. Working on changing this but at the same time I welcome the sit down & just get admin stuff done on my phone, watch TV etc.

She's starting to do longer stretches and on a lucky night may briefly wake up once for a feed.

I remember 6-8 months being awful though. Up every 30 mins, crying while pacing up and down with her lol.

Now I don't have to get out of bed to resettle her - yay! Hang in there xx

[quote thisfridayfeeling]@mishmashed I felt the same when I was clock watching. For some reason it made me feel a bit better knowing she had woken up X times. Now I don’t know whether it’s 2 times or 32. They all merge in my sleepy state 😂

She woke up at 4 today from her 2nd nap so I might try a 3rd nap shortly. It just seems late to be doing a nap and she doesn’t seem tired yet.[/quote]
This started happening to me around this age around the 7 month mark. The third nap started becoming ridiculously late and I ended up dropping it as it was becoming a joke.

She's been fine on 2 naps ever since.

Well the 3rd nap didn’t happen. I tried but it got to 6pm and I gave up. She went to bed at 6:45 and woke up after 20 minutes so is now back downstairs with us. What are we doing wrong! It’s never been this bad. It’s as if she’s treating the first bit in bed as the 3rd nap.

@thisfridayfeeling honestly you're doing nothing wrong! Different babies and different temperaments. My first was really bad due to all the issues and we contact napped for like ever! He's 8 and still likes close contact with me. You have to do whatever gives you more sleep. Have you started weaning yet? That throws its own curveballs as well and overall as pp have said 6 months is tough (and 4 and 9 😂
This evening so she had her nap at 3:50 and up at 4:40. Bath was a bit late tonight at 7:20 then feed and put her down almost asleep at 8:05. We'll see how tonight goes 😂
Here's to hoping for a good night to us all 🤣

She's up. This is a record even for her!

@mishmased it's just taken over 3 hours to get her back to sleep. I know it could be so so much worse and this phase will pass but bloody hell it's hard. I keep telling myself that one day I will look back on this time and I'll wish I was back here, boob trapped and snuggled up in bed with her for the evening.

We started BLW a couple of weeks ago. How about you?

I know every baby is different but just out of interest, how long are your wake windows?

Good luck for your evening!! Well, what's left of it!

@thisfridayfeeling I left her with DH, he put her down at 9:15 and she woke again at 10 🤣 he put her down again at 10:30.
I went downstairs to have a cup of tea and I'm getting ready to go back to bed.

Her wake window is 2 hours to 2 hours 15 mins and she's exhausted. During the day once it hits 90 mins I can see she's getting less interested and becoming a bit distracted. I change her nappy, feed her on both sides and by then she goes quiet and starts yawning. I put her down in the next to me crib and she sort of mumbles. Blinds down, room dark and I leave her there. She falls asleep within 5 mins.

For bedtime I try to stretch her awake window to 3 hours from 5pm partly to coincide with the two older kids but I'm thinking maybe it's too long for her who knows! Her siblings also play with her and keep her going over the two hours, add bath and it's three hours.

We will be starting weaning soon as she'll be 6 months on Monday, still need to get weaning spoons that's all I can think of. Still haven't reread the Gill Rapeley book.

She is our last baby and we've said we'll go with the flow because we know it doesn't last long, so I get what you mean, time flies so quickly. Is she your first?
I just feel with a little nudging mine will sleep a bit more, she is very chilled unlike her eldest sibling. She's teething badly so hoping for some respite once the tooth makes its entrance.

We're also considering putting her in her room because we feel she gets distracted by us especially by me. Hoping to get the cot (oh god moving from the chicco next to me to a cotbed should be interesting 😱) set up and go from there. There's also having to deal with the 6 month vaccines argh 😠

Apologies for the essay 🤣

@thisfridayfeeling how're things today?

@thisfridayfeeling do you have to stay upstairs can you not bring her down and continue your evenings with DH watching tv etc Just with baby as well if she won't sleep? DD is 5 months but that's what we do if she won't sleep continue our evening just with baby cuddles or she sits in her bouncer and plays with toys

@mishmased exactly the same. Only had two naps. Screamed the house down when I tried to get her down for the third, so I gave up because it was nearly 6pm anyway. In bed by 7:15 and she woke after 20 minutes wide awake. How about you?

@noink we did try that but I didn't know whether I was doing the right thing and it didn't make any difference anyway. Keeping her awake all evening downstairs just seems to make her cranky as surely she isn't getting enough sleep. I just really hope this doesn't last for ages. In my sleep deprived state, I'm contemplating stopping breastfeeding.

@thisfridayfeeling we had two naps today because I let her sleep until 9am, so naps at 11:45 and 3:35.
Getting her ready for bed now, feeding her and we'll see how tonight goes. Last night was shocking!

@thisfridayfeeling honestly whatever gets you more sleep, It is tough. Will she take expressed milk in a bottle? I know some people give one bottle of formula at bedtime. We cannot do that because my eldest has dairy allergy and eczema. Also we're an atopic family so more susceptible to allergies, asthma and eczema.

Silly question do you take her out in The buggy during the day? I tend to leave her on the floor on her tummy to tire her as well.

Also when she's awake I take her to a different room away from her sleep area and try not to feed her on the bed so she only associates the bed with sleep. But as you can see it hasn't worked for nights.
I'm off to bed as baby has fallen asleep, fingers crossed they give us a nice surprise tonight 🤣 deep breaths and repeat the words 'this too shall pass'

Just wanted to add my solidarity! Got a 5.5 mth old who has always been a rubbish sleeper but is waking every 40 mins or so naps and at night and wants to bf to sleep every time. I'm sooo tired. I have a 4yo who was also a bad sleeper so I'm starting to think it's me?! She often ends up with only 2 naps a day too due to timings. I also try and count her wake ups at night and lose track!

Same here, 6m next week and suddenly she's up every hour. The only way to get her to sleep for longer is to bring her into bed. I was co-sleeping in summer but really don't want to now with a duvet in the mix. It's coincided with me going back to work, her barely eating during the day because she hates the bottle, and a change to a proper cot (still next to my bed) because she can sit up now and the Next2Me doesn't feel safe. What pisses me off most us that DH is now on paternity leave and doesn't get up because "she doesn't settle for me" and never will because he doesn't try. Meanwhile I'm driving up and down the motorway and doing 9-hour days, then up all night. Sorry to highjack with a rant, but I'm at the end of my tether. Tonight I'm sleeping on the sofa and he's dealing with it.

@VoyageInTheDark welcome 🤗 honestly some babies just don't sleep! My baby is 6 months today and I was so exhausted I put her in her own room last night. DH was tasked with attending to her when she wakes and she woke up 4 times last night. He woke me up at 4:50 this morning because he had no more expressed milk to feed her. I fed, changed and put her back to bed at 6 and she slept until 9am so she was unable to have the third nap. DH was shattered and couldn't believe she wakes up that much. I was looking at him thinking to myself 'did you think I was making it up' 😂

Just put her down for the night at 8:30, we'll see how tonight goes. DH is off work tomorrow so he'll take over tonight 😆
'@thisfridayfeeling how're you keeping?

@LaMadrilena that's o e of the reasons I moved her out of the next2me. She's also a terrible feeder lying down unlike my other two that would feed easily and fall back asleep.
Do you have expressed milk to hand to DH? Let him sort her out and you get some sleep, you can't be driving to work on no sleep. She'll cry and he'll figure out how to settle her after all that is what paternity leave is about. Hope you get some sleep tonight.