I Totally Lost It Last Night

Let me preface this by saying my mother told me when I was a baby, I didn't sleep through the night until I started talking.

Taylor has yet to really sleep through the night, I am up and in her room between 3-6 times a night. She is 7 months 3 weeks. She is just such a restless sleeper, I am up for the following...she can't find the binky, she wants a bottle, her diaper is soaked (since she has been sleeping on her stomach, sometimes she wakes up wet in the front, right through her pjs) or she is just rolling around.
I have been so sleep deprived and last night it all came to a head. She fell asleep around 9:15 and was crying at 11:30pm. She had last eaten around 7. I thought she was hungry so I gave her a bottle, that didin't work, so I changed her diaper. She fell asleep for a few minutes and was up again. I went in and rocked her, she fell asleep but once I put her down, she was crying again. This happened 3 times. DH finally walked in and asked if there was anything he could do, of course, she finally fell asleep.
We go back to bed and he put his hand on my face and asked if I was ok...that is when the water works started...uncontrollably. I couldn't stop. I was crying, telling him I just wanted to get one full night of sleep and what is going to happen when I go back to work in a few months. Cried myself to sleep...

The only positive thing was that she slept from 1am-6:30am.

I think DH thought I was going to get up in the middle of then night and run away

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

I'm so sorry. DS wakes up 1-2x's a night crying for his binky. Now that he is almost 7 months I dont run to him right away. I let him fuss and cry a little and eventually he has learned to look for his binky and put it back in himself. She may be waking up so much b/c it is a habit now for her. She probably wants to know you and DH are still there and it helps comfort her. Being she is over 7 months I would let her CIO a bit. It will be hard at first, but eventually I think it will pay off.

Have you tried some kind of background music or "white" sound maker?

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

From the sounds of it, your DH is very supportive...do you think that maybe you can both come up with a schedule where you each take nights...so you can get a couple nights a week of sleep while your DH takes care of your daughter and vice versa?

My son was doing this in the beginning but when DH started going to get him it stopped my MIL suggested that Lucas might have been waking for me and when he realized that he wasn't going to get me all the time he gave up...could be. Just wanted to share that with you.

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

There is plenty of time for her to change....I would also suggest that you let her CIO, try to teach her to put herself back to sleep. Its hard to listen to, but remember, she is safe, she isn't in any danger and she is crying because she is unhappy...not because something hurts.

Good Luck! If it makes you feel any better, my almost 2 year old isn't sleeping through the night at the minute! It happens!

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

First of some

I know it’s hard, most of us have been there. I agree with AngRich, maybe you and DH can take turns. I think that doing it night after night can take a toll on anyone person.

Hey It’s a well known fact that they use sleep deprivation on prisoners of war ...LOL, so that should tell you what it can do to a person.

Message edited 10/26/2007 11:37:42 AM.

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

I am so sorry you are dealing with this I know when I lost it from sleep deprivation and cried so much of my exhaustion came out through my tears and that helped a little bit. DH took the next 2 feedings that night to let me catch up on my sleep and it made a world of difference.
Are you able to sleep when she naps during the day or is that not an option? If your DH is not around to help with her schedule at night, do you have a relative that can help on a weekend night?

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

You are not alone. Have you tried putting a few binkies in the crib so she can find one more easily? I would also recommend a bottle right before bedtime so you KNOW she's full and not crying for real hunger. It sounds like she's just used to getting attention at night and believe me I know how hard it is to hear them crying. But after 2-3 nights she may decide it's not worth it and just roll over and go back to sleep.
I think if she was really hungry she'd eat and then go back to sleep but if she's up all throughout the night it sounds like that's not the case.

I would probably start by going to her and soothing but NOT feeding (eliminate the bottle) then eventually not going in at all.


I've foudn that when I'm at my wits end DH would take the monitor for me and give me a break it helped tremendously. Sleep deprivation really is torturous, and you do want to nix this if you can before returning to work.

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

Posted by Ang-Rich



From the sounds of it, your DH is very supportive...do you think that maybe you can both come up with a schedule where you each take nights...so you can get a couple nights a week of sleep while your DH takes care of your daughter and vice versa?

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

Oh and for wet diapers have you tried huggies overnites?

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

I know exactly how you feel. I am going through the same thing. DS still doesn't sleep through the night at 6 months and I am back at work F/T - getting up at 5:30 a.m.! We have good nights, when he only wakes a couple of times for paci, but most nights he wakes several times and sometimes has to be rocked several times. I haven't tried CIO because my husband isn't for it... Of course, he's not the one getting up with him!! Hang in there!! It has to get better!

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

I know how you feel - Matty is 11 months and doesn't sleep through the night consistenly and he wakes up by 6 every morning. So jealous of moms with babies who sleep till 7!

At 7 months she really doesn't need a bottle anymore if she is eatiing enough during the day.

What worked a little with us was that I stopped picking him up- that reduced the wakings from 3-4x a night to 1-2x a night. I can't let him cry but we go in and just give him the binky, say i love you its nighttime and leave- also DH does a lot of it since I am preggers again and I think it helps that Matty doesn't see me.

It WILL get better!

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

I feel your pain DD is almost 22 months old and still doesnt sllep through the night consistently.. I would definately try to let her put herself back to sleep.. Sounds like that may be the problem.. My DD problem is she wakes up to poop at 3am.. Nice huh?

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

I usually do leave 3 binkies in there. I bought some new ones today, some of them are clear and even I have a hard time seeing them at night.

I told my parents what happened last night and my they are insisting on watching her either tonight or tomorrow night. My mom suggested I make DH take me out for dinner and a movie tomorrow and then they will keep her overnight. They live upstairs but my mom currently works 4pm-12 mon-thurs so I sometimes don't want to bother, but I know they don't really mind. Can't wait until she retires in december!!!

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

My son did not sleep through until almost a year. He is two years old and still gets up 2-3 times a week for milk.

Once I accepted the fact that I would not get a full night sleep until he went to college, it got easier.

I spent so many nights and days worrying about when it would happen I drove myself nuts!! !

It is what it is...he just gets up so I got used to it.

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

DS was doing this for a while also. We finally decided to try the Ferber method. I was expecting it to be awful, but in all honesty it wasn't that bad for us. The longest DS has cried is 20 min. I really suggest attempting some sort of CIO. I honestly think that in the end it has been the best thing for us. Now, we actually get 8 hrs. a night and can function the next day.

Re: I Totally Lost It Last Night

Boy, do I remember those nights! My DD will be 1yr old in two weeks. I'd love to say she sleeps 12 hours straight without waking up, but we haven't quite gotten there yet.

BUT, she does sleep most nights from 730-530a. There are nights whe wakes up crying...for a number of reasons...sometimes no reason at all. I'm waiting for the day she sleeps straight through to 7a. Until then, I'm always a little sleepy.

What really helped us was CIO. It's really, really, really hard, but worth it.

Hang in there. Sleep deprivation is the worst thing in the world. It's physically and mentally draining. So, maybe take turns with DH getting up at night. I know you're off from work, but take it from me, if you don't start getting some sleep...your body will just break down. I was sick ALL THE TIME, until I said 'I need help!'.

HTH