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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
I just feel so helpless... I don't know how I can possibly function on the amount of sleep I get... I feel so guilty for wishing that DS was a better sleeper. I am so grateful that I've been blessed with a healthy, happy baby boy, and I feel so guilty for wishing and hoping he would sleep better, because in the great scheme of things, I know how lucky I am...
Thomas is 6 1/2 months old. He goes to sleep wonderfully. Put him in his crib awake, but sleepy, and he goes to sleep on his own. No crying, no rocking, just peacefully closes his eyes and goes to sleep.
Then our problems start...
He WAKES several times a night. Sometimes after only an hour or two. Somtimes after several hours. Sometimes the pacifier works. Sometimes he needs to be rocked, but will go back to sleep in his crib after a few minutes. Sometimes he makes it through the night without a bottle. Sometimes I give him a bottle because I don't know what else to do. I don't really think he's hungry because he can often go without his nightime bottle. Sometimes he just won't go back to sleep in his crib. He's tired. He falls asleep in my arms within minutes of rocking but will wake AS SOON as I put him in the crib... or will sleep for a couple of minutes and then wake crying again. He's been doing this for the past couple of months. At last doctor appointment, she added lunch and meats for dinner. She said to let her know if the increase in food helps. If not, she suggested he might be waking from reflux and we might try Malox before bed. He hasn't cut any teeth yet, but I wonder if it's teething pain that's waking him.
At least one night a week, he ends up in my bed. I feel like such a FAILURE when I resort to taking him to my bed. I'm trying to establish healthy sleep habits, but after rocking him and putting him down for an hour and having him wake repeatedly every time I put him down when I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. for work... I just don't know what to do!!!
Does anyone have any advice of what could cause such frequent night waking and possible solutions???
Thank you!
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Posted 11/6/07 9:57 AM  |
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Laura1976
Member since 5/05 5754 total posts
Name:
Laura
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
at 7 1/2 months, ella is still not sleeping through the night, so i know how you feel.
how long do you let him cry before you go in to comfort him? have you tried letting him cry for a little while before you go in and see if he'll go back to sleep on his own?
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:05 AM |
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lullabella
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 2246 total posts
Name:
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Don't be so hard on yourself  . My son is 8 months and he just started sleeping through the night. He still wakes up a few times and fusses and then he goes back to sleep. Also I have foung that he now knows how to put the paci in his mouth so I have a bunch of them in the crib so he can always find him. I try not to go into him anymore and that has also helped.
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:06 AM |
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zeta1996
YUMMY!
Member since 9/06 2365 total posts
Name:
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
He falls asleep in my arms within minutes of rocking but will wake AS SOON as I put him in the crib... or will sleep for a couple of minutes and then wake crying again
Dont feel like a failure. Although my DS is much younger, so the issues may be different, he is following that same routine as I copied above. We recently just switched him to sleeping on his stomach, and that seemed to have done the trick. He doesn't wake up now after I put him down. Have you tried this???
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:10 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by Laura1976
at 7 1/2 months, ella is still not sleeping through the night, so i know how you feel.
how long do you let him cry before you go in to comfort him? have you tried letting him cry for a little while before you go in and see if he'll go back to sleep on his own?
I don't let him cry longer than 5 minutes, because he goes quickly from just fussing, to all out hysterics. On the VERY rare occasion, he only makes one little cry sound and then falls back to sleep on his own (he may not have even woken up in these instances and just cried out in his sleep). But otherwise he doesn't fall back asleep on his own if I let him cry, but what confuses me is that he IS capable of falling asleep on his own because he goes to sleep initially so well.
Thanks so much to everyone trying to help me!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:12 AM |
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babybugsmum
THEIR UNBREAKABLE BOND
Member since 8/07 1962 total posts
Name:
gemma
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
i have no advice as im in the same palce right now and my son is 10 months  i wanted to send you some and let you know the only thing that is getting me through is knowing this is just a phase and eventually they will move onto something else.
it is really hard and just when you think you have a sleeper they begin a new stage. hang in there and when you are up at night with your little one just think of all the other mommies up doing the same thing as you (ie me ) 
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:14 AM |
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Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
You are NOT a failure
I give you a lot of credit for dealing with this so well - and seriously you have been dealing with it well! Lucas just started waking multiple times at night and I swear I am on auto-pilot right now...ready to crash.
Does Thomas nap during the day? I ask because I noticed Lucas' nighttime sleep improved once he went to daycare...because he doesn't sleep well there  He gets small naps but the days that he doesn't sleep are great at night...not that I think that we should deprive our children of naps but I am wondering if maybe you could get him on a different schedule during the day - making sure that towards the end he doens't get a late nap so that he goes down really tired? Have you tried giving water at night? If Lucas doesn't get back to sleeping at night by the end of this week I am going to do it. At this age they can fast throughout the night so they don't need to eat but if they start to expect the bottle at night they will wake for it. Maybe try this?
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:14 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by zeta1996
He falls asleep in my arms within minutes of rocking but will wake AS SOON as I put him in the crib... or will sleep for a couple of minutes and then wake crying again
Dont feel like a failure. Although my DS is much younger, so the issues may be different, he is following that same routine as I copied above. We recently just switched him to sleeping on his stomach, and that seemed to have done the trick. He doesn't wake up now after I put him down. Have you tried this???
He recently started rolling to him tummy on his own at night, and at first, I thought that was making him sleep better. But now it seems he wakes just as often on his tummy.
But I should mention, that on occasion, maybe once or twice every couple of weeks, he sleeps pretty well. Longer streches and only waking briefly for paci. It's just SO random. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why sometimes he'll sleep well and then most other times, sleep so BAD!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:14 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by lullabella
Don't be so hard on yourself . My son is 8 months and he just started sleeping through the night. He still wakes up a few times and fusses and then he goes back to sleep. Also I have foung that he now knows how to put the paci in his mouth so I have a bunch of them in the crib so he can always find him. I try not to go into him anymore and that has also helped.
He's just learning how to put paci back in his mouth, so I'll have to try putting a bunch in his crib!!
The only problem is that he's not so good at it yet!! He usually gets it in upside down or puts half the plastic piece in his mouth too!! 
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:16 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by babybugsmum
i have no advice as im in the same palce right now and my son is 10 months i wanted to send you some and let you know the only thing that is getting me through is knowing this is just a phase and eventually they will move onto something else.
it is really hard and just when you think you have a sleeper they begin a new stage. hang in there and when you are up at night with your little one just think of all the other mommies up doing the same thing as you (ie me )
THANK YOU so much for the support!! I will think of you and know I am not alone!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:17 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by Ang-Rich
You are NOT a failure
I give you a lot of credit for dealing with this so well - and seriously you have been dealing with it well! Lucas just started waking multiple times at night and I swear I am on auto-pilot right now...ready to crash.
Does Thomas nap during the day? I ask because I noticed Lucas' nighttime sleep improved once he went to daycare...because he doesn't sleep well there He gets small naps but the days that he doesn't sleep are great at night...not that I think that we should deprive our children of naps but I am wondering if maybe you could get him on a different schedule during the day - making sure that towards the end he doens't get a late nap so that he goes down really tired? Have you tried giving water at night? If Lucas doesn't get back to sleeping at night by the end of this week I am going to do it. At this age they can fast throughout the night so they don't need to eat but if they start to expect the bottle at night they will wake for it. Maybe try this?
Thanks, Ang!
Thomas' naps are very unpredictable. He's at daycare Mon-Thurs and some days he naps well and some days he doesn't. Again - no rhyme or reason... It doesn't seem to related to how he sleeps at night. I put him to bed early - 7:30 p.m., because he seems knocked out from day care. He's tired and fussy and rubbing his eyes. He goes to sleep like an angel. Then, an hour or two later, the fun starts!!
I did try water. Ped recommended I try. He drinks a little and then doesn't want to bother with it. But again, some nights he'll go back down with a little rocking and other nights we're back and forth.
Thank you!
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:23 AM |
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Calla
My girls
Member since 7/05 4303 total posts
Name:
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
You are far more patient than me. If you are truly at the end of your rope, it may be time to think about letting him cry a whole lot more once you are sure that reflux isn't an issue. Teething doesn't explain as much sleep disruption as you are describing for more than a couple of nights in a row.
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:27 AM |
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heidla
Me and the guys
Member since 5/05 4024 total posts
Name:
Heidi
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Our DS was doing pretty much the same thing until we broke down and used the Ferber method. It was a tough decision, but we were going insane and none of us were happy on so little sleep. It was hard to listen to him cry, but it usually only lasted 15 min. tops. Now, he sleeps through the night almost every night. When he does wake up he is able to put himself back to sleep in roughly 5 min. most nights. In the end we are a much happier family unit and DS's days are much better. Good luck!!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:50 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by heidla
Our DS was doing pretty much the same thing until we broke down and used the Ferber method. It was a tough decision, but we were going insane and none of us were happy on so little sleep. It was hard to listen to him cry, but it usually only lasted 15 min. tops. Now, he sleeps through the night almost every night. When he does wake up he is able to put himself back to sleep in roughly 5 min. most nights. In the end we are a much happier family unit and DS's days are much better. Good luck!!!
Thank you for responding!
I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions... 
How long did it take using the Ferber method to see results? Was it 15 minutes of all out crying or just fussing? When he wakes now on occasion, he'll fall asleep on his own after crying for 5 minutes? Again, is it just fussing or all out crying? I'm just worried that it will make it harder for him to fall asleep if I let him get really hysterical. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 11:00 AM |
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Calla
My girls
Member since 7/05 4303 total posts
Name:
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
With my daughter, getting really hysterical was a part of the learning process, and generally just wore her out faster than fussing. Think of it like pulling off a bandaid quickly -- it will be painful, but less suffering in the long run!
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| Posted 11/6/07 11:08 AM |
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ggmom
LIF Infant
Member since 11/07 193 total posts
Name:
nicole
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
it sounds like maybe he is teething and that is what maybe waking him up
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| Posted 11/6/07 11:18 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by Calla
With my daughter, getting really hysterical was a part of the learning process, and generally just wore her out faster than fussing. Think of it like pulling off a bandaid quickly -- it will be painful, but less suffering in the long run!
Well, that makes sense!!
I never thought of it that way!
It's just so hard because 1) sometimes a little rocking does the trick and he'll go right back down (on one of his rare good nights), and 2) DH isn't "for" CIO and I need him on the same page as me. Mind you, I'm the one getting up a hundred times with DS every night and not DH... 
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| Posted 11/6/07 11:20 AM |
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Diana1215
Living on a prayer!!!
Member since 10/05 29450 total posts
Name:
Diana
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
I feel like I could have written your post myself. The thing with Jack is that he is so random now. Sometimes he'll sleep all night. Sometimes he'll wake up screaming. Sometimes just for a paci. Sometimes a bottle. It's like a total guessing game. I have no advice - just wanted to offer hugs - you are so not a failure! We will all get through this eventually. It must be so hard though having to deal with this and then going to work all day.
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| Posted 11/6/07 11:20 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by Diana1215
I feel like I could have written your post myself. The thing with Jack is that he is so random now. Sometimes he'll sleep all night. Sometimes he'll wake up screaming. Sometimes just for a paci. Sometimes a bottle. It's like a total guessing game. I have no advice - just wanted to offer hugs - you are so not a failure! We will all get through this eventually. It must be so hard though having to deal with this and then going to work all day.
Thank you, Diana!!
That's the thing - he is SO random!! He's never slept straight through from 7:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. (when I wake him for day care), but he has had some nice long stretches... 5, 6, 7 hours without waking, even for paci. But these nights are so very rare... I can even handle if he just woke for paci a bunch of times, but it's the not going back to sleep in his crib thing that is SO stressful!!!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 11:38 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
DS went to sleep like an angel at 8:30 p.m. Let's see what the rest of the night brings...
Wish me luck!!
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| Posted 11/6/07 8:57 PM |
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mrsdstowe
LIF Adolescent
Member since 3/06 699 total posts
Name:
Latrice
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Re: PLEASE HELP - Sleep Issues
Posted by cgdg61606
DS went to sleep like an angel at 8:30 p.m. Let's see what the rest of the night brings...
Wish me luck!!
hope he is still sleeping 
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| Posted 11/6/07 10:22 PM |
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