Extended Night Wakings

URMySunshine77

DS has always been a frequent night waker for nursing and soothing, but this week he has taken it to a new level. At least once in the night, he wakes up and starts to crawl around the crib and sit up and cry. I think he is working on a developmental milestone. Nursing and rocking can't put him back to sleep. I end up trying a crying/rocking/nursing/cosleeping cocktail that lasts an hour and usually results in me nursing and cosleeping him back to sleep after an hour. I can't sustain this for my health. I felt close to a breakdown last night. What do you do when your LO wakes up for long periods?

ReeceFamily

If it makes you feel any better, DD is in a crap sleeping period and does the same thing lately - usually around 3 a.m., she is typically up for an hour, and then asleep again by around 4 a.m.  I usually let her play for a bit, and then she'll start crying and I'll nurse her back to sleep again (and then we all get up around 6 a.m., oh joy!).

There isn't much you can do, unless you are willing/able to let your DS CIO (I'm constitutionally unable to do this, I can't stand it).  

Apparently this is common and expected at around 1 year...and over on the AP board some moms said they thought this wakeful period was worse than the 4 month wakefuls.  So this, too will pass...and in the meanwhile we're all a little sleep deprived .  Good luck!

URMySunshine77

ReeceFamily said:

If it makes you feel any better, DD is in a crap sleeping period and does the same thing lately - usually around 3 a.m., she is typically up for an hour, and then asleep again by around 4 a.m.  I usually let her play for a bit, and then she'll start crying and I'll nurse her back to sleep again (and then we all get up around 6 a.m., oh joy!).

There isn't much you can do, unless you are willing/able to let your DS CIO (I'm constitutionally unable to do this, I can't stand it).  

Apparently this is common and expected at around 1 year...and over on the AP board some moms said they thought this wakeful period was worse than the 4 month wakefuls.  So this, too will pass...and in the meanwhile we're all a little sleep deprived .  Good luck!

It's interesting that our babies were born one day apart. We are in the exact same spot. It's at 3 when he usually becomes alert. 

I know it's a milestone thing, so I don't feel comfortable with CIO. (Funny--I didn't think that he could regress worse than he was already sleeping.) After reading your experience, maybe I will just try to let him play in the dark for a bit as you said and stop fighting. I can't bear to CIO either.

Thank you for your advice!

ETA: I am normally a very patient and compassionate person, and I don't like the anger that the wakefulness this brings out in me. I'm going to also try going to sleep earlier for my own sanity.

Myaflowers

My LO is 11 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days old, so very close to yours. We have been having crappy sleep this week, too! My husband just had surgery yesterday, so the timing couldn't be any worse. No advice here, but I can relate and also feel like I can't take much more. I've been trying to nurse and rock her back to sleep. We bedshare, so usually nursing does the trick quickly, but this week has been hard. She also keeps scraping my nipples when and unlatching, so I think she may be cutting teeth. Here's hoping it gets better for all of us!

ReeceFamily

Wow - interesting how close in age our kids are and how similar the sleeping patterns are...and that 3 a.m. is the usually waking time.  Nice to know we're all in the same boat. 

spainy17

Wonder week, I'm tellin ya

chrissynena

If DD wakes up it's usually at 3ish, she sttn 90% of the time (except when sick). Lately I will hear her turn on her mobile to help her go back to sleep. Last night I heard it at 3:15.

URMySunshine77

Brendamndz said:

Even though sleep is so much better we were up for 2 hours the other night. It's rough when nothing works. We were up for an hour last night and while weve mostly cut out motn feedings I fed her because it had been 8 hours. It almost didn't put her down. We whined it out for a little and she finally went down for 4 hours before waking for the day. Def wonder week bx I believe.

@Brendamndz and @spainy17--

I wasn't a Wonder Weeks believer at first, but you both may be right. 

Luckily he didn't have an extended wake period last night. (Probably because I went to sleep earlier instead of late!) ;-)

spainy17

I thought the wonder weekthing was silly to until I really just started seeing a pattern in her sleep and behavior. Plus I now notice that all of our sleep posts come in groups so it made me realize that we all were having similar issues at similar times. Does it work for everyone or solve anything, no, but man my DD is dead on with them and it sure helps to know that it is a phase and not something I'm doing wrong.

spainy17

HOLY CRAP add me to three extended wakings list. DD was up last night from 1130 to 230. I nursed her at 1130, put her right back like usual. Talked and played for an hour and getting fussy by 1230 so I go see if she will nurse more. We have been sick so my supply took a hit so I made sure she wasn't hungry and rocked her a minute or two and out. Still up and fussy, I go check her diaper and no issues there around 100. Meanwhile she threw her blankie out of the crib twice and I realize that it is becoming a game. Throw out the blankie and cry so mommy will put it back. I ended up having her cry it out after that because I knew she was fed, dry, etc. I ended up taking a shower at 130 am because I couldn't listen to her! At 215 she was calmer but still fussing so I caved and went in to hug her and give her dang blankie back and she went to sleep. Unbelievable and I just feel awful today. She was seriously up and jumping around when I would come in the room. Sigh.

spainy17

Gosh I hope that once we are through all of this we get some consistency.  Our last two nights have been good but I never trust it.