Sleep....again

bumpuser3155624

We are at our wits end with LO not sleeping. It's affecting our work and our relationship. It's so bad that dh now only wants 1 kid which completely breaks my heart.

We tried so many sleep training methods and none were successful. Anyone here use a sleep counselor or service to help get LO sleeping?

I think that hiring someone to help is our only option.

fancefpp

I'm so sorry you guys are struggling with sleep. I know how hard it can be and sleep deprivation is no joke. DS2 was always a crappy sleeper. He used me as his pacifier and needed to nurse all night long to stay asleep. We finally broke him of that but he still wakes up way too early and can be pretty cranky. I don't have any advice about a sleep therapist, but I do have a friend who used one. I don't think it helped her that much but I think her DD has some other problems that they are dealing with.

I'm sure you've written about them before, but what are your LOs sleep issues? not falling asleep? not staying asleep? crying all night? all the above?

bumpuser3155624

She still can't fall asleep on her own, wakes crying 2-3 times a night. When she is up it can be for an hour or more.

fancefpp

That's really tough, I totally get it. Sounds a lot like DS2. But, we knew it was because he wanted the boob to sleep. I feel like a horrible person taking DS2 "lovey" away but it had to be done for my sanity. Does she have any sleep associations?  There were some night that we just had to let DS2 cry longer than we wanted but it seemed to have helped him find ways to soothe himself. DH took over nighttime wake ups too because DS2 would just get more annoyed when I went in and didn't give into him.

How's her teething? DS2 is also a really, really slow teether, so that added insult to injury.

kelseyhh

I'm really sorry that you are having to deal with this. Personally, I find lack of sleep to be the worst feeling ever. It left me cranky, sick, and obviously exhausted. I hope that you find relief soon.

I've posted this on here before, but have you tried the Sleep Sense program by Dana Obleman? That's what I used and it fixed Emmett's sleeping problems almost immediately. Even though it isn't one-on-one coaching, there are coaching videos that go along with it that were immensely helpful. I really did feel like she was there supporting me. The program also includes several conference calls where you are able to personally ask her questions that you have, along with listening in on other's questions. If all of that doesn't work, I know that they do offer personal sleep trainers.

I think it cost about $45, but for me it was so worth it!

https://sleepsense.net/

littledaisies

I gave a sleep specialist a try and it didn't help. My son has some other issues that prevent sleep but I felt like the sleep consultant took advice from the various sleep books and combined them into a packet.Since I have read a million sleep books, I felt like it was nothing new.  

 I completely understand how you feel. Sleep deprivation is no joke. I barely function throughout the day. It doesn't help that  my neighbors have complained about my son crying at night which makes the situation so much more stressful. 

How does she fall asleep at night?

bumpuser3155624

She used to fall asleep either on the boob or rocking after. We weaned about 5-6 weeks ago and went to just rocking for a few weeks.

After that we started with the sleep lady shuffle/Shhh pat method. Then to gradual crying then to full out extinction. She cried for over 2 he's before I couldn't take it. Dh isn't much of a help he just mainly complains about lack of sleep but wasn't supportive of sleep training to really help out. So it's on me to figure put how to get her to both go to sleep and STTN.

bumpuser3155624

kelseyhh said:

I'm really sorry that you are having to deal with this. Personally, I find lack of sleep to be the worst feeling ever. It left me cranky, sick, and obviously exhausted. I hope that you find relief soon.

I've posted this on here before, but have you tried the Sleep Sense program by Dana Obleman? That's what I used and it fixed Emmett's sleeping problems almost immediately. Even though it isn't one-on-one coaching, there are coaching videos that go along with it that were immensely helpful. I really did feel like she was there supporting me. The program also includes several conference calls where you are able to personally ask her questions that you have, along with listening in on other's questions. If all of that doesn't work, I know that they do offer personal sleep trainers.

I think it cost about $45, but for me it was so worth it!

https://sleepsense.net/

Thanks @kelseyhh‌. I may give this one a try. It's a lot cheaper than another I found $45 compared to $275!

surpriseaddition

I'm struggling with sleeping too. My LO was STTN at 4 months, and I felt guilty back then when I would read all the sleep issue posts. Then, around 10 months, she had her first ear infection, then teething, and it's been an issue ever since. I'm exhausted. I was bad and using the boob for her to go to sleep. For the last 2 weeks, we've gotten real diligent about a bedtime routine with a bath, etc. and actually putting her down a little earlier.  I think some of the difficulties were because she was already "past the point of no return" with being overtired.  With the 2 teenagers, the baby's nighttime routine was sporadic and we weren't getting her down some nights until almost 9pm, and I knew that wasn't helping.  More emphasis on the routine has seemed to help, and I've convinced DH that I'm desperate and need his help.  He's been going in to rock her when she wakes so she doesn't associate me with the boob.  Even though you weaned, it hasn't been that long and maybe that's still an issue?  Maybe you could convince DH to try for just a week and see if it helps?  Also, if teething could be an issue, we've also been giving her Motrin right before bed, and that sometimes helps.  She's been drooling a lot so I know that's part of the issue. With DH going in, she's only been getting up once during the night, down from 3.  GL!