Vent about no sleep

seunrine

Month 4 he was a champ sleeper only waking once. Month 5 through present day he's up ALL night long. Some nights are every 3 hours, some every 2, and the really awful nights are every hour. I'm exhausted and at my wits end. I feel like I've read every every book and every person I know has offered their advice...but nothing is working. The hard part is (or I guess the easy part) is that he puts himself to sleep at bedtime. But then he can't seem to put himself to sleep throughout the night. I've tried letting him cry...but he just works himself up to all out screaming and after half hour I can't take it. He takes a paci at bedtime but then bats my hand away if I try to give it to him any other time. I'm frustrated, exhausted and just done. Of course...my friends all had babies that slept through the night by like 8 weeks. Not mine...he just won't stay asleep and I don't get it. We have a noise machine. His room is dark. He has a lovie. I tried doing a bottle instead of bf because the ped said that might help make sure he's eating enough. Didn't help. He said to try formula instead so I did. Didn't help. We have a bedtime routine...I don't know. Like I said...I just needed to vent.

cmurphy09

We all need to vent. It's okay, I think what doesn't help is how everyone claims their baby has a perfect sleep routine. It just takes time...

Maybe try cutting out naps altogether during the day, keep him awake put him down by 6:30ish? I use a nightlight along with sound machine.

Kate06

I could have written this post as I have the exact. same. problem.  Baby puts herself to sleep wonderfully for naps and bedtime but won't stay asleep and soothe herself back in the middle of the night.  I haven't read any of the sleep training books because as I read the descriptions and reviews, they all seem to focus on what to do if baby a) can't put herself to sleep for bed, and b) can't self sooth.  My child can do both of those...just not at 2 a.m., 3:30 a.m., 5 a.m....

 I feel your pain  

Squirrel29

I'm not a regular poster but just wanted to chime in - my DS1 was a lot like this and due to the lack of sleep and frustration I fell into a fairly intense state of depression.  He is now three and my DS2 is 7.5 months old.  What I now realize with hind sight is that sometimes you can do everything "right" and your baby is still going to be a crappy sleeper.  There may not be a "fix" it may just be something that will work itself out over time.  The best you can do is establish a good routine, try to foster good sleep habits, and then do whatever it takes to get the rest that you need to function - bed share, hire help, enlist your DH or friends to help you out or go to bed at 7:00 pm...whatever it takes to keep you going. 

This is a really tough age for sleep problems because you feel that your baby "should" be sleeping better and your worn out from months and months of this.  I personally think that 6 months to 18 months is much harder than the new born phase for this vary reason.  Also, teething can cause major sleep disruptions long before the teeth actually break through and this time of year any little cold or other bug could lead to an ear infection or other issue that could make sleep difficult.  For me, letting go my expectations has made it so much easier the second time around.

I hope that it gets better for you or that you find some way to make it more manageable.  GL!!

MrsSarahL

I haven't posted in months, but this one made me cry.  I am going through the same exact thing.  My first dd did the same thing, so I know it ends, but when you are in the middle of it, it's horrible.  I feel you pain.  Hopefully your little one comes around soon.

forestdancer

I'm sorry I wish I had some advice. My LO never Sttn for 6 months we tried sleep easy mans its going pretty good.   Vent away!  After sick months I was so sick of listening to people telling me that their kids sleeps or what mi doing wrong. These boards are great for support.  I hope the best for you and LO.  

mben1119

cmurphy09:

We all need to vent. It's okay, I think what doesn't help is how everyone claims their baby has a perfect sleep routine. It just takes time...

Maybe try cutting out naps altogether during the day, keep him awake put him down by 6:30ish? I use a nightlight along with sound machine.

I would absolutely not do this. An overtired baby is a miserable baby.

acbfreire

Squirrel29:

I'm not a regular poster but just wanted to chime in - my DS1 was a lot like this and due to the lack of sleep and frustration I fell into a fairly intense state of depression.  He is now three and my DS2 is 7.5 months old.  What I now realize with hind sight is that sometimes you can do everything "right" and your baby is still going to be a crappy sleeper.  There may not be a "fix" it may just be something that will work itself out over time.  The best you can do is establish a good routine, try to foster good sleep habits, and then do whatever it takes to get the rest that you need to function - bed share, hire help, enlist your DH or friends to help you out or go to bed at 7:00 pm...whatever it takes to keep you going. 

This is a really tough age for sleep problems because you feel that your baby "should" be sleeping better and your worn out from months and months of this.  I personally think that 6 months to 18 months is much harder than the new born phase for this vary reason.  Also, teething can cause major sleep disruptions long before the teeth actually break through and this time of year any little cold or other bug could lead to an ear infection or other issue that could make sleep difficult.  For me, letting go my expectations has made it so much easier the second time around.

I hope that it gets better for you or that you find some way to make it more manageable.  GL!!

Thank you for your post! I am going through the same issue with DD and I am tired of hearing how she should be sleeping.

acbfreire

seunrine:

Month 4 he was a champ sleeper only waking once. Month 5 through present day he's up ALL night long. Some nights are every 3 hours, some every 2, and the really awful nights are every hour. I'm exhausted and at my wits end. I feel like I've read every every book and every person I know has offered their advice...but nothing is working. The hard part is (or I guess the easy part) is that he puts himself to sleep at bedtime. But then he can't seem to put himself to sleep throughout the night. I've tried letting him cry...but he just works himself up to all out screaming and after half hour I can't take it. He takes a paci at bedtime but then bats my hand away if I try to give it to him any other time. I'm frustrated, exhausted and just done. Of course...my friends all had babies that slept through the night by like 8 weeks. Not mine...he just won't stay asleep and I don't get it. We have a noise machine. His room is dark. He has a lovie. I tried doing a bottle instead of bf because the ped said that might help make sure he's eating enough. Didn't help. He said to try formula instead so I did. Didn't help. We have a bedtime routine...I don't know. Like I said...I just needed to vent.

You are not alone. Eventually it will get better! I tell myself that every day.

cmurphy09

mabenner1:

cmurphy09:

We all need to vent. It's okay, I think what doesn't help is how everyone claims their baby has a perfect sleep routine. It just takes time...

Maybe try cutting out naps altogether during the day, keep him awake put him down by 6:30ish? I use a nightlight along with sound machine.

I would absolutely not do this. An overtired baby is a miserable baby.

Indeed but so is an overslept baby... I went thru a similar situation with my DD around 4, 5 mns. This is what my pedi recommended. To keep dd up, then put her to bed with a bottle of formula and tsp of rice cereal. Then restart a sleep regimen... it worked for my household, though everyone's different.

kmig25

I could hae written this exact post and actually may have. My son is literally the exact same way! Im going nuts and am a walking zombie but i guess im just going to have to deal with it. I feel your pain. Good luck!

Caleej

Thank you for posting this!  Just reading it made me feel better!  My DS will be 7 months old in 7 days and has yet to sleep through the night!  We tried sleep easy over Christmas break and have him putting himself to sleep for naps and going to bed but in the middle of the night forget it... My husband and I take turns rocking him back to sleep all night long.  Just seeing this post made me feel better.  I swear every other mom in the world has a baby that sleeps.  You guys made me feel not so alone lol!!  I actually should be sleeping now!!! I'm sure he'll be waking up here within the hour!

Suzanne68

I know just how you feel we wake up a minimum of 4times a night!  I tried it all also. Every single book every formula trick. I feel the same just want you to know your not alone. I also have the baby that does not sleep amongst my friends. 

lucylove619

This was us until about two weeks ago. We were so tired and miserable and frustrated. We tried EVERYTHING. Every sleep training method failed for us. Introducing solids made no difference. Adding formula to the bedtime bottle did nothing. And all my well meaning friends whose babies slept all night gave me loads of advice and pitying looks. It sucked. All of a sudden she started sleeping better. She has only STTN fully once, usually she wakes around 5:30 and goes back down till about 7. But it is so much better than getting up 3-5 times a night. So you aren't alone, and it helps so much to vent! But it will get better. I think some babies just need to wait till they are ready. Take it one day at a time.

ktpaladino

Right there with ya sister! Hang in there. I was up 9 times last night. 9 times. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

traveltheworld

I totally feel your pain.  I've also read every book, but as you've said, the books seem to focus on how to put the baby to sleep or self-sooth.  DS will go to be happily like clock-work at 7:30 every night with no fussing, but then from about 10:30 p.m. on, is up every hour or two hours.  DH and I now take "shifts", so that we each can try and get 4 hours of sleep a night.  

I have a very high-stress job and this is driving me insane.  I'm seriously starting to get depressed too.  Just seems like there is no end in sight, especially since it appears to be getting worst as time draws on. 

jewinkel

You are not alone! We tried Sleep Easy, the No Cry Sleep solution, several others - nothing worked. My LO started having issues around 6 months and here we are today. After a full month of maybe 2 hours of sleep for me, I brought him to bed with me. Its been better since he is right there with me, but it means my husband is not in bed with me and now we will have to make the crib transition once again. I get a little bit more sleep but he is still waking at least 4x/night. I work full-time and my LO will not let DH comfort him back to sleep. Its hard as heck, especially when all we see is posts about LOs STTN! Hopefully he will get better, that's all we can do is hope and keep being the good mamas we are. 

WBMom

I feel your pain! It is 3:15 am and I have been up 2 times already. This post makes me feel so much better -others don't have the perfect sleeper either. Vent away!

DCMerged

Us too! We're up 5 to 8 times per night. He does not know how to self-soothe. We either have to nurse, rock, sing, walk around the house to get him down for the night and for almost every night waking. I'm exhausted and also on the verge of depression myself. We moved him to his crib thinking a little distance might help. We have been trying the No Cry Sleep Solution, but nothing seems to be working. I don't want him to cry but at some point I feel like I'm going to break down and have to do sleep training. It sucks!!

angelrue522

We are going throught the EXACT SAME THING! Everyone else seems to make it look easy and have these perfect babies. Mine wakes up 3-4 times or more. DH & I work full time and we are really struggling. This is making us miserable.

ttimmerman

cmurphy09:

mabenner1:

cmurphy09:

We all need to vent. It's okay, I think what doesn't help is how everyone claims their baby has a perfect sleep routine. It just takes time... Maybe try cutting out naps altogether during the day, keep him awake put him down by 6:30ish? I use a nightlight along with sound machine.

I would absolutely not do this. An overtired baby is a miserable baby.

Indeed but so is an overslept baby... I went thru a similar situation with my DD around 4, 5 mns. This is what my pedi recommended. To keep dd up, then put her to bed with a bottle of formula and tsp of rice cereal. Then restart a sleep regimen... it worked for my household, though everyone's different.

An "overslept" baby? Hahaha what on earth is that?

Seriously, this is about the worst advice I have seen on here in a long time. Do NOT keep your little 6 month old baby awake all day...that is borderline cruel. Babies need sleep, and that includes day time naps. Period.

We also struggled with my little guy waking up multiple times at night, and we ended up having to let him cry. It sucks and it's so hard to listen to, but now he STTN about half the time, and only wakes up once if he does awaken, so it's been worth it. 

shellpie84

this was us up until 4 nights ago. LO would go to sleep like a champ but was waking up every 2 hours and everyone kept telling me how she was supposed to sleep longer and blah blah blah! As per my drs instruction i waited until she was nine months old. then we started sleep training. The first night she cried for 40 minutes, it was really rough, i felt so guilty but i kept telling myself i was helping her.   I was expecting to be up every two hours listening to her cry but she didn't. she didn't wake up again till 2:30am. the next night, she whimpered for an hour but it was very sporadic and she was still half asleep. the same with the next night. Last night was great, she whimpered at about 9pm for 5 minutes and she didn't make a peep till 4:30. You just have to get through the first night and it will get better and better. look at it as helping them not hurting them.  sometimes they're gonna cry but you know your doing the right thing.

beany02

cmurphy09:

mabenner1:

cmurphy09:

We all need to vent. It's okay, I think what doesn't help is how everyone claims their baby has a perfect sleep routine. It just takes time... Maybe try cutting out naps altogether during the day, keep him awake put him down by 6:30ish? I use a nightlight along with sound machine.

I would absolutely not do this. An overtired baby is a miserable baby.

Indeed but so is an overslept baby... I went thru a similar situation with my DD around 4, 5 mns. This is what my pedi recommended. To keep dd up, then put her to bed with a bottle of formula and tsp of rice cereal. Then restart a sleep regimen... it worked for my household, though everyone's different.

An "overslept" baby? Hahaha what on earth is that?

Seriously, this is about the worst advice I have seen on here in a long time. Do NOT keep your little 6 month old baby awake all day...that is borderline cruel. Babies need sleep, and that includes day time naps. Period.

We also struggled with my little guy waking up multiple times at night, and we ended up having to let him cry. It sucks and it's so hard to listen to, but now he STTN about half the time, and only wakes up once if he does awaken, so it's been worth it. 

 agree!!!!!

beany02

ttimmerman:

cmurphy09:

mabenner1:

cmurphy09:

We all need to vent. It's okay, I think what doesn't help is how everyone claims their baby has a perfect sleep routine. It just takes time... Maybe try cutting out naps altogether during the day, keep him awake put him down by 6:30ish? I use a nightlight along with sound machine.

I would absolutely not do this. An overtired baby is a miserable baby.

Indeed but so is an overslept baby... I went thru a similar situation with my DD around 4, 5 mns. This is what my pedi recommended. To keep dd up, then put her to bed with a bottle of formula and tsp of rice cereal. Then restart a sleep regimen... it worked for my household, though everyone's different.

An "overslept" baby? Hahaha what on earth is that?

Seriously, this is about the worst advice I have seen on here in a long time. Do NOT keep your little 6 month old baby awake all day...that is borderline cruel. Babies need sleep, and that includes day time naps. Period.

We also struggled with my little guy waking up multiple times at night, and we ended up having to let him cry. It sucks and it's so hard to listen to, but now he STTN about half the time, and only wakes up once if he does awaken, so it's been worth it. 

agree!!!!!!!!!!!!

jroby9

I actually did just write this same exact thing on the may 2012 board! Should have read this first...would have saved half an hour typing it all out. So glad there are others out there going through the same thing!

My son is exactly the same way. It's been going on for a month and my husband and I are done. I'm pretty sure one of these nights I'm gonna fall down the stairs walking the hallway from my room to baby's. I keep telling myself it will get better and I know it will eventually, I'm just hoping it happens sooner rather than later. I figure one day I'll look back at this time and laugh. Until then I'm just trying to keep his routine as close to normal as possible. I keep reading not to start habits that you don't want to continue, however difficult that is at 2, 3 AND 4 am.

Thank you all for making me feel less alone.