Please help - going crazy and need encouragement/support
MagickalNarwhal
member
I have a 5.5 mo old son who has always been a poor sleeper but in the last three weeks his sleeping has gotten horrible. We hired a sleep coach about a week and a half ago and things have actually gotten worse - our son was up SCREAMING for more than 3 hours last night, after only napping about an hour total yesterday (we are not doing CIO - he just would not stop screaming and couldn't be comforted). He's fights naps like crazy during the day and is really hard to get down to sleep no matter when.
I have been a crying mess most of the last week because the sleep deprivation and constantly cranky overtired baby is getting to me (I'm home full time and do most nighttime parenting). I can't function, my fuse is SO short, I'm totally burnt out and exasperated. We have sought help from everyone who we know who can help, but at the end of the day they can't help us with his sleep or his general mood.
Please, please, please tell me it gets better? Please tell me I will enjoy parenting again some day? I'm totally losing it right now and need to be reminded that it won't always be like this.
Re: Please help - going crazy and need encouragement/support
Have you had the pedi rule out any type of reflux? Maybe he is uncomfortable or in pain and lying flat is making it worse.
- 6 month growth spurt is coming up.
- Did you already start solids? Rice cereal can make LOs constipated and oatmeal can sometimes do that.
Has he been tested for reflux or does she have gas issues? That's the culprit in a lot of cranky, non-sleeping babies. My LO had gas issues REALLY bad around that age and a couple dose of gas drops helped a ton. Even at 1 I sometimes double dose her if she doesn't otherwise sleep.
I'm also sure you've tried everything, but maybe you need a whole new routine? Bath, bottle, story, bed or the opposite of what you're doing. Try earlier bedtime/later bedtime. If you're rocking, stop..if you aren't start. Sleep sack or no. Blanket or not...etc. Different kids like different stuff and sometimes it's hard to figure out the magic solution. Go with your gut and see what happens if you haven't already. Try following your baby's natural lead to and see if you notice any patterns over a few days.
It is a hard age all around and really hard if they're not sleeping. I've been through my fair share of difficult kids. Hang in there.
I agree with everything the previous poster said, we just recently switched up our nighttime routine ENTIRELY because DD was no longer happy the way she was being put down. When we were at about the 4 month stage we had to also have her checked for reflux, and sure enough that was the problem then!<br>
Try rolling up a small towel, or take a pillow and put it under LO's crib mattress near the head so it's tilted SLIGHTLY, and see if that helps, our Pedi had us try that and it worked! (Don't feel dumb/bad for calling and asking your Pedi or in office nurse questions that you have, I was nervous about calling before, and now am totally cool with calling them if the need arises. They are helpful, and that's why they are there)<br>
Believe me...you are not alone. I was going through the EXACT same thing at that stage and I literally thought I was going crazy. Turns out my daughter was having silent acid reflux. No one believed me because she wasn't spitting up or projectile vomiting...until finally I talked with the pedi at 3 months (even then my MIL swears she is perfect). We held off as long as we could on the meds and I couldn't believe how much it helped. I really noticed it by watching her facial expressions closely. She seemed to make "yucky" taste type faces sometimes like when I tightened her straps on her car seat from the acid someing up in the back of her throat.
We're all rooting for you that it gets better. It took my daughter until about 9 months before she developed her own schedule and lengthened her naps but it is soooo nice now that it is finally here. GL