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the sleep topic again... need advice

hrhone328hrhone328 member
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months
I know there are TONS of posts about sleep on here and everyone is going to hate me for bringing this topic up yet again, but I need some advice b/c I'm at a loss... I also know that the first year is nothing but sleep changes, but I just need others thoughts on this and what I should try.

So LO hasn't always been the greatest sleeper in the world, but after we sleep trained, it got a lot better. (Yes, we did sleep training a little early and I know lots of people say it shouldn't be done until at least 6 months... not what I'm getting at here). Well, at about 4 months, she went through a small sleep regression. Lasted about a week. By the end of the week, we let her CIO for a night or two and she was good to go again. Now, when she turned 5 months (she'll be 6 months in 2 weeks), we hit another one and this one is hanging around. I started feeding her when she would wake up (though, not immediately, I'd give her a chance to go back to sleep). Then I started letting her CIO again and would end up having to go up and feed her anyway after about an hour or so of on and off crying. She'd look like she was going back to sleep then start crying again. So we thought maybe it was a regression at first... then we thought maybe she wasn't getting enough to eat in the evenings (my supply has been slowly dropping the last month or two and we've been supplementing with formula during the day, but I'd solely nurse in the evenings), so we started giving her some extra formula in the evenings. Seemed to work for a night, but now we're back to lots of crying.

Anyway, to the point... maybe it's a sleep regression, maybe it's teeth, maybe it's a growth spurt (though, I thought those only last a couple of days)... but I'm just not sure how to handle her nighttime wakings. Should I go in and nurse her anyway? I'm just afraid that's going to start a bad habit (which I think has kind of happened already), but we try to let her CIO and we all end up awake for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night and she ends up getting nursed anyway. Hubby tries to go in and soothe her, but it seldom works. She knows how to put herself to sleep, so I know it's not that she needs help with that. Though, maybe she does if she's going through a sleep regression. I am just one tired mama and am barely functioning! I don't know what else to try!!
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Re: the sleep topic again... need advice

  • pinkpinotpinkpinot member
    I am going through almost the exact same thing.  I never had a great sleeper.  Then he became AWFUL.  I've read every book, blog, medical journal, article, newspaper clipping that has to do with babies and sleep.  I even used a baby sleep consultant for advice!  We sleep trained too, but not to get out of MOTN feedings because I still feel he probably does get hungry at night and I would not mind 1 or 2 feedings at night but I never get those, more like 4.  I am nursing as well.  My baby falls asleep on his own, I do not nurse to sleep, rock to sleep, use a pacifier - nada.  I've been doing everything all the experts say and for about 2 weeks he was sleeping a solid 6 hour stretch each night, one night even 8 hours! It was glorious.  He was still up 2 to 3 times after that to nurse but I didn't care because I was getting a 4 hour stretch of sleep in there myself.  Now, this past week?  It's all gone to HELL.  All of it.  He's barely sleeping 2.5, 3 hours.  I just feel like there is no amount of sleep training that can fix him, I'm going to have to wait it out. 

    Since he is nearing 6 months old I was thinking about doing CIO if he woke up before the 6 hour mark because I know he can go that long without eating.  CIO isn't meant to eliminate night feedings - just to help learn to fall asleep on his own.  But it's hard.  I have tremendous guilt hearing him cry and getting himself really awake when I know I can nurse him back to sleep in a few minutes.  So I don't know what to do.  I just don't think there is anything I *can* do, I've done it all.  My baby knows how to fall asleep on his own.  He just doesn't *stay* asleep.  I know we're going through a Wonder Week right now and I'd like to blame our lag in the progress we were making on that but I have zero hope that things will improve.  I'm just trying to accept it.  It sucks feeling so tired everyday, I feel like I'm hungover!  It's awful. 
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  • agethibaultagethibault member
    You may already being doing this... but what worked for me with the night feeds was: no talking, total darkness, feed, burp, back to bed. Sometimes my daughter would fall asleep while nursing and other times not... either way, I put her back down and she was drowsy enough to fall right back to sleep. I tried to get her as soon as she cried and then what I found was that the feeds got shorter and shorter and eventually disappeared. I've read that night waking for nursing is not a sleep problem if the baby falls right back asleep. Another thing you might consider is if your little one is overtired. That can be another reason for night waking. Try for a super early bedtime for a few nights. My daughter is six months old, she's been a super night sleeper since two months, but naps were a struggle and now falling asleep at night is a problem. Hope the advice above helps. Not sleeping sucks.
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  • LisaLisa1980LisaLisa1980 member
    I think you need to just follow your instincts and do what works. If she wants to nurse either for comfort or hunger, then go that route. It'll help you both get to sleep faster than trying to get her to soothe herself or spending 20 mins trying to figure out what's wrong. There is a 6 month growth spurt too...
    Other things to consider:
    Is the room hot?
    Teething?
    Dirty diaper?
    Does she need white noise?
    Formula intolerance?
    Rash?
    Hair wrapped on a body part?

    Since birth, I've just immediately nursed him when he starts to cry in the night. He's still in our room so I'm only awake for 10 mins tops.
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  • hrhone328hrhone328 member
    Well, turns out it might have actually been a tooth! My SIL (and daycare provider) sent me a text on Friday afternoon to let me know that a tooth had popped up. In the back of my mind, I had a feeling it could be a tooth and her gums looked a little white and puffy. But being a FTM, I just wasn't sure what to look for. But lo and behold, we have a tooth! She is still waking up occasionally, but STTN over the weekend (woke up last night though, albeit not screaming like she had been). So she may be coming around, until the next tooth comes in. Ha! I did decide to just go in and nurse her when she is crying a bit more heavily. Sometimes, she'll just make noise for 10-15 minutes and go back to sleep, but never actually cry.

    Thanks for the advice!
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