Am I The Only One Still Getting No Sleep?

kh26 · August 2015

This is my first time posting but I've been lurking for a while now. I'm a FTM and my DS is 11 weeks old tomorrow. I'm not looking for any magical solution but I just wanted to know if I'm the only one who is still not getting any sleep. I keep reading all these posts where people are talking about 5+ hour stretches of sleep and it's making me cry (literally, lots of tears over the past few weeks)!

My LO is a happy, sweet, adorable baby during the day and I love him so much but I'm starting to feel completely hopeless that the nights will ever get better. We follow a flexible eat/play/sleep schedule during the day. He usually gets up around 7 AM and I try to never have him up for more than 90 minutes before getting him down for a nap. He is actually a fantastic napper during the day but only if I use the swing (fully reclined, swaddled and buckled in). If I put him in the crib during the day he wakes up after 45 minutes. In the swing he will nap for 2+ hours and I usually have to wake him up as I try not to let the nap go over 2 hours. He usually is down for the night between 8:30-9:30. At night he initially slept in the crib until about 5 weeks old and then he refused - he would wake up within seconds of putting him down. We started using the Rock n Play at night and he seemed to be doing a lot better. For a short time he started to do a four hour stretch between feeds, then three hours and then maybe go back down for another 1-2 hours some days. At his 8 week appointment though the doctor was concerned regarding torticollis and a flat spot developing and told us to get him in the crib and out of the RnP. We are seeing a physical therapist and doing repositioning techniques currently. So, we started the crib at night and it went horribly - swaddled him, white noise, dark room but he would wake every hour squirming/kicking and breaking out of his swaddle.

The doctor said to try zantac given the squirming and kicking. He's been on it for 2 weeks now with no improvement. I broke down and tried the Rock n Play again but he really wasn't doing much better in that suddenly (maybe doing 2 hour stretches). I then thought maybe the swaddle was the problem - he was busting out of it and maybe that was waking him so we started using Merlins Magic Sleep Suit. The first night he suddenly slept for 4.5 hours the first stretch in his crib and I almost cried with joy but then the rest of the night turned into the same game of up every one to one and half hours. This has been going on for three weeks now and I'm exhausted. I go back to work in 2 weeks and I'm scared to death - there is no way I can function on the sleep I'm getting. I've been to a lactation consultant to make sure everything was fine with how he was feeding and she had no concerns. The pediatrician just told me to try cutting dairy from my diet which I'm happy to try but I'm just not convinced that's the issue as his stools seem normal and he's fine during the day (he is a gassy baby but as a FTM I didn't think it was abnormal although when he wakes at night he does pass a lot of gas).

I'm starting to think I just have a crappy sleeper. I'm on the verge of breaking down and trying the swing overnight (fully reclined and buckled in) since he sleeps so well in it during the day (anyone else out there have a swing sleeper?) but I'm concerned it may not be the best for his head as it restricts his movement some (although to be honest when he's in the crib he tends to lay on the same spot regardless of all the repositioning I do). When he's waking at night I try to wait to see if he'll self-soothe and he never does - he usually doesn't cry, just fusses and squirms initially but eventually he will start to cry and that's when I go to him. If it's been more than 2 hours since he ate I'll feed him but if it's been less than that I try to soothe him first with a pacifier/rocking and he usually goes back down (but then will wake up again typically in 45 minutes and then I feed him).

Really I just wanted to see if anyone else out there is still getting little to no sleep as reading most people's posts makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. If anyone else had these issues around this age have they started improving? I really need to try to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

kuschelbrianna · August 2015

I am in the exact same boat except my lo doesn't like to sleep during the day either unless she's in my arms. She still likes to wake up every 3 hours to eat during the night and likes to stay awake and play. She has had 2 nights where she slept 5 hours straight but sadly I think they were just flukes. Try to hang in there. I am trying to take naps during the day with her when I can but I also go back to work in 2 weeks. I'm beyond stressed. Good luck! If you find a magic solution let me know! It sounds like you are doing/trying everything you can.

Buckles0528 · August 2015

See my post from a few days ago...I think its called Am I missing something? I'm also not getting much sleep but got great advice. The day I started putting him down for a nap at the 1.5 hour mark or the moment he yawned he started three hour naps. Also, last night instead of feeding him at 10pm I gave the paci and he slept through until 2am. I'm still trying to master napping in the crib but during the day its the swing because that's what works. We've let him sleep in it overnight once while DH slept on the couch. I don't feel its a huge deal. We need sleep as much as baby does

jodi1008 · August 2015

My first child would not sleep at all unless at my breast or in the swing and I could not sit up all night holding him so he came an all night swing sleeper. Do not feel bad! When there's no other options you have to do what you can. He slept in his swing much longer stretches maybe about 3 hours at most then feed him and put back in swing. Sadly the swing broke at 6 months old and he had to sleep in his rock n play next to me for a few months. It was terrible he still only slept a few hours at a time. Then his dr told me he was old enough for me to sleep train him because he thought my son was old enough to be playing me... Which he probably was. I put him in his crib and it was very hard for the first 3 nights. He cried a lot trying to get his way to get out of the crib. He was 9 months old. ( I recommend starting before your child can stand up because that made it much worse as he didn't want to lay down to start with). Ever since I did that though he has been an all night amazing sleeper and loves his bed. He's 3 now. I had trouble letting my child cry though that's why I waited so long to even try that method. I think if I didn't he would still be up all the time though. I don't see myself being able to let a very young baby cry it out though so that's why I made myself suffer as long as I did. My son was the baby you lay down in bed and he immediately screams until being picked back up.

I feel for you! It's so hard I've totally been there. I think I was a zombie with a very sore back for like 9 months. Then my second child came and I was soooooo nervous to go through that again and surprisingly he was a sleep through the night baby starting at 3 weeks... Before then he would only wake once a night and straight back to bed. All kids are different so you never really know!

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