My 9 month old dd, has never slept through the night. We nurse only with good success and I have done EASY from 3 weeks old. But we have always done the family bed until 6 months or a little more and while I KNOW this causes sleeping issues for us (she is my 7th child), it has always just been the thing we end up doing to get more sleep when I am exhausted and I LOVE snuggling my newborns.
WELL....with this little sweetie she was sleeping tolerable (only waking at 12 ish and then 4ish) until about 3 months ago when it started to get worse. She does have a binkie addiction and I thought IF I stopped giving it to to go to sleep it would help.
So, I started to break of her going to sleep with it. It did help her daytime sleep. She was really good about taking a 2 hour morning nap and a 90 min afternoon nap and 45 min evening nap before going to bed at 8ish.
BUT her nighttime was getting worse. She was waking every 2 hours and throwing a HUGE fit IF I wouldn't nurse her. I would sometimes try for up to 2 hours to not nurse her and keep her in our crib (which is in our room) sometimes it would work, but mostly I would give in and nurse her and she would blissfully go to sleep (for another 2 hours maybe
).
Well about 1 week ago I decided I was NOT going to feed her after 11 PM and until 5 AM. I would comfort her and give her a binkie if needed. The first night I leaned over her crib for 2 hours shush patting her. She would NOT give in to sleep.. She would just fuss, but not sleep. Her crib was on the other side of my room - I had an idea IF I moved it next to my bed, I could put down the rail and shush pat her while I lied down, and at least give my back a break
My sweet dh woke up at that time and moved a recliner, end table and love seat, in order to move the crib.
I lied down in my bed and she eventually fell asleep in 30 min.
This was from 1-3:30 AM
She slept until 5:30 when I nursed- she had gone from 10:00 PM without nursing- the first time ever that long.
The next night she woke up at 1 ish again (I fed her at 11) -remember I am giving no nursing from 11-5
I shush patted her again, next to my bed (in her crib-not my bed) and she only took 45 min - and she didn't fight it so hard. Then she slept until 4- I shush patted again and she was asleep in 10 min and slept until 5:30.
YEAH!! success...
Well, it has been 4 more nights since that and it is getting so much easier for her and she is not waking up for the 10 oclock feed and last night she ONLY woke 2 times and fussed for litterally 1 min each time with a comfort reassurance from me and only got the binkie once. She slept from 8-5:30 without nursing. After nursing at 5:30 slept until 7 AM..
YEAH- I am so excited.
NOW, for some reason her daytime naps are getting shorter. I am not exactly sure what is going on with that. Any advice?
I was doing 9-11 (she just can't wait any longer in the morning) she is such a crab if she goes more than 2 hours without going down.
Then she goes down at about 1 or 2 IF I can keep her up that long. I have tried both wondering if the reason she wakes after only 45-60 min is because she is over tired and it doesn't matter.
Then she takes another shorter nap in the evening.
thanks
