Sorry this is so long...[I posted this in response to another mom's posting, but figured I would ask for help here]. Our daughter Ellison was a textbook baby, sleeping 10 hours straight from 2 mo., napping for 2-3 hrs. 2x/day up until she was 6 mo. old. In the past month she's gone from waking 1 x/night to 5 or 6x this week. She is EBF, but started solids at 5 mo. and has handled that fine, sleeping through the night for another month afterwards. When she first started waking, I tried to let her fuss for a few mintues to see if she would settle herself, but then she would cry, and I would do PU/PD for up to 45 min./time to get her to sleep. She started sitting up/crawling/standing around 5 1/2-6 mo. and I think is now going through some separation anxiety. As soon as she wakes, she immediately sits up, and starts fussing. I've found that if I go to her immediately, give her a passy and lovey (she's only 1/2 interested in the lovey, but I"m trying), and lay her down (no PU/PD bc she's not really crying), she'll settle right away and go to sleep w/in 10 min. or so. If I wait until she really starts to cry, then I have to do PU/PD for 20-45 min. (one time for over an hour). Both of us work FT, so it's starting to become a real problem.
I've read TH's latest book and the sleep interview on this board, but nothing addresses this problem -- when she's not crying (no need for PU/PD), but needs help settling and can't seem to sleep through more than one or two 45-min. sleep cycles at night on her own, what do you do? Seems like going in to lay her back down and help her settle is only making it worse, but what's the alternative? I've been consistent about PU/PD and helping her resettle w/o BF or props (except for passy when she sleeps only) for almost 2 weeks, and the frequency of nightwaking is increasing. I've also tried other suggestions, like changing her evening activity (low-key activities about 1 1/2 hrs. before bedtime), feeding her more during the day, introducing DF around 10 pm, monitoring her solids diet (doesn't appear to be gas or upset stomach bc she's not crying and BMs are normal), but to no avail.
Ellie wakes at 5:30 am (I leave for work at 6:30 am) and the past two weeks has gone down for nap #1 around 8 am for b/t 1 and 1 1/2 hours, and again around 12:30 or 1 pm for the same. Around the same time her nightwakings started, she began having trouble w/her naps, so we started working on both nightwakings and naps at the same time (was taking 45 min. catnaps only, but PU/PD seems to be helping lengthen her nap -- we usually have to give her the passy/lovey right at 45 min. when she wakes, but then goes right back to sleep for another 1/2 hour or 45 min.) Sometimes she takes a catnap in the afternoon around 4 for 45 min., and we put her down by 7.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm desperately in need of sleep! Thanks in advance -
Jamie
