8 month old with 5-7 NW's PER NIGHT!

[leosmommy]

Hi everyone, I have a very easy going 8 month old little girl.... but she doesn't sleep!
She isn't a great napper during the day, and is a terrible sleeper at night.
I try to keep her 3 yr old brother quiet while she naps, often taking him outside so he doesn't wake her.   Last night she woke 7 times between 11:45pm and 5am, and cried until 7:15am when she finally went back to sleep for 1/2hr only to be woken up again by her big brother   I am beyond exhausted.  My husband won't go in at night any m ore to try an coax her back to sleep becuase he says "it's useless, she just keeps crying no matter what I do".  So, I am up every hour with her.  She wakes up crying like something is wrong, very sad sounding. I usually just feed her becuas it's the easy solution and at least i can go back to bed for 45 minutes.  The funny thing is she usually will eat quite a bit, but only one side, and not with gusto... so I don't think it's becuase she is "hungry".  I feed her solids at breakfast, lunch a dinner, (only pureed foods as she doesn't have teeth yet).  I don't think it's the teeth waking her either as I have given her tylenol or motrin 3 nights in a row and she still wakes just as much, so it isn't from pain.  I've tried putting her down earlier, later, in a onesie, sleeper, shorts/tshirt, changed diaper during night, music, no music, door open, closed, fan, no fan, darker, lighter, formula in a bottle... NOTHING works.  I was going to let her CIO tonight, becuase i don't know what elso to do.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

wakes: 5am (i leave her in bed, giving her a soother until 7 and she'll usually fall back to sleep around 6:45-7:15 for around 1/2 hr)
get her up at 7:30am (change her and big brother)
breakfast at 8am (cereal, fruit)
A time.
Nap: Breastfeed before nap around 9:30-10:00 (usually sleeps 1hr at most)
A time.  sometimes outside, or just playtime inside
Lunch: 12:00pm - Chicken or meat with veg and fruit (puree), water
Nap: breastfeed then down for nap, sometimes will sleep sometimes won't.  if she does it'll be another 1hr again or so.
Bf again around 4 ish, and dinner is at 6.
i aim for bed around 7-730 where i BF her again, and put her to bed for the inght.  First waking will be around 10:00.  If she goes to bed later, around8 or 9 then the first waking is sometime after 11:00.

note: wakes crying from late afternoon nap, and sometimes after morning nap.
She alwyas falls asleep herself.  She goes in her crib awake, with her soother and blanket.
she is a very aggitated sleeper alwyas moving around and in weird positions when she wakes.

sorry this msg may not be too coherent.  I am tired and fear i may not be making sense!!!

[anna*]

It sounds to me like she's waking because BF back to sleep has become a prop for nights but not for naps. Same thing happened with my Lo at the same age. When you BF her she goes right back to sleep?

[Vicku]

Was going to suggest teeth but you said you don't think it's that. I was also thinking about possible SA starting around this age. DD is 8.5 mo and I've noticed her starting to get upset if she can't see me for longer periods now. Dk though as you say she goes to sleep on her own I did also read somewhere about disturbed night sleep being very common at this age and that it has something to do with their sleep cycles maturing.
{{hugs}} to you, I know how awful it is when you're that tired Could you put a mattress in her room next to the cot and sleep there for a few nights and see if it helps that you're there? Maybe you can then manage to soothe her back to sleep before she wakes fully? Then if that doesn't help and it continues maybe look at weaning from BF as a prop. If it is SA or teeth though maybe a little more reassurance is what she needs though? Just a thought.

[gogomama]

Would like to follow along if I can. Unfortunately, facing similar problems over here