I need help! 10 month old up for hours at a time!

[kim&savannah]

Sounds good so far!  Hope you see some results tonight.

Our day hasn't gone so well.  Woke Abe up after 1 hour this a.m., but then my cousins stopped by just before Abe's pm nap (which was already going to be a stretch) and he was playing so happily that I stupidly let him stay up an extra 45 min (so almost 5 hours since last nap!! ) and now, its been 20 min. and he's still not out.  Although I think he's close.  So whatever happens tonight could be blamed on this, I'm sure.

~Kim

[mattandcindy]

Sabrina-Today sounds better so far-that is great!
I hope this leads to a better night!
Can't wait to hear from you in the morning.

Oh-and isn't that interesting that Benadryl works for some and not others. Crazy!

[Lilah'sMommy]

ARGHH!!!  So last night was not much better.  From 12 to 4, Iris wasn't exactly up continuously, but she was calling out and crying and either DH or I was with her probably a total of 7 times in that period of time.  I even in desperation tried taking her into our bed (I actually am not against cosleeping if it works-- Lilah sometimes comes to our bed if she's sick or having trouble sleeping and it's fine), but she just started trying to play with us (which actually her sister would do to at that age).  At that point it was 3:30 in the morning, and I had not slept AT ALL that night (because lo and behold, exhausted as I was, I COULD NOT settle to sleep last night and pretty much just ended up waiting in the dark for Iris to wake up, or spent the time crying because I felt so desperate for sleep yet unable to get it  ).  When she persisted with trying to play with us, I put her straight back to bed.  She cried a minute, then stopped, then fussed, then stopped, then cried another minute-- never really escalating, never going into an all-out cry, so I let her at it.  Eventually it settled to her mantra cry and then we both finally fell asleep around 4 in the morning.

Anyway, my wondeful DH has decided that tonight I am to find somewhere else to sleep so I don't hear her crying and stop feeling like I'm on call all night because I simply can't continue to not sleep night after night, and really, I don't think Iris needs to nurse at night anymore.  She only nursed once, briefly, at 12 last night and didn't seem particularly starving this morning, so I think I need to just buckle down and night wean now that DH is willing and able to take over.

Sleep training with Iris is very frustrating.  What I did last night was essentially what I had to do for naps and bedtime; essentially, letting her fuss, sometimes very loudly, and more than really feels comfortable to me.  But because she's so distractible, it seems me being in the room, rubbing her back or doing PU/PD actually just keeps her awake even longer.  So I think we'll probably have to do the same for NWings now, too-- sort of WI/PD/pat/WO with a little more restraint about going back in than I really want.  Pretty much, if she's not in an all-out cry, if I go in it seems to just make things worse.   So wish us luck tonight.  I really hope this helps us get some sleep around here, because I'm about at the end of my rope.

[Bryony]

Oh Sabrina - I do feel for you. Sounds like a wonderful plan to let your wonderful DH take over tonight. We did this a week or so ago after a particularly horrible week of NWs. Normally I do all the NWs but I was sooooo exhausted, he did one night and I slept in the loft with earplugs in and a pillow over my head. I went to bed at 8pm and slept till 6am 

I really hopo that Iris sleeps better tonight - but also that you manage to get some much-needed rest!  Your plan of WI/PD/Pat/WO sounds like a good one

HUGS!

Bryony

[Fiver]

Sabrina, all I can offer is *hugs* hope you get to sleep well tonight!

[mattandcindy]

Here's to hoping you get some much needed rest tonight and that things look brighter in the morning.
Much Love.

[lyndsy_p]

I simply can't continue to not sleep night after night, and really, I don't think Iris needs to nurse at night anymore.  She only nursed once, briefly, at 12 last night and didn't seem particularly starving this morning, so I think I need to just buckle down and night wean now that DH is willing and able to take over.

I totally agree, even though she is getting a lot of daysleep, the fact that she is waking and thinking "hmmmm, a boobie would be good right now" is what is perpetuating the cycle. I would keep limiting her daysleep to 3hrs, in a few days she will catch on. Then she will be much more tired at night, and less inclined to even ask for the boobie! What a great DH...My DH "does NW" in our house as to eliminate the temptation to feed, and she settles like a dream.

Lyndsy

{{{HUGS}}} Get some sleep

[ancral]

Hi
I'm having the exact same problem.  My daughter is 13 months (next week).  I'd be so grateful if you could let me know anything you find out.  I've also just posted about my situation.

Iris has several things converging that are all creating a night-waking nightmare for me.  She:

--is teething (though she popped the most pressing one out last night)
--just started crawling a little over a week ago
--is pretty close to pulling up
--is definitely well into the separation anxiety phase

For about two weeks, every third night or so, she is waking up and staying up for two or three hours at a time, starting at about 11:30.  I am nearly losing it.  She cries, I go in, and I nurse her.  If it's a good night, I'll put her back to bed and she'll go to sleep.  If it's not, she'll play while I'm in the room and start screaming if I try to leave.  If I stay and put my hand on her, she'll just about nod off and then wake up and start trying to play again.  This could possibly go on even longer than 2 or 3 hours, except that I just give up and nurse her again so I can finally get some sleep!  She shares a room with her sister and though Lilah doesn't usually wake, I still don't want to mess with her sleep by her hearing her sister up and chatting or crying for hours on end.

So what do I do?  She's highly distractible so when I'm in the room, she tries to play with me.  When I leave, she screams.  She does fall asleep on her own for naps and bedtime (unless she's overtired, because she nurses right before sleep-- again, that distractibilty thing-- she won't nurse upon waking).  Here's the routine:

7:15 wake up (though since the time change, she's waking at 6:15 most days, despite going to bed at the same time) and maybe nurse if she didn't nurse at 5ish in the morning.
7:45 breakfast
9:30 nurse and nap (1.25-2 hours, depending on how OT she is from the night before)
11:30 lunch
2:00 nurse and nap (usually 2 hours)
5:30 dinner
7:30 nurse
7:45 bed.

Okay, gotta go now, hope you all can help!

[Lilah'sMommy]

Well, I don't know if it was the alignment of the planets or the gods taking pity on me, but Friday night I drank two lovely glasses of wine, got in bed (at home-- I ended up not sleeping elsewhere) at 10:30, and at 5 am I woke up in the exact same position I'd fallen asleep in with my left breast in serious danger of exploding.  I could not believe I'd sleot so long without waking up (and without moving).  I of course couldn't go back to sleep with my rock for a breast, but at 5:12, Iris obligingly woke up and drained the rock.  I put her back to bed (awake) and then slept till 8 am, when we heard the girls up playing together.  I felt so human!

Last night was not quite as good, but still much, much better than the last week.  She woke at about 2:30 (and as she's developed a cold, we decided against sleep training at this moment, so I nursed her), but went right back down.  She woke at 6 and I nursed her again and put her back down and got another 30 minutes out of her.

So all in all, things have improved.  I hope it continues!  It's so nice to feel well-rested!  I even got up and baked muffins for breakfast today!

[Fiver]

Oh Sabrina, that's great that you got some rest!  Hope Iris's cold gets lots better soon and that this turn of events continues!

[Bryony]

WOW!  That's great - getting some sleep doesn't half make a difference! 

I really hope this continues 

[kim&savannah]

So glad you got some rest!  Of course they always get sick right when you are serious about some sleep training   But at least you are getting a little more sleep--that helps so much!

~Kim

[mattandcindy]

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!
So glad you are feeling back to human!

[Lilah'sMommy]

Looks so far like the pattern's holding-- last night she went down for the night at 7:30, was up at 2:15, nursed, went right back down (awake) then up again at 5:50, nursed, right back down awake, and slept till 7:15 when her sister woke her up as she was waking up.  I can live with tha!

The snot fountain is still going strong, and she's still got these watery eyes, but hopefully she's feeling better by Thanksgiving, because I'll have DH for 4 nights without having to worry about him missing sleep before work and he can help me night-wean.  I think we'll probably decide no nursing before 5 am to start (because I'm pretty sure she would not go down without nursing after 5 am, and if she's up for the day then, that leads to all kinds of sleep/routine problems) and go from there.  I'm a little scared that we'll be up for 3 hours again, so I need some encouragement to try it and some reassurance that this will work eventually.

[Fiver]

Sabrina, I can't make any promises, but I'm sure whatever you did with Lilah to get her to sleep worked eventually!  You can do it!

GO SABRINA!!  YOU ROCK!!!