I am so, so desperate. We were stupid, thinking our infant would sleep when he was tired (like when he was very young). HE was waking 4 times a night, I fed him 2 of those times to try to get him to only wake when hungry (we tried feeding the other times to make sure it wasn't a growth spurt and he was barely hungry). Now that we know he needs lots of napping, we started to try to figure out a schedule. We are still working on it, but the day tends to start at 7:30, nap around 9-9:30, aim for a 12 nap if we manage to get enough sleep on the first nap. Then, our goal is a 3-5 nap, with bedtime beginning at 7, but we started at 6:30 last night because he showed he was tired. He sleeps 30 minutes. Sometimes, I feed him and try to get him back to sleep. The first day I tried PU/PD, modified with soothing until he stopped, and rocking in the crib. It took 42 times the first time. it became easier to sooth him back to sleep that night and he even slept until 8:29. I was so happy the next morning, and he was looking around on his walk, not fussing and observing his world. So alert with the naps worked in!
I tried PU/PD during the morning nap the next day and it was horrible, and I caved and just fed him. He was hungry!
We tried PU/PD, but had to back off of it after that episode, because he was fighting being put down at all. I tried to pick it up again this week, but I always end up rocking him in the crib for quite some time and gradually remove the hands and slow the rocking. This was the strategy from Wednesday until now. On Monday (7/1/13) the night waking began. First, within 10-30 minutes of being put down, then repeating every hour or 2 until 7:30 the next morning. Tuesday night was 12 times (counting the times we had walked away sure he was sleeping, then him waking up 3-5 minutes later). Wednesday (last) night was awful. He woke again at 11, husband took 45 minutes to put him down, then again at 12:30, husband fed, took till 2 am to get him sleeping. Woke at 3:30, tried to feed, but didn't really eat, took two time to get to sleep, and then woke at 4:30, took till 5:30 to get him sleeping, then woke at 6:30, got him to sleep in two tries, then woke at 7:30 for the day.
He is nursed, and the feedings seem to be coming after nap today, but it is used before nap to make sure he won't be hungry mid-nap. He isn't hungry at these times, so I have been able to save it for the first wake-up. He is not a calm eater, if I nurse in the room, I have to jog in place to get him to stop fussing and take the breast.
There seems to be nothing on night wakings occurring AFTER a nap schedule is in place. Help, help, help!
