Author Topic: Sleeping  (Read 1038 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline missp

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 1
  • Location: Suffolk
Sleeping
« on: October 10, 2005, 13:46:26 pm »
Hi I wonder if anyone can help me as I am at my wits end !! My 16 month old son is still breast feeding in the night, he wakes practically every hour and wont go back to sleep, we have tried pick up/put down but he gets so upset he starts heaving so that went out the window. He will only go to sleep with a feed, and even then he doesnt sleep for very long. I am so exhausted he ends up in bed with me and its made it worse.
Please help !! :(

Offline Eva10

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 3
  • Location: North West London
Sleeping
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2005, 19:46:26 pm »
Hi there!

Poor you - I've been in a similar situation to yours, and I was at my wits end. It really is a vicious circle - the more exhausted you become, the less resolve you have to change things. And you just keep breatfeeding in order to get that - to-kill-for-sleep, which makes matters worse.

At 14 months my son would demand the breast several times a night, only sleeping for about 1½ etc., etc. I tried PU/PD too, but was too tired to see it through in the early hours of the morning and during his nap times, so even though it improved things, it did not solve the problem.

I had to admit to myself that I was not strong enough to see it through and take the consequences of that. And that was to leave the house!
So I went to stay with a friend and was away for 1 night and 2 days. And - big surprise - my son - who had never accepted the bottle, took the bottle of formula, when I wasn't around and slept for 7 hours straight for the first time in his life! We were in shock! His father put him to bed for the next 2 weeks, and it was as if he - after about a week - completely forgot that there was ever such a thing as breastfeeding. In short, it was much easier than anticipated.

So I help my story will help you. So my advice to you is - leave, even if it's just for one night. And let the father - or someone close to you and your baby - deal with it. The times we tried to get him to take the bottle, when I was just in another room, wouldn't work at all, you see.

Hope this is helpful to you - best of luck