Feel like crying, sleeping getting worse not better!

[fleadle]

Think I am just having a bad day & feel like crying, LO's sleeping seems to get worse & worse not better!!

I have also posted this message on "Props"

I originally started using a dummy when LO started to suck her fingers at about 10 weeks (I did this because I sucked my fingers until I was 12 :oops:  & ended up having extensive dental work...I figured a dummy was easier to take away at a later stage)

Anyway....at 8 weeks she was sleeping from 7.30 til 3.30 then feeding & then going back down til 8am.

Sleeping got worse at 3 months, but I assumed this was a growth spurt that she never seemed to grow out of.

Then 2 weeks ago for 2 nights she slept for 12 & 13 hours.....hurrah I thought...I thought to soon.....sleeping is just getting worse & worse & the other night I had to go in what felt like 20 times.

It used to be that I could go in, replace dummy & she would fall straight asleep.....now this does not work & I have to pat shush too, sometimes for 45 mins....last night I had to do this 5 times.

Is this ANOTHER growth spurt or dummy addiction?....I just don't know what to do.

During the day her sleep has been all over the place too.....phases of sleeping for 1 1/4 hrs, 1 hr, 45 mins, 1/2 hr & sometimes only 20 mins.

I have thought about trying to wean off the dummy, but it leaves me back with the original dilema re teeth etc.....

[notenoughshelfspace]

I have just weaned my little one of the dummy; she used to be soooooooo easy to settle with it; pop it back in and off she drifted but then, like you I had to stay with her, pat, shhhh etc... SO I though it was enough. She is doing well and has learned to settle herself without sucking her fingers so there is hope. SHe plays with the ties on her bumper instead.

[zelkad]

How old exactly is your lo??

[zelkad]

Also, when your lo wakes, what happens?  Crying, whining, talking?

[milliesmaw]

I have also weaned and introduced a lovey. Although he sucks his fingers a bit during the day he doesn't really at night. He prefers to rub the soft toy against his face  :? I'm no expert but it does sound like dummy addiction to me. So difficult if your lo is between 3 and 6 months as there is so much going on developmentally as well :roll:

[bellmaine]

I am glad I read this.  I am up with my lo for the 8th time tonight.  It is 3 am and I am exhausted.  She is 15 weeks and use to sleep like a charm.  Now all of a sudden she is waking up.  Her naps also are all over the place.  I don't use a dummy.  I just use pat shhh and it seems like that is beoming a prop.  I feel for you and I hope someone has some wonderfu news to help us through these tough times.  Hang in there and I will do the same.

[fleadle]

She is exactly 6 months on tuesday.

I have tried giving her a lovey but she ends up ramming the whole toy / blanket in her mouth & I am terrified of her choking or suffocating on it during the night.

When she wakes she is whinging & sometimes talking, which I leave hoping she will settle on her own.....then this turns into crying & screaming, I go in put her dummy in, sometimes it works, other times she spits it out & carries on.....once I have been in it does seem to get worse.

Pat shush sometimes works, but as soon as I leave the room she starts again (this happens 50% of the time)

I thought she might be hungry & having a growth spurt so I tried feeding her, she took it but she wasn't sucking hard & I think she was just comforting on the breast......trouble is she will ALWAYS take food, she has never "Latched off" the breast or bottle or refused a feed ever since she was born so it is hard to say if she is hungry.

After a few nights of this I decided to start her on solids just to make sure she wasn't hungry, but it seems to have made no difference.

What I don't want to do is start feeding her during the night when she isn't hungry & then this turn into a kind of prop too.

[zelkad]

I know what you mean about sticking a blanket so far in their little mouths..Our son does that  and there's just no stopping him.  If I take it away though he doesn't fall asleep.  Hmmmm choking or sleeping....it's awful to think that way I know!

Have you read the PU/PD boards.  I know it's a lot of work but I'm wondering if this might be the route you need to take.  Wish I could offer you something better.  How have the past two nights been?  Did you have to go in often?

[fleadle]

I know what you mean ANYTHING for a good nights sleep is how I feel sometimes!!

Monday night was pretty bad again.

Monday night / Tuesday morning I decided that enough was enough with the dummy & only let her settle for naps with it during the day & then took it out before she fell asleep....she cried a few times but I just put it back in & repeated the same thing til she nodded off.

To catch up on sleep I went to bed at 8.30....DH must think I hate him.....he cooks my evening meal, I watch an hour of TV then go to bed!

I got into bed & just started crying, thinking "I can't do this AGAIN", she woke at 9.45, I went in put her dummy in, let her settle then took it out.....then she woke at 10.40, I did the same thing & went to bed crying thinking, "not another night of this"

She didn't wake until 6.30 for a feed, then went back down with no dummy or fingers until 7.30....Yeah!!! :lol:

This morning she fell asleep on me (while we were out) without her dummy at all & the other 2 naps in the day I just let her settle with it again.

She has gone to bed tonight with no dummy.....I have given her a luvvie which she has been sucking on the last couple of days....I decided to stop being paranoid about that..... we have a video baby monitor & have turned the volume right up.

I just hope last night was not a fluke..will keep you posted!!

Thanks for all your support, sometimes it just helps knowing I am not the only one being tested by my little devil!!  :wink:

[zelkad]

wow....besides the first few wakes of the night...your daughter slept well...you must have been pleased!!!!     I hope you have luck tonight.  It's soooo hard when you're sleep deprived.  And when you do fall asleep, it's not restful because you're laying there waiting for them to wake.  I wish I had something more to offer .... maybe one of the sleep moserators could help better....they seem to narrow things down pretty quickly!

[fleadle]

You won't believe this, but last night she slept from 7.30pm until 6.30 am, I fed her then put her back in her cot (I thought she would just cry to be taken downstairs & start her morning routine)....she had to be woken up at 8.45am for us to go to an appointment.

Yipee.....not sure if this will carry on, but what is really strange is that on the 3 occassions she has slept all the way through it has been REALLY windy outside.......has anyone else found this?

Does anyone know where I can buy a sound effects CD with wind noise (of the weather kind!!!) or maybe I could just get DH to stand by her cot all night after a good curry.

PS...where are all the smiley's?

[zelkad]

Yay!!! How super!!  Maybe this is the start of something wonderful!!!