Need Help, I'm Desperate!!!

[Jimminy]

My daughter is 7 months old and until a few months ago has been a great sleeper.  She started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old up until she was about four months old and then all hell broke loose.  For the past three months she has been waking in the night at least 5 times.  I usually breastfeed her and put her back to bed but she's up an hour later. 

The past week has been awful, she's been awake literally every hour.  She doesn't actually feed when I nurse her, she just sucks so I know she's not hungry.  She got her first two teeth in a few weeks ago, so that might have something to do with it, but she's so clingy now, I don't know what to do.  I have tried putting her pacifier in her mouth and patting her back but she looks up at me and starts screaming.  She'll only go back to sleep if I hold her.  During the day she's stopped playing on her own and will scream until I pick her up.  I can't do anything anymore because she always wants me to hold her.  She won't even stay with my husband now, if she sees me I have to have her.

She will nap a few times a day but it's usually only for about fifteen minutes before she starts to cry again.  She still breastfeeds about five times a day for approximately 10 minutes and we switch sides the next feeding.  She eats rice and oat ceral with fruit and/or vegetables three times a day.  Occasionally she is given a small bottle of baby apple juice mixed with water.

I tried letting her cry in the middle of the night a few days ago because I am just so frustrated with having to get up anywhere from six to ten times every night.  I am exhausted.  She screamed for two and a half hours. 

I don't know what to do anymore.  I am so tired and I just can't handle her constant need to be with me.  It's out of control.  Someone please help me get my daughter back into a normal and healthy sleep pattern for the both of us.  My sanity depends on it.

[Leighannq]

Hi, I feel your pain!
 I have noticed the same with my 6 month old dd. She slept right through the night until her 4 month needle. After that, up every night. Sometimes every hour on the hour.       I tried letting her cry it out by letting her cry for 5 mins and then went in to her for 1 min, she didn't give up for 1 hour and 18 mins. It tore me apart and I vowed not to do it again.
I have recently bought the baby whisperer book and last night I started p/u p/d after her first wake. It worked. I was surprised it only took about 5 tries but then she went to sleep and stayed asleep. We will try it again tonight but I won't get my hopes up too high.
Good luck to you with what ever plan you use and just remember that you aren't alone.

Leighann

[Kimberly®]

I don't think this is a sleep or food problem. I believe this is a seperation anxiety problem. I'm afread I really don't have much to help you as my LO is starting to show signs of this as well. I'm sure someone here can help you though.

[Jaime]

hi,

i agree - your lo does not sound hungry.  sounds like things got a bit off track when she was 4 months old (very common) and never got totally "fixed" and now she's hitting early separation anxiety with a vengence. 

luke was about 8 months when that hit and here's what i ended up doing with him - helped a lot.  i think it's been unofficially named walk in/walk out.

when he woke from his nap early after about 45 minutes, he would roar at the top of his lungs cause he was still tired.  i would go in there & soothe him until he stopped crying (pat/shh still worked on him, or you could do pu/pd).  when he calmed down, i would turn around & walk out.   typically, he'd start crying again.  i would immediately turn around & soothe him again.  when he stopped, i'd leave.  i repeated this until he went to sleep again.

this took close to 45 minutes each time the first 3 days or so.  after that, the time it took for me to soothe him dropped dramatically, and within a week he was sleeping normally again. 

the main thing to remember is to decide on a plan, and then stick to it.  you will both probably cry - you cause you're frustrated, and her cause she doesn't understand why she's awake & why you are changing things.  but if you are more persistant & consistant than she is, you WILL succeed in changing her behavior.  it is possible.  (even if you need to use earplugs while you're in there with her!!    )

good luck & HTH 

[Elphyrafire]

The moderators on here are great helps. I'm just sending virtual (((HUGS))) your way b/c I know what it's like! What the heck happens at 4 months? That is, to the day, when my DS went haywire. He never slept continuously thru but he woke to eat and then went back to sleep. Now it's every 2 hours..  awake... chattinbg, whining...crying.. whatever. i am so sleep deprived I can't remember where I put things or what day it is sometimes! Thank God my house hasn't burned down b/c I left the kettle on yet- touch wood.
Good luck and I hope you get some solutions!