I have posted here many times, and I hope I am not a huge bother. I'm just having a hard time this morning. Sometimes things seem to be getting better, and then I get so discouraged b/c then they don't seem to be getting better at all. I don't know if there's anything you can do to help. I just wonder how long this is going to go on. Last night my LO woke at 11:00 (fed him), 1:10, 2:40, 3:10, 4:20, 5:00, and 6:20. I thought I had figured out that if I get good naps in, feed him well, and get him to bed well, he would sleep well. Yesterday and last night just threw me off. We had 7 good nights in a row, and yes, I was ever so thankful, then two bad nights (explainable - bad naps), then two good, and then last night. If I felt like I understood why last night was bad, I would feel like I could at least fix it, but I don't know what happened. He woke up really late yesterday (he usually wakes every morning at 5:30, but sometimes will sleep longer and sometimes plays for a little bit, and then I get him to sleep longer, but 6:40 has been the latest). Yesterday he woke at 5:30, I went in to reposition, and he slept till 7:40. I didn't wake him b/c he NEVER does that, and I figured he needed to sleep. So he woke, and then he was tired super early. I didn't put him down b/c I thought I had to be wrong about him being tired. He is never tired that early and I thought that he really wouldn't be tired since he slept so long. Anyway, first nap was rough going down b/c I waited so long. (shorter A time than normal, but still too long for him) The rest of the day went the same. First nap was 1 1/2, second was 2 1/2. Bed was 7. So I guess he was overtired?!? But he slept almost 16 hours yesterday and normally he does great on about 14 or around there. I'm almost positive he wasn't hungry. Maybe that was just one fluke night. I don't know. This lack of sleep is just taking such a toll on our family. I get really scared when I read in the night waking support group, and people still have 1 year olds doing this. I guess I just thought this is a matter of time, and he will be learning independent sleep soon, and then when he wakes, he will be able to put himself back to sleep. As of now, we go in, reposition him, sometimes put in paci, and pat briefly. I know that sounds easy, and I am glad for that, but when he wakes every hour an a half, which is what he does when he has a waking night, I JUST fall asleep when he wakes again. So basically I don't sleep at all. And I sure hate to sound so selfish. This is my sweet baby, and I love him so much. I just physically don't function on this little sleep. I wish I were different. You may not have any advice for me but to just keep doing what I'm doing. Do you have any wisdom about how MOST babies do - whether they grow out of this and around what age? Or maybe babies are all different?
Thanks for listening and for any thoughts you have.
Info you may need: We're on a 4 hour EASY. He has long A times (2-3 hours - but usually 2.25-2.5, depending on whether it's 1st nap, etc...) I've done a lot of experimenting with A times and shorter ones create major problems (screaming at nap time and 45 min naps). This way he goes down a lot easier and sleeps longer. Mostly we have 2-3 naps, depending on how long they are. We've always had night wakings, but they had started to get better once I got him napping better (by giving longer A times). He goes to bed b/w 6:30 and 8, but usually around 7:30.
I don't do a DF b/c it caused more night wakings.
On the nights when we don't have night wakings, he wakes one time to eat and then sleeps till 5:30, we go in to reposition and maybe give paci (I don't know why he needs the repositioning), and lately he's been sleeping about an hour longer. Those nights are fantastic. So it's usually either a night like that or a night like the one I described above. Sometimes he does have just one other night waking.
More info: Bottle fed, when i go in he is just grunting or talking, but we've tried waiting, and it escalates to crying, possible prop is paci, lovie in bed, but he doesn't use it, no cereal.
Thank you,
Brooke