14 June 2008
Nighttime woes
I should have learned my lesson the first time around never to brag about a baby that is sleeping well. Shortly after I posted that Josh was sleeping reliably through the night, he stopped. At first I thought it was teething. But three months later, buckets of drool, multiple trials of Tylenol before bed and no teeth, it doesn't seem to be that. He went from wanting to eat at 10pm and 6am to 10pm-12am-3am-6am and that's still where we're at. I have no idea why he thinks he needs to eat so much at night... he nurses well during the day, cuddles in the sling a lot, and usually likes his solid food. I'm exhausted again due to chronic interrupted sleep so suggestions are appreciated! For the past 2 weeks, I've resisted feeding him between 12am-5am... but at best that results in 30 minutes of soothing back to sleep followed by restlessness for the rest of the night, and at worst it turns into 2+ hours of crying until Josh falls asleep out of exhaustion (like last night). It breaks my heart when I know I could give him what he wants and we'd both be contentedly asleep in a few minutes, but I just don't get why he does it. It's not like he's hurting for calories!
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2 comments:
Oh, wow, Libs. I hear you on this. Wait until Erin reads it. Wyatt has been doing this for awhile now.
Here are the only insights I can think of, although I'll start by saying that Whitney slept reliably through the night from 9 weeks until 5 months. THEN, she woke up once a night for THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT. I did everything I knew to do and finally I just fed her once a night because that was what my instincts told me to do. Ten, 12, 3, and 6am though? That seems excessive Josh! Give Mom a break! (Are you working too?!)
-Have you tried sterilized water in place of milk? I did that to get Whit going through the night the first time around.
-What about daytime sleep? Is it regular and not-too-much?
That's the thing about babies, you really can't control them. Keep us posted on the progress!
-J
Oh Lib - Seriously! If there weren't a time change between us, we could get on the phone and talk to make the time pass in the middle of the night!! Wyatt is on THE SAME schedule and I am close to loosing my noodle. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to be a functioning adult and entertain 3 other children besides him during the day!
I have tried letting Wyatt cry it out - and he too will go for 2 hours sometimes, and he's in our room! Even when I nurse him, it's only for a few minutes and then he's back asleep for an hour or so. So I know he is waking for the comfort - not the calories!
I am now to the point of considering stopping nursing. I think if Wyatt were to take a FULL 6-8 oz bottle at the 730 and 1030 feeds - then he would have no excuse to wake up other than comfort. And once he stopped associating breastfeeding as the best form of comfort - I think he might make it thru the night. (At least I am hoping!) I am putting it off however, because I really don't want to stop nursing. But I am to the point that I have tried everything else - and no one is benefitting from a nursed baby, but an exhausted Mommy!
I tried giving Wyatt a bottle (2/3 pumped breastmilk and 1/3 formula)tonight at his 730 and 1030 feeds. Both of which he drained. When I pumped at the 1030 time, I got 1/2 as much as what he had just finished. So maybe he has been hungry....who knows!?? I will let you know how it goes and keep my fingers crossed for you!
Notice I am retarded however, and am up blogging at 11:40, after he has gone back to bed, rather than going to sleep myself! GOODNIGHT!
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