I always have people telling me, at 6 weeks things would change and baby's sleep would get better, then that changed to 3 months. And finally 6 months when you can enjoy 6 hours of straight sleep. Well, I can recall that in past 3 months, we have had 4 nights where DS slept for 6 hours straight. And now between 5-6 months he has been waking up every 2 hours!!!! Sometimes it is just for comfort and other times he is plain hungry so I feed him. I really want him to feed at least once a night so that I can keep my supply up and not get engorged. But waking up every 2 hours is driving me nuts. I have started working now, my baby goes to the daycare at my workplace and I do see him 2-3 times in the 6 hours that I put in. So it cannot be that he is missing my presence so much that he is waking up for mommie time. The solids that I give him are also rice, apples, sweet potato at 9 AM. Things which previously did not affect his sleep anyway. Last night whenever he woke up, after 2 AM, I simply put him on the boob so we all can sleep. The result was that he threw up this morning. I felt very guilty of doing what I did but I simply was very tired. Not that I can do anything to change this, and I am hoping it gets better on its own and someday my child will sleep peacefully. I really do not crave for an 8 hour of undisturbed sleep, but even a 4 hour stretch is a bonus! I just needed a place to vent..
I don't know about how others handled it, but one week into work I could not handle the sleep deprivation plus work plus house hold chores plus pumping. So I did what worked for me and made my life a little easier - moved DD from crib to our bed. Co-sleep, feed while sleeping/lying down. I have been judged, mocked for spoiling my child, even my mom was very much against this. Well, I did what worked for me and my DD. She got her comfort feed, full feed, secure feeling of being with me after missing me through the day. I was able to get some rest, feed her and be there for her. Now at 10 months she still takes 2 feeds at night, sometime another 1 or 2 thrown in for comfort. It doesn't bother me much. How I am going to wean or get her to sleep on her own later - well I will deal with that at that time
Hi Mriduna, I have been cosleeping since DS turned 3 months. Even then I am trying to wean him of more than one night feeding. Sometimes it is so easy to just feed and get done with it instead of seeing whether baby is really hungry or needs comfort. So I wake up cradle him and sometimes he goes back to sleep after being put down. When he is hungry, I feed him lying down. Feeding every 2 hours for a 6 month old does not appear normal to me. Anyway, so yesterday we found out that DS caught cold and was severely congested and probably thats why he has been waking up. I believe he caught the bug from daycare..Our daycare does allow kids when they have cold. Only when the kids have fever they are asked to stay home. I guess I cant do much about it. First time my bub is sick..I spent all night comforting him yesterday..just snuggled him close to me, and he slept much better. Is there anything I can do apart from using saline drops? I also applied coconut oil +camphor to his back and chest, I guess that helped.
Hi TL, I am so sorry to hear that you baby has caught a cold. Unfortunately, it comes with the daycare package as most daycares follow the same rule as yours. My DD started daycare 2 months back, and caught a cold the second day she went. She still has not got rid of it. She was very dull and clingy for the first week but now she just learned to live with it. We have been to the doctor 3 times for this just to hear the same thing - saline drops, suction using nose bulb, steam inhalation, baby vicks, humidifier, any mild home remedy - all this will only relieve them temporarily. So my DD has been having just good days and bad days absolutely no day without a runny nose or cough. As long as she is active, eating 70-75%, making enough number of diapers and no fever - doctors say they are good. Especially with breast feeding mothers and babies tend to pass it back and forth, but breast milk has the best antibodies to help them build their immune system too. So it is a double edged sword. It tore my heart to see her down with a cold for the first time and was guilt tripping myself like anything (not that I don't do these now, just lesser), so I can totally understand what you are going through. Just keep him hydrated, thats all you can do. I have just accepted that I have to deal with this winter like this and hoping and praying that it does not get worse. Sorry, couldn't help much.
Hi Tulip lady, They go threw a major developmental growth spurt around the 26th week..and lasts between 1-5 weeks (Google wonder week 26)...maybe that is it? My son, now almost 7 mos. did the exact same thing. He used to sleep well during the night and wake 1 or maximum twice to feed, but after this growth spurt, he goes down to sleep at around 830-9, wakes up between 11 and 12 am to feed, and then sleeps only after 3! There have been days when he also slept at 6 30 in the morning. He would just be awake, want to play, and be VERY active. Needless to say, I'm totally sleep deprived..I cannot catch up during the day, as I work too. So, I can only hope this is a phase and will pass soon. It has been going on for 2 months now! Not sure if my post helped, but you are not alone! V
Oh Mriduna! hope your DD gets well soon I can imagine how tough it must be. DS is finally better today. I did everything under the sun. Applied ajwain + coconut oil on the head. Applied camphor oil to feet, put on socks, rubbed on chest and back. Something may have worked. But now his sleep is all over the place. Naps have gotten inconsistent. Yesterday he napped for 2.5 hours in total at the daycare. But slept for a total of 9 hours only, at night. Since past 2 nights he has been waking up at 4 AM. I thought feeding him lying down will help and all of us can sleep..but no! he simply wanted to be on the floor. He started sitting up without support 2 days back..and now trying to stand!! So I guess he has a lot of action and sleeping seems to be boring! Anyway, so he is down to 2 naps now. So I am wondering if pushing bed time earlier would help..But earlier than 7 PM seems to be little concerning..
I just responded about this to my post above to mriduna! haha..looks like we have active kids at our hands,.,what yours does at 12 am, mine does at 4 am.. I have realized that I am a better mom when I am well rested. Keeping my supply up, concentrating at work, playing with him, all does not happen peacefully until I get atleast a 4 hr stretch of uniterrupted sleep. DH is spending lot of time at work, so I do not like to disturb him all the time..but poor thing has been waking up at 4:30 to 5 AM so I can get some rest..while he prepares baby food. How many times are you feeding solids? I have just added dinner to DS menu. BTW if its a growth spurt..it stabilizes in a week or two..may not last as long as 2 months, I think..it may be something else..what time do you put him to bed?
It did get slightly better now. He sleeps by around 1:30 and then wakes up around 7 30...goes down again and then wakes up only around 11 with two small naps during the day. He is on one solid feed as of now, and I started off with Cerelac rice on the advice of my paed. I will be starting a second feed in a few days time. He was not very interested in food so far, and has only now started looking with interest at food and also at what we eat ! Yes, the nights are divided between hubby and me too..just the other way. I sleep between 11 and 2 and hubby sleeps after that..I still wake up to nurse, as he is still nursing every 2 hours to the dot. Thats ok...as long as I get 4-5 hours of sleep, I'm fine with it! He is now trying his best to start crawling and its really adorable the way he tried so hard!
