Please help me. (re - sleep, or lack thereof)

[oshannon]

I know I am not alone in this, but I am in such a fog and so worn out that i'm not thinking clearly.

DS is 8.5 months old. He does not sleep through the night...nothing near it. Most nights, we're up 4 or 5 times. He eats at least 2 of those 4 or 5 times.

Things are getting worse, not better.

I am back to work full time, and have been for quite some time. I am so worn out and tired that i'm getting to be useless in the office. I've spent today just trying to look busy.

I just don't know what to do...........

[cr8zyforaf]

Sorry - but know you are not alone - my DD is almost 13 months and doesn't STTN. I have no advice - but I can relate..I am a walking zombie most days.

[oshannon]

Thanks, cr8zy. I think i just hit my mental wall today, you know?

[Toonces]

Has he never STTN or is this a new phase? If it's a phase that's getting bad, his night wakings could be from teething or new developmental milestones.

Do you BF or FF? My BF DD didn't STTN until she was 21 months old. We co-sleep though so I think in our situation it was there, so she took advantage of it. Even though she was waking and nursing until that age, her sleep patterns in general got a lot better after the first year.

I'm sorry... I don't have any suggestions of how to "fix" the situation, but wanted you to know you're not alone. Sleep issues are tough.

[jbenny75]

No suggestions, but you aren't alone.

When DS came home, I went from wired and full of energy from being excited about the baby to tired to really, really tired to just permanently awake. Now that he's sleeping longer, I'm finding myself not being able to go to sleep and waking up in the middle of the night with nothing to do but wait for him to wake up. And I'm a person who used to be able to sleep 12-14 hours. It sucks, I know.

[cr8zyforaf]

ahh, yes. I know all about hitting the mental wall. When you say things are getting worse, can you describe? We always go through a few decent nights followed by bad nights. And, I made the mistake of rocking/feeding to sleep and now that she is getting older, getting her down is getting harder.

[oshannon]

Thanks for the support, ladies.

We were down to 1-2 wake-ups per night. That was tough, but definitely doable. The poor little guy has been sick with colds and ear infections pretty much non-stop since the end of June (thank you, Day care) and is also teething. So now we're up to ~5 wake-ups per night. Well, I shouldn't say that...often he's crying, but still asleep. If we let him go more than a few minutes, he gets himself all worked up and awake.

I should also say that I'm certainly not trying to manage this alone. DH is relatively good about taking his turn at getting up with him, etc., but our house is tiny, so when he cries, everyone's up. (I'm honestly afraid he's waking the neighbors, too, but I'm afraid to ask!)

Catgirl, we BF for the first 7 months, but had to switch to formula due to problems with my work schedule.

[Toonces]

It's probably from the teething that he's waking up like this now. Have you tried Hyland's Teething Tablets? That's a homeopathic remedy. We tried them with DD, but they didn't work for her. I know other moms who swear by them though. You could also try Infant Tylenol for a couple of nights before putting him to sleep to see if that helps.

Is he on antibiotics for the ear infections? Antibiotics can kill the good bacteria in your stomach (babies and adults) and cause upset tummies, esp overnight with babies. Is he on solids yet? If so, you try giving him yogurt. That has acidopholous (sp?) in it and can help to build up the good bacteria in his gut. You can also buy a probiotic that will help rebuild the flora in his tummy.

[cr8zyforaf]

I am in the EXACT same boat with my 13 month old...in fact, went to doctor last night - double ear infection. DH and I take turns - and we just put her in bed with us...it beats having to get up everytime she cries. She was decent (waking only once or twice) before the bout of ear infections and teething - I think you just have to believe that this will pass..if they don't feel good - there isn't much we can do.

[oshannon]

Catgirl...we've tried the Hylands, we've tried the Tylenol...

DH took him to the ped today. They're wondering now if the problem is reflux. I thought he was a bit old for that to be starting, but we'll give the zantac a try.

poor little man.