Can't do it anymore! Help!

lotushjerte

New Forum Member
- Join Date: Dec 2008
- Posts: 15
Can't do it anymore! Help!

#1

02-13-2009, 02:30 PM

Ok guys, i've gotten so much good support here before...but i'm not sure what to do anymore.

Baby wakes up way too often. When i put her to bed (bath, breastfeed to sleep in our bed) she wakes up every 30-40 minutes until i finally give up and go to bed myself. Then she proceeds to wake up every 1-2 hours all night long until i finally call my husband (who sleeps in another room so that he doesn't get a migraine, and can take care of her all day) to take her so i can get 30-40 minutes sleep alone in the early morning.

She is tired already only like an hour after she gets up, and naps usually 3x per day, but again only up to about 40min-1hour max.

I work pretty much full time, 2 evenings, 2 days. The evenings are brutal- he manages to get her to sleep now (i had posted about this before) but she wakes up before i get home and totally FREAKS OUT since he has no boobs to give her. We've tried pacifiers instead and she doesn't want anything to do with them.

I am losing it. I have an auto-immune disorder which flares when i don't get proper sleep and it has now been over a year where i have not gotten more than maybe 4-5 hours sleep per night, and broken sleep at that. (I had pelvic instability while pregnant and woke every time i moved).

She's started eating more food, which i had hoped would help, but it hasn't yet. She did have reflux (maybe still does?) but is not on any meds, and also has a severe cows milk protein allergy, which is why i really wanted to keep breastfeeding as long as possible.

So yeah. Help. If any of you have ANY ideas of how i can get her to sleep more please please please let me know. I'm flipping out at my husband all the time, and honestly feeling like i'm falling apart. I've been looking online and it does seem that there are a lot of others like me who chose to co-sleep only to find that baby wakes all too often.
I believe she will sleep better if she can sleep on her own, but how to get her to learn to soothe herself to sleep???

Thanks for any ideas.
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mumtoone

Junior Forum Member
- Join Date: May 2008
- Posts: 101
#2

02-13-2009, 11:26 PM

Oh goodness that sounds really hard! I also have a frequent waker and know how terrible it can be. Is there any reason why you do not have your LO on some meds for reflux? That could be making her wake more often than she normally would and then needs the milk to calm her throat. Worth a try.

I hear in your post that you are terribly stressed with the lack of sleep. When we were right in the thick of it with DS even just getting an hour to myself would make all the difference in the world. Is there any way to work that into your day somehow? DH would take DS for a walk in the evening when he got home and I would jump straight in the shower. It was heaven.

I am afraid that I dont have any advise. We went for fifteen months with waking ever hour or so, it wasnt until I night weaned that we got a decent stretch of sleep.... and that was only a month ago so just now catching back up again. I wish I had a magic cure for you. Some babies just seem to wake up a lot. I would really look into the reflux thing if I were you though! She may not turn into a fabulous sleeper, but you might be able to get two or three hour stretches! And I am sure that would make all the difference.

GL. Hope that you find something that works for you.
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EcoMaMa

Senior Moderator Being The Change I Want To See!
- Join Date: Mar 2008
- Posts: 535
#3

02-14-2009, 06:48 AM

Hi mama!
My son was the same way. I also have auto immune and know how you feel about flares. I have had some recent stress that has triggered things quite badly. It makes it almost impossible to function.

I have never noticed food making the difference in sleep. Only time. Do you have a friend who can come over and play with the baby so you can take naps? This one may be hard, I didn't know anyone when I had my son and it was suggested to me onilne, but I didn't know anyone in real life so I am sorry if this is not an option for you, but I thought I would toss it out there.

We did manage to do what mumtoone did, but in the mornings. Hubby would take Ronnie and if he was super fussy he would put in the Wiggles and sing and dance with him. Sorta dance. I would take a shower.

Even now my boy is 3.5 and recently I have been in severe pain so sleep has been scare so in the mornings the boys get up and go do something for an hour while I get a nap and a hot bath / shower and it does make a big difference. I am also still breastfeeding and that in itself can wear you out.

See if you can get some extra vitamin B supplements, a good B Complex can help with energy. I am not sure what Auto Immune you have, but maybe some extra Lysine as well.
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apmommy

Junior Forum Member
- Join Date: Apr 2008
- Posts: 112
#4

02-15-2009, 01:27 PM

Yikes! sounds like me with my first. I worked, also, and my first would wake me literally every 30-40 minutes to nurse. She would even fall asleep at the breast and not give it up.

For me, I couldn't function because I couldn't sleep, so I quit my day job and started working "off-hours" so that I was with her during the day and DH was with her nights and weekends when I worked. That helped enormously, as she seemed to want me with her all the time. Is that at all possible? I know in these tough times that anyone with a job is holding on tight!

Also, I made sure that she was outside for atleast part of the day, as much as possible. that way, her 'internal clock' was set well, so that she was more programmed for night sleep. This tactic was explained to me by a Hawaiian mom.

Goodness, I hope some of this helps you!!

apmommy
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