Have we hit the 9 month horrors?

[Evie76]

Hi everyone

Well, yet another battle to get my DS to sleep has just ended.

I am frustrated because he was like an angel to get to bed, now he is the devil reincarnate (not really, but I am prone to exaggeration).

Previously I would put him in bed around 6:30pm - turn the light off, turn on his musical mobile and walk out. I wouldn't hear from him again (until VERY early in the morning, but that was because of no DLS).

Now, I have to sit by his cot and pat his belly until he goes to sleep. If I just walk out and shut the door he screams and screams and screams. He screams so much that his temperature hits the roof (he is a hot baby) and he sweats. I've tried to control cry him, but I've never heard him scream like this. It's almost as though he gets beyond a point of being able to self settle and just settles in to the screaming and would probably do it for hours if I let him.

Then during the night, he wakes about every hour and cries and cries until I go down there and put his dummy in. (PS. He doesn't do this on weekends, I think he knows I need to go to work).

Another contributing factor is that the people at Day Care cannot get him to sleep in a cot and never have been able to. They can only get him to sleep in a pram. I really wonder if this hasn't had some bearing on it.

What has happened to my baby? Is he broken?? Do I need to take him back to the manufacturer for a refund?????

Anyway, would like to hear from anyone else experiencing this and just wondering if it is the 9 months horrors I've heard so much about.

Thanks,
Lesty.

[Mother Goose]

Lesty - I have no answers but will be watching this thread with interest. You have just described my DD to a tee! Except she is perfect at child care . Someone did suggest to me that it may be daylight savings or teething. Not much help really. Especially when she wakes SCREAMING every 1-2 hours over night and will only sleep in my arms! GGGGGGGRRRRR.
We too tried controlled crying today.... and she just gets hysterical. She stops when I go in and starts as soon as I turn away!

So, will be watching for some suggestions and answers!
MG

[Nadine216]

O M G !!!
I have been wondering that exact same thing lately!!!! DD has always been a great sleeper - yes she would wake up at night, but I would pop in the dummy and say night-night honey and she is off again.
NOW she is fighting me the whole way!! She does not want to lay down, be picked up, be rocked nothing, she cries and fusses and purse her lips and blow like a little bullfrog must say that is very sweet She wakes up in the middle of the night and sits up in her cot and just bawl. If I put her down, she turns over and on her hands and knees just rock back and fro and cry and fumes. At the moment giving her some milk helps (did try the water, not so good) and I know that it MIGHT not be the right thing to do, but HECK I AM NOT GETTING SLEEP. So I not waking her up for her 11pm feed, just let her sleep and give her milk when she wakes up - that is working the past two nights, but is it going to work tonight ........... ??
I can't do the control crying thing - my heart and ears just won't allow it, but I did try once - but I am a weak, weak person!!!
I am going to have a serious hart-to-hart with God one day and ask him WHY he did not supply a manual and a pressure relieve valve with new-born bubba's!!!! *and a fuel indicator and a shut-off switch*

[Olive]

we have had the odd occasions with sleep including this past fortnight, we have resorted to control crying and yes it's hard but its worked!! what we do is go in after3 minutes of real crying not whinging, put our hand on her, no talking no eye contact, count to ten in our head then walk out, yes she gets hysterical when we leave... go back after 4 minutes repeat, then 5,6,7, cos sophie is older we do 3,5,7 minutes, this is on the advise of MIL who works in a parne and baby unit, it takes 3 days and 3 nights but it gets easier,

[Snacks]

My DD has been a late bloomer in just about everything, so I'm interested in these '9 month horrors' too!
I hear what you're saying and I'm afraid I have no answers, except maybe they're more aware and separation anxiety is more of an issue??
How long has he been waking hourly overnight? He's not sick, is he? I'm going through this very uncertainty atm as over the weekend we all had tummy bugs and I thought Natalie was back to normal yesterday but last night was the most unsettled she's been for ages. I was up and down, patting her bum from 3:30 - 5am.
Hopefully this is just a phase they're going through and will get over it jolly soon. I've been spoilt by having a couple of months of decent sleep now!!!
Hope things look up for you guys soon.

[Evie76]

I am convinced it is separation anxiety.

AJP, I was using CC and it was working beautifully - then, I know this sounds weird, but he hit a wonder week and it's been down hill from there. I'm not soft, so I was pretty good at it. I was insistent that I am the parent, I've put you in bed at a reasonable hour and you are to go to sleep. BUT........ lately he cries so hard he sweats and nearly works himself in to a lather. Can't really leave him like that - it's the point of no return when he's like that. He can go for an hour like that before he sweats so much I have to give him a drink of water because he's dehydrating.

Do you know what I have discovered works? My DH bought me a game boy and I just love Tetris (I know, I'm weird). I put him in bed and sit next to his cot and just entertain myself with Tetris - no sound. He constantly checks to see that I am there and when he sees that I am he just shuts his eyes again. Eventually he goes in to a deep sleep and "zonk", he's out. I just go back out in to the kitchen and get back to work.

He does wake up during the night, but I just zombie down to his room, stick his dummy in and he goes back to sleep for a couple more hours. On Friday night I put him in bed at 8pm and didn't hear from him again until 6am, so that was nice. Lastnight was more of the usual interrupted sleep.

I actually don't feel tired - in fact, I'm quite energized, I just think my body is used to it now. I do like a full night's sleep though - maybe when he's five!!!

The added bonus to my system?? I have the top score for Tetris and DH can't even catch it!!!! LOL!!

[Tobily]

Ugh both of my kids went through nine month horrors.

DS has been a horror sleep-wise since 4 months (sorry buddy!) but we went through the absolute worst of it at 8-9 months. Waking up hourly, all night every night for about two months. I nearly sold him on ebay my god it was bad.

DD was a perfect sleeper from birth - slept through at 10 weeks and has done so to this day except when she's sick. AND except for when she was 9 months lol. She went through about three weeks where she'd wake up every night at about 11 and would NOT go back to sleep for anything. We thought that was pretty bad until we had DS

Both of them got over it, one just took ALOT longer than the other. If your bub was a good sleeper previously then I'd bet if you just stay consistent with what he was used to before, he'll settle down again sooner rather than later hopefully! Hang in there.

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i dont know how to get him to sleep through as my 15month old DD still wakes very frequently. but i was having similar issues when she went to day care. she would scream and seem scared when i put her in the cot at home (i think they might have left her in the cot room to cry for a bit longer than i would ever have) and she became scared of cots. so at home and at day care she just sleeps on a matress on the floor now. maybe your 9 month old is a bit little to let sleep on the floor... that would be up to you. anyway the point is, you can always talk to the day care to come up with other sleeping arrangements. pram, swing, etc..

[2CheekyMonkeys]

oh yeah,
i forgot to mention that it sounds like how my DD gets when teething, so it could be that too.

[Evie76]

Hi everyone

Just a bit of an update.

I'm still sitting next to the cot playing my tetris until he goes to sleep but I don't mind because it's a really good wind down to sit next to the cot not actually using my brain after working all day.

I've actually also stopped wrapping him and he flips over and sleeps on his side. The last few nights, as soon as he goes to sleep and finds his own sleeping position, I don't hear from him again - of course I wander in there two or three times to check him during the night - but this morning I actually had to wake him because I had to start getting ready for work. That was 6:45 am.

So, now I'm starting to think that me wrapping him has been restricting him and because of me he just has not been comfortable. Here I was thinking he liked it. But, it was cold, so........ oh...... I dunno........ who would know why the little tacker wouldn't sleep? It's a mystery.

Just seems awfully coincidental. Don't you think?

The real test will be when I put him to bed on Thursday night after a day of Day Care. We'll see.

Hollo, he still has absolutely no teeth, so that is quite possibly a factor too. He's not sick - in fact, he's in extremely good health at the moment, which I'm pleased with.

[Snacks]

Woohoo to the sleep, Lesty. Great stuff. Hopefully the wrap was the issue and you can all get some lovely snoozies from now on. LOL, it does take a while to get out of the habit of waking up and checking on them though, hey!

[Mother Goose]

Lesty - very glad to hear that your sleep issues have been resolved! WOOHOO!!!! I laughed at the Tetris tactic. I have been doing something similar at times!
Our issues also seem resolved for now. Our issue was actually teeth. DD has cut a top tooth... Her sleeping isn't perfect but at least she isn't screaming when I put her in her cot!

MG

[Evie76]

Well, MG. Abbey is only 1 day older than Daniel and he doesn't have any teeth yet. I'm sure they're on their way.

Slept until 6:30 this morning again......... yes........ I went and checked on him through the night.......... saddy, eh? Gotta check...... just gotta! LOL.