What's goin on???? *long*

[MrsFabuloso]

Ok, this could be a long one... my DD is 11 1/2 months old. I honestly thought that by now we would be sleeping thourhg the night, or at least having better sleeps, not getting worse!
For the past month or so, she has been waking between 1-god knows how many times a night, occaisionally sleeping through. She has been having one wake up a night for months having a bottle and going straight back to bed. But lately...arrrgh!!! Last night was 4 wake ups, the night before she slept from 7-9 then through til 6.30 am, night before 5 wakes ups, night before who knows... you get the picture! She's being very erratic with her sleeping. Day time sleeps are anything from 30mins to 1 1/2hrs, (very occaisionally!!) 2hrs. She sleeps in our room in her cot right next to me in bed (she can reach out and touch me).
I must say she is teething this week, and two have popped through. I can't see signs of any more coming up though, no more of her gums are red or sore looking. She had been tugging her ears and I took her to the dr who gave her ears and throat a check and all was well. She's just started walking the past few days too.
I have been giving her nurofen if she wakes more than three times close together, but I can't keep on doing this. I'm worried that is what she's waiting for. As soon as I give it to her, within 1-2 mins she's going back to sleep!
I rock her to sleep thought this will be coming to an end soon, and she has a dummy. DH is on holidays for 2 wks soon and we will be trying to get rid of the rocking and night bottle. My belly is just getting too big and my back too sore to rock an almost 10kg baby to sleep anymore. We will also move her cot into her own room at this time too. Do you think that;s too much to do at once?
I put 3-4 dummies in the cot for her to get herself and sometimes she does, but she usually wakes with one in her mouth anyway. I try to pat her in the cot for a few mins before picking her up, but she usually just gets more distressed. She has a blankie she sleeps with too.
So what am I doing wrong? I am so tired, and just getting jack of her sleeping habbits. I don't mind getting up once a night, but it's just getting ridiculous!

[Smoke Jaguar]

Might be worth trying her in your bed with you, to see if that helps any (just cos you said she reaches out for you), before you try the route of complete separation. It's possible she's picking up on the vibe of change (you're nearly half way preggers ) and it's playing on her on some level. I hear you saying you are at wits' end, so maybe be kind to what's going on for her as well?
Put it this way, Kel, DS is 21 months old and I have no idea if he'd sleep through the night on his own. He feeds from 1-4 times a night, never really waking properly (unless he's sick, and that's like all kids!), but I still don't call it 'sleeping through'...hell, I don't even 'sleep through' a lot of nights, even before DS was born!
I guess I'm saying that it would be good if you could find some way to find peace with this unpredictable pattern of your DD. Patterns always change and it helps if we can treat it sensitively, instead of with annoyance. It sounds unrealistic if you're not used to approaching things this way, you gotta start somewhere, though
I sure hope you can work each other out, at least until things change again It really is such a journey, isn't it? You learn to take joy in the little things when the going gets tough!

[~Kim~]

I agree with Mayaness Kell.

And heck, she's had a lot of milestones going on this week, no wonder she's a bit out of sorts.
You aren't doing anything wrong. He little body and brain have had a big change this week.
Darcy is exactly the same with panadol at night so I understnad.
Have you tried a drink of water instead?

[LuluHB]

My DD went through a bit of the same thing a couple of months back (and she does/did sleep through 11-13 hours a night without me needing to go to her). I kept saying it was because she was teething but they settled down and she didn't! I don't know if it was because she picked up the changes in me, or if it was just one of those things. She sleeps in her own room but I used to pick her up and cuddle her back to sleep - but like you, I got waaaay too big to do that and it got painful to have her lying on my belly for any length of time. The only thing I found that really worked was what Mayaness suggested - we brought her into bed with us. She snuggled in so tight to me and would eventually doze off and then most times DH could put her back in her own bed for the rest of the night. Sometimes it didn't work and she just slept with us all night. We did this for a few weeks on and off because DD didn't settle at all for DH, and I was just getting so sick and exhausted with the lack of sleep. She seems (touch wood) to be back to normal at the moment, but hey, I'm not holding my breath it will last any time until the next fun change!

Its not easy having a little one when you're pregnant - I hope you get some sleep soon.

[MrsFabuloso]

Thanks girls,

We do co sleep sometimes when she's really unsettled, maybe 2-3 times a week. Though there is getting less room in the bed, LOL!! I sleep with a pillow for my belly now and DH is 6 foot and 100kg, so not a small man. DD snuggles to me too and kicks me in the belly, holds my face while she sleeps then smacks me in the face when she moves. So sleeping with her only really benefits her, not me! I don't put her back in her bed, she just stays with us. I'm also a bit worried about when I have no 2 that Lily will still want to co sleep and I co sleep with the little one, and she won't be able to. I never actually thought that she might be sensing my pg and the changes in me. Maybe that's part of it too.
As for going into her room, I thought that maybe if she couldn't hear me in the room she wouldn't wake so much, cause she often wakes for the first time about 20mins after I crawl into bed (and just start to doze off!). Also I want her to get used to her own room before bubs is born cause he'll be in our room and there isn't space for two! And I think I might sleep better cause I'm not waking at ever sound she makes expecting her to wake. She also doesn't settle well with DH. She will eventually, but it takes heaps longer for him to do it than if I do it.
Mayaness you're lucky that you can still bf your little man. When I was bf'ing we co slept from her first feed of the night and she usually just helped herself, so neither of us really woke up properly. Unfortunately, bfing wasn't to be for us, so now I ff her, I have to get up and actually give her the bottle and heat it. When I say she sleeps through often it is about 7 hrs then she wakes either for a botttle or a snuggle and sleeps for another 3-4hrs. Although we have had a few nights of 11hrs sleep. Now that I'm pg I'm getting up to pee 1-2 times, as well as getting up to her, so it makes for a tiresome night.
Realistically I guess I know that she's been through alot these past weeks, learnign alot and growing, but I'm just getting so tired. I can't catch up. Dh helps when he can, so I can't complain, but he needs to have some 'time off' too. I jsut feel so exhausted and I can't be bothered to do things like clean, then working 2-3 days a week too, I need a whole day to catch up on rest or I'm a mess for the whole week. I'm not getting time for me because she's not sleeping well in the day, then at night I go to bed early so I get rest, but I don't because she's awake so often as well as me getting increasingly uncomfy myself. I'm getting over emotional and I think it's from being tired. I try to sleep with her in the day but it takes me ages to get to sleep cause I lay there and think of the things I should do. Then she's only sleeping for 30 mins anyway so it's a waste of time, I should have just done the washing up or folded the clothes. Ugh!!! I hope this passes soon, I feel like I'm never gonna get any sleep

[aussienic]

You say she not long started walking? I would see if she would like a foot and leg massage . I know my boys had really sore legs when they first started walking and would wake up

[MrsFabuloso]

Well after A perfect 11hr sleep night before last, we had a horrible night last night and 5 wake ups. But she has slept really well today, first for 1hr20min, then for almost 2 hrs. She has been soooo grizzly and horrible today too nothing DH or I do is good enough for her. Even if we move from ths lounge room she whinges. If I go through a door, oh my goodness!!! All hell breaks loose. I just don't know what is wrong with her. Maybe it is teething still. But I can't see anything in her mouth, and she has no other signs really, no fever, vomiting, gastro....nothing. DH and I are lucky we both got a good rest this arvo because we were both getting really snappy and grumpy at her and each other.
What is going on?? I'm going batty! DH and I are back at work tomorrow, I really hope she's good for those few days.