My 6 month old is a horrible sleeper. always has been. its getting worse. boob cry bounce cry pat cry CRY CRY CRY CRY.
its 6 am and i got her out of bed because if she cried some more I might go insane. I'm half way there already.
this can't go on. it just can't. I know some people say to suck it up but i cant and i feel like a failure for not being able to do so. im not angry she is a bad sleeper. im angry i cant cope with it.
there has got to be something that can help.
i want to go on to explain more. but guess what, there is a screaming tired baby at my foot.
I don't have any advice but you aren't alone. I never dealt well with an older baby crying a lot through the night all I wanted them to do was just go to sleep. I did the boob cuddles, took them into my bed,cuddled on the couch walked around with dd till all hours.
I hope someone can come and give you some good advice
Just some personal experince. When my first was 5 mnths old I went to sleep school. After that I never slept with him or fed him through the night. My husband and I bent over the cot patting and rocking. By 10 mnths I was exhausted. A kind counsellor from my ABA group suggested that the methods weren't working and perhaps I should just put him in bed with us. I was a little aghast. That wasn't my thing. But I was exhausted! I tried it - to be honest, it worked better than the alternative.
When you get some rest yourself - it's mother's day this weekend, milk that for all it's worth - get some-one to take the baby so you can have a long sleep in. Ring the ABA mum2mum helpline (1800 6862686) they are great with allowing you to talk things through like this. And will have some helpful strategies.
It's worth trying to work out if this is normal - the myth of babies sleeping through the night is powerful - but it is a myth. Or is there something that is keeping your baby awake, illness, allergies, eczema etc.
It's a really hard time for you - look after yourself
it's not a long term solution but for the short term is there anyone who can help you out for a couple of hours so you can have a rest?
i'm with barb as well - co-sleeping saved me. for me the agony was having to actually get out of my bed to tend to a baby that woke many, many times overnight. we started at around 5 months & i still spend part of the night with DS. it has saved my sanity & helped me get as much sleep as possible.
do you get any time for yourself during the day/week? do you get a chance to get some fresh air, exercise or even go & grab a coffee & read a book? those half hour breaks can mean the world of difference.
i know what it's like to dread every night & feel constantly tired & angry. keep talking to us when you get a chance & hopefully you'll get lots of helpful suggestions
to you. No real advice but just wanted to say you're not a failure at all. Babies who don't sleep are very hard work, and it's near impossible to think/feel rational when you're sleep deprived.
How does she sleep in a pram? Sling/carrier? Hammock? Just trying to think of some places she might sleep and give you some rest. I know DS was quite happy to sleep with us and at least it meant I wasn't getting up and down all night.
Have you tried just bringing her to bed with you? Many, many babies are 'crap' sleepers - the truth is they are very average babies. It's hard when you want space to yourself to sleep, but sometimes that just isn't going to work for you. I fought my DS for ages before finally giving in and sleeping with him. His sleep didn't improve, but mine did With DD I didn't bother and just have her in bed with me.
But you do also need time out. Can your partner take her overnight sometimes? Even just for 3-4 hours so you can have a block of sleep. Perhaps on the weekends if it's not feasible during the week. And do you have family that coud watch her during th week so you can have a little catchup nap ocasionally?
If you think she may be in physical discomfort, then definitely get her checked out.
CIO is painful for me too. Don't be angry with yourself for how you feel.
I don't have all the answers but can you put baby in a sling/carrier or something and walk. Walking soothes your own soul and might just soothe baby to sleep. Then when you get back home just keep baby in the sling warm and close and have a quiet sit down.
Don't try to cook dinner or clean the house or anything!! Nothing matters. Take care of you and your baby right now.
Crying it out is crying out to me
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I don't have any advice but you aren't alone. I never dealt well with an older baby crying a lot through the night all I wanted them to do was just go to sleep. I did the boob cuddles, took them into my bed,cuddled on the couch walked around with dd till all hours.
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