Desperate for help.....

The title says it - I am desperate for some help.

I happened upon the NCSS in my public library about a month ago. It spoke straight to my heart. I need more sleep but I'm not about to make my baby cry so I can have it.

Ds is my third baby and 9 months old. I logged the first night when he was still using his pacifier to go off to sleep and he woke up 9 times with the longest stretch almost 2.5 hours. I replaced the paci each time and breastfed him 3 times when he wasn't settling with the paci.

I was so pleased with myself when I was able to get rid of the paci in a couple of days using the withdrawal method.:p

Now, however, he only wants to breastfeed when he wakes at night. I logged last night and he woke 9 times with the longest stretch under 2 hours. I am doing the gentle withdrawal so he is feeding for shorter lengths of time but no less frequently. I've also tried not feeding him and just holding, rocking, shooshing but baby just won't have any of it.

I can't quite figure out where we are going wrong. During the day he settles himself to sleep in his hammock without a feed and sleeps for 1.5 - 2 hours. He has 2 sleeps. He does the same going off to sleep at night. He comes into our bed at some point during the night.... All of the information I have read says that once baby can settle himself of to sleep, he will do so during the night.

Do you have any ideas for me?

I don't really have any advice, just wanted to give you a hug! :hug:
Have you tried giving him some water instead of a breastfeed?
I hope you get some sleep soon darl...

No advice, just hugs. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone, I am going through a very similiar thing with my 5 month old. I also have read NCSS and still can't get him to self settle at night.

I tell you what! Maybe it's the age? My DS is 9 months this week sometime and he's pretty flippin wakeful like that too. He has a dummy but has started rejecting it through the night and just wants BF. Generally that would be fine except I'm having trouble getting back to sleep - LOL "Self settling" myself!

The only thing I have found that has helped us came from an ABA group, who suggested to load him up with milk in the day time. So I fed him 2 hourly or thereabouts in the days for a couple of days (they said it could take 5ish before effect! It only took 2) and he has been sleeping much longer stretches at night.

No promises, but this has worked for us for some reason. GL!