Suddenly a terrible sleeper.... it will pass, right?

[Chloe'sMama]

16.5 month old dd has been mostly a great sleeper. By this I mean wakes up 2-6 times a night to nurse and just nurses and falls back asleep. She has been sick with Croup and of course has not slept as well. She is now on the road to recovery and the last 3 nights she wakes up tossing and turning and screaming and takes hours to fall back asleep and continues tossing and turning the rest of the night. She is trying to nurse the entire night, which I CAN NOT handle. I think it may be hunger or a growth spurt or something, but she doesn't feel like eating (She only nursed when she was really sick, so for 4 days no food).

I just about had a nervous breakdown last night because I am tired and so is DH and she is SOOOOO tired but just screams and won't let us comfort her and pushes us away, but then screams to be picked up right away. She was also mad that there was no milk (I was comfort nursing anyways).


I am frustrated, but I am also worried that DD is not sleeping enough.

[InMediasRes]

Maybe molars? Or ear drainage from the bug?

I remember a sleep blip around that age, and another one at 19mo. It was pretty much smooth sailing from there, but I could be off because DS was a horrible sleeper anyway. He still wakes up 2-3x/night at 2.5yo, but he is much better than he was.

[cushy]

Is it possible that cosleeping is keeping her too stimulated? I found that at 14 months both of my sons became terrible sleepers, and I moved them to their own beds. Then I still tried to nurse to sleep, and I could tell is was more of a distraction, so I stopped that too, and with DS 1 it was literally the first time he'd ever slept through the night, and he's been great ever since. DS 2 also took to his own bed very easlily. For the longest time after that they just would not sleep with me- it's like I just distracted them to much.