dd will only sleep latched on-- help!

[red and lulu]

dd is 5 mo and just seems to be having a tough time all around lately — she's teething, she's stopped napping, wants to be held all the time and has a pretty short fuse. we bed-share, and i always nurse her to sleep. about 2 weeks ago, she started waking up more frequently throughout the night to nurse (from every 2-3 hrs to every 45 min or so)... then it was every 15 minutes... now, for the past several nights, she won't sleep unless she's latched on. as soon as the nipple leaves her mouth, she wakes up. needless to say, i haven't gotten any sleep, and am a bit of wreck. i've tried giving her a pacifier, but she just cries until i nurse her. i don't know what to do... i need sleep. she needs sleep. what do i do???

[BrittneyMarie]

I have this problem with my DD. she stays latched on all night, and ive just had to learn to sleep through it. its not the most comfortable sleeping position, but at least its sleep!

[Kivgaen]

Originally Posted by CJsMama

but she just cries until i nurse her. i don't know what to do... i need sleep. she needs sleep. what do i do???

Nurse lying down with her?

Once I figured out how to get DS to nurse while lying down, my life became SOOO much better. He slept in our bed and I didn't mind so much if he nursed when I was tired, because all I needed to do was close my eyes and sleep right through the whole feeding/comforting session.

[Kivgaen]

I just wanted to add: my DD is 3.5 right now, and still comes into our bed frequently at night. After over 6 years of having a child sleep next to me, I don't even wake up anymore when the youngest still comes into my bed. I just snuggle up next to her, and her me, and I wake up in the morning with her beside me and wonder how that happened... It actually works quite well for me.

[starrmama]

It sounds like a growth spurt/teething issues to me, and/or maybe some other health stuff going on? Are you nursing lying down? After many years of nursing, I hava also adapted to getting less sleep, less deep sleep, and sleeping through a latched on baby for big chunks of the night...

Usually these things go in waves though with little ones - like she may be having an especially tough time with teething right now and/or going through a growth spurt and developmental milestones and just really needing the extra nutrition and comfort. Usually when you get to your wits end about these situations and think you can't take one more night, that is when something will change again and the baby will "miraculously" have a better night sleep!

Have you tried swaddling, anything for the teething (homeopathics, chamomile or clove EO on the gums, etc), or any other things to try and help her feel better in general? Personally, cranio-sacral therapy was our savior with my second dd - she had reflux and bad constipation, but all her digestive issues were really affecting her sleep, and the cranio-sacral worked wonders. Sometimes it can help to find that "off" switch that seems to be malfunctioning!

Good luck, and hope better sleep is coming soon!

[red and lulu]

Originally Posted by starrmama

It sounds like a growth spurt/teething issues to me, and/or maybe some other health stuff going on? Are you nursing lying down? After many years of nursing, I hava also adapted to getting less sleep, less deep sleep, and sleeping through a latched on baby for big chunks of the night...

Usually these things go in waves though with little ones - like she may be having an especially tough time with teething right now and/or going through a growth spurt and developmental milestones and just really needing the extra nutrition and comfort. Usually when you get to your wits end about these situations and think you can't take one more night, that is when something will change again and the baby will "miraculously" have a better night sleep!

Have you tried swaddling, anything for the teething (homeopathics, chamomile or clove EO on the gums, etc), or any other things to try and help her feel better in general? Personally, cranio-sacral therapy was our savior with my second dd - she had reflux and bad constipation, but all her digestive issues were really affecting her sleep, and the cranio-sacral worked wonders. Sometimes it can help to find that "off" switch that seems to be malfunctioning!

Good luck, and hope better sleep is coming soon!

i do nurse lying down... we've done that since she was just a few weeks old (at the time it was a revelation). up until now i've been able to just wake when she stirs, help her latch on, and then drift back off as she nurses... but with her latched on all night i just can't get comfortable... and she is sleeping so lightly that if i move at all, she wakes. i'm sure it will pass... i just hate feeling a) like she's uncomfortable and i can't make it better, and b) like i'm at my wit's end trying... it doesn't make me feel like a very good mommy.

i'm certain that teething has something to do with it, and perhaps some developmental stuff. i've been using hyland's and she wears a teething necklace. she has never liked to be swaddled. i'll look into the chamomile or clove eo... can i use that in conjunction with or instead of hyland's?

[tykys]

I just came here to vent about the same thing.

DS is 3 month's old and I haven't slept in days. I can't even form sentences right now so I don't have much to add. Just know you are NOT ALONE.

[turtlemamameg]

wow, me too. cameto this forum for advice in the same subject. DD is 3 months and for the past several nights she wants to nurse just about ALL NIGHT LONG. I can usually wake up and pop the boob in her mouth and drift back to sleep, but it seems like this is happening every 1/2 hour or 45 min. I am never getting into a deep sleep. And if I try to let her get back to sleep on her own, she basically crawls and claws at me until I nurse her. Th sleep regression blog reccomended by another poster on another thread was also helpful, but I am still wishing there was something more we could do.