DS is 12.5 mo. We have been struggling with the sleep thing his whole life. The longest stretch we have ever had has been 5 hours and that was one time! Usually it can be anywhere between 45 minutes and 3 hours in between wakings, occasionally we get a 4 hour stretch. We co-sleep and are still breastfeeding. When we are getting at least 1 to 2 3-4 hours stretches at night I am totally good with it all. Heck, even when we get mostly 2 hours stretches I can manage. But right now we've got teething + seperation anxiety + independence assertion. And so he fights going to sleep, wakes up way more frequently, has tended to have one longer waking in the middle of the night, and gets up early.
I know this is just a phase, and I know "this too shall pass." BUT right now I feel like I'm losing it. DH has chronic back pain so he is usually either unable or unwilling to help out. I do 100% of the nighttime parenting and at least 90% of the daytime parenting, plus I work full time in a cognitively challenging work environment. Then I have to find some energy in there to provide support to DH, who is constantly struggling with pain and/or depression. I do have friends and family around, but none of my friends nearby who are parents are AP so don't get the co-sleeping/continuing to breastfeed thing. My mom helps out when she can, but my parents just moved nearby and are trying to get settled in themselves. I just feel really alone in this process. I can't really complain or talk to DH about it because from his perspective what I am dealing with is minor relative to what he has going on. He gets angry with me if I express any frustration towards DS (which I feel guilty about as it is but I reach a breaking point sometimes!). I just don't know what to do!
I've tried NCSS with limited success. We sidecarred his crib recently and he loves sleeping in there, but doesn't seem to get him sleeping longer. I've thought about nightweaning, but I don't think I have the mental or physical energy to do it alone. I want to be a good parent, and also a good partner to DH, but sometimes it's just too much.
Any ideas?
I know this is just a phase, and I know "this too shall pass." BUT right now I feel like I'm losing it. DH has chronic back pain so he is usually either unable or unwilling to help out. I do 100% of the nighttime parenting and at least 90% of the daytime parenting, plus I work full time in a cognitively challenging work environment. Then I have to find some energy in there to provide support to DH, who is constantly struggling with pain and/or depression. I do have friends and family around, but none of my friends nearby who are parents are AP so don't get the co-sleeping/continuing to breastfeed thing. My mom helps out when she can, but my parents just moved nearby and are trying to get settled in themselves. I just feel really alone in this process. I can't really complain or talk to DH about it because from his perspective what I am dealing with is minor relative to what he has going on. He gets angry with me if I express any frustration towards DS (which I feel guilty about as it is but I reach a breaking point sometimes!). I just don't know what to do!
I've tried NCSS with limited success. We sidecarred his crib recently and he loves sleeping in there, but doesn't seem to get him sleeping longer. I've thought about nightweaning, but I don't think I have the mental or physical energy to do it alone. I want to be a good parent, and also a good partner to DH, but sometimes it's just too much.
Any ideas?
