Worn out Mommy wanting my 6 month old to learn how to go to sleep by himself - HELP!

[Nathan=Ikithathi]

I'm new and so don't know all the abbreviations yet... My precious son has been sleeping in our bed since the day he was born (at home). During the day, he usually stays in the carrier and falls asleep for naps in it. He has never been able to fall asleep without help except for while we're riding in the car. He has never accepted a pacifier, which is fine with me, and is quite content to suck on my pinky instead.

I am a firm believer in co-sleeping and not doing CIO. I recently purchased the No Cry Sleep Solution book and have found some helpful ideas, but frankly am just so tired. I realize that she gives tips on how to train your baby to fall asleep alone, but I'm just not sure if they will work.

A friend recently suggested that, during the day, I put him down when he's almost asleep. If he cries, she says to wait for 10 minutes and then go to him, pick him up, soothe him, put him back down before he goes to sleep completely, and repeat the process for several days until he learns to put himself to sleep. Even though it's only 10 minutes, it seems to fit in the CIO category. I decided to give it a try today and it was so rotten... but I almost feel willing to keep trying if it means quicker results.

He is still waking very frequently at night and I do my best to not nurse him unless I know it's time to eat. He breaks his latch before falling asleep and so is not dependent on any such help at night. He just needs to be with me or my husband to fall asleep.

I'm just feeling like I need more sleep during the night and a few hours to myself during the day while he naps peacefully by himself. My husband and I are also finding that we're needing more time together just the two of us.

Could someone give me feedback and tell me how they taught their babies to fall asleep on their own, which also includes moving from one sleep cycle into the next on their own? HELP!!

~Sleep deprived, but totally with her baby.

[lifeguard]

Hug.

It's tough being at that point. I don't really have much to tell you 'cause ds (19 months) still needs assistance to fall asleep & we anticipate he will for some time yet (we're hopeful when he becomes more verbal we may be able to start encouraging him to lie down alone).

Sorry - but what you're friend suggested is just a version of cio. I personally could not do it to my child. I tried it once it was one of the biggest regrets I have - I feel sick just thinking about how upset he was.

I can tell you it will get better. He will sleep longer stretches at night in time & when you look back this time won't seem to be as long as it feels right now.

Can your dh take him for periods during the day to give you a break & some alone time? Or maybe your Mom or a close friend? As for couple time, well we are just getting that back now (truly alone I mean) but we did get lots of cuddling in while ds slept beside us.

[Lilygoose]

My DD is almost 20 months and still needs either my hubbie or I to help her get to sleep. She sleeps in her own bed and we just stay with her, rub her back, sing, etc. We have started working with her to fall asleep on her own in the sense that we try to just quietly be in the room with her and not give her too much attention, because lately that attention leads to her not sleeping. This is working somewhat, but i anticipate her needing us to help her get to sleep for many months/possibly years more. She also still sleeps in our room, just her own bed so I am there for her throughout the night. At your child's age my DD would only sleep on my chest, so being able to help her get to sleep and then leave the room and go about my evening is actually wonderful. I enjoy the time putting her to bed most nights.

[akind1]

Our DS turned 6 months a couple of weeks ago . . .every babe is differnt and what may work for one, might not for another. During the day, for naps, I lay DS down a bit drowsy under his crib mobile (this is the only time he is ever in his crib). If he is upset at all, I take him out, calm him down, and try again in a few minutes. I lay him down, swaddled loosely (arms out) and leave the room. Once in a while he will let out a short (literally, like "wah") cry after a few minutes alone. Usually this is just a token protest, and by the time I walk in (I am like five steps away, the house is small) he is already asleep. If it is any more than that, well, I take him out, soothe him, and try again later. I WAH, so he can't sleep in arms. The sides of our crib are too high, or I am too short, for me to soothe him while he is in the crib.

For night time, I nurse him to sleep, or nearly there (wherever he is once he is done) and lay him down. some nights he wakes up after 5 or 10 minutes and needs a cuddle to go back to sleep. Some nights we do this 2 or 3 times before he is down for good. At night he sleeps in the co-sleeper next to our bed, until he wakes around 4 a.m. to eat, and he eats and sleeps the remainder of the night in our bed.

I couldn't do what your friend does, and let DS cry for 10 minutes. especially at his age. The only time he cries for that long is in the car, and it really cannot be helped; it has gotten to the point lately where I have finally figured out how to nurse him while he remains in his carseat. not totally comfortable for me, but far better than him screaming. You may have to try a few different things until you see what works for you, DS also has a little lovey he likes to cuddle, but he is happy with any bit of fabric he can cuddle. and he is a thumb sucker, which is ok by me! it helps him comfort himself -

[MeepyCat]

Well, my three year-old falls asleep pretty well on his own, but that piece of "teaching" required weaning him (at ~20 mos.), and handing the bedtime routine over to his dad. My 8 month old is nursing herself back to sleep right now. For the third time. So I feel your pain.

The No Cry Sleep Solution has a pretty variable track record - it works great for some and not at all for others. There is no guarantee that Pantley's suggestions will work for your family. There is no guarantee that anything will work for your family. Kids are all so different, you really just have to try stuff and see if it works.

From what you've said, the one thing I would suggest is to see if you can anticipate when he's likely to be hungry, and try nursing him *before* he wakes up. Even if he's on a feeding schedule at night, he may genuinely be hungry when he wakes up, and this may be contributing to wakefulness.

That said, at six months, there is a *lot* that might be contributing to wakefulness - growth, teething, IIRC there's a sleep regression around there somewhere. My kids are not particularly good sleepers, but we have found that a little Orajel, or a little Tylenol, on a kid who seems teethy (chomping on everything, drooling like crazy) results in better sleep at night.

[Violet2]

6 months is rough--don't expect sleep to get better for a while.

Do what you can to get more sleep (go to bed early, naps, mother's helper etc...) but don't expect to have much control over the baby's sleep for a while yet.

As for you time, it's tough at this age. My me time didn't start to kick in until after 1 year.

And dates? Are movie rentals and takeout once a week. Yes, we are living a glamorous life. Shhh. Don't tell anyone.

You can try putting baby down drowsy and see if they go off to sleep on their own, but I wouldn't let them cry for 10 minutes. Expect this to take several weeks to 'take'.

This too shall pass, but not until you wish they would install a central line for direct delivery of caffeine.

It gets better, just not now.



ETA: Do try dreamfeeding--nurse right before you go to sleep. Baby will sleep right through the nursing and top off their tank giving you that much longer until they wake up. It does work.

V

[Otterella]

Actually it would be really rare to see a 6 month old that could fall asleep on their own. They're supposed to be in contact with mommy. I recently read an article on how the inner ear is not yet developed, and having contact with another person in the dark is the only way they have a sense of grounding in the world. When they are laying by themselves, their spatial awareness isn't strong enough to have a sense of where their body is in the world. Intriguing stuff. Besides which, the need for contact is a real physical need, not just a "manipulation". Babies need love and attention as much as they need milk. And for the record, my 3 1/2 year old still requires help falling asleep, and wakes up at least once at night (to pee, not to nurse). Some kids just take longer.

[Louisep]

Originally Posted by Violet2

6 months is rough--don't expect sleep to get better for a while.

Do what you can to get more sleep (go to bed early, naps, mother's helper etc...) but don't expect to have much control over the baby's sleep for a while yet.

As for you time, it's tough at this age. My me time didn't start to kick in until after 1 year.

V

This. And then when you do have me time you don't want it because you miss your LO so much

I had a very hard time adjusting to mothering a clingy, would only sleep on me baby. Things got better around 9 months when I no longer needed to bounce him in the sling to sleep, then at 12 months he started sleeping better at night, and at 17 months we're in a completely different place.

I found it best to distance myself from people who did not understand my mothering choices and learn to have confidence in parenting my child to sleep every. single. time. Getting significant others to help is key to sanity. My DH couldn't really get involved until 11 months and I wish we'd found a way earlier to give me a break.

It will get better and then you'll miss those snuggly times.

[Smithie]

All three of my babies moved into cribs (without CIO) at 7-8 months. So there may be a change right on the horizon for you! Don't assume that you'll be nightnursing a 3 y.o. and let yourself get sucked down into a vortex of despair.

That said, I've tried all solutions at all stages for the various sleep issues that crop up between 0-6 (including some CIO-type methods as you described), and the absolute.best.thing. for dealing with the needs of an infant is to get some adult/teenage HELP to add more sleeping/decompression hours to your day. It's summer now, so there should be some teenagers looking for a job, and snuggling a baby is a great job! Here are things I've tried in order of preference:

1. Paid help/free relative in the afternoon so I can go upstairs and take a bath and a nap

2. A weekly cleaner to take care of the chores that were stealing my sleep-time during baby's nap and at the beginning of the evening.

3. Letting Daddy rock baby to sleep on his chest and then transfer to the crib at the beginning of the evening. My husband would watch TV or type on his laptop for a couple of hours every evening with the baby on his chest, giving me a much-needed touching break.

4. Going places like bookstores during the day with baby, walking him to sleep in the stroller, and then enjoying some "alone time" with him right there.

5. Going to mommy-and-me movies with baby in a carrier, nursing him to sleep, and then enjoying some "alone time" with him right there.


A big part of the reason that my babies moved to cribs so early is that they kept waking up (and thus waking ME up) when they were clearly not hungry. They continued to wake up to nurse in the crib, but it was 2-3x/night, not freaking 8x/night. Others have different experiences, but I swear, past early infancy my babies were continually dragged out of sleep by my movements, dh's movements, the dog's movement, the cat's movements, etc. So despite the many benefits of cosleeping, it's not crazy or non-AP to investigate whether or not your baby will sleep more soundly for longer periods outside the family bed.

[jennybear]

I guess I disagree that alone time or couple time is out of the question before a year. Even if your baby's sleep stays the same, I'd definitely find ways to get some help so you can decompress, nap, etc.

I have a 5.5 month old who is (at least currently--I know these things change) a great sleeper. We moved her to her own room at 4 months and since then she's been sleeping 7pm-7am straight or with one wake-up. She also takes two good naps in her crib each day. We followed the NCSS and found it worked really well for us. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but for DD having her own quiet space has been really positive.

She goes down for naps awake with a paci. She sometimes fusses for a couple minutes and I just stay in with her and rub her back until she falls asleep.

[beebalmmama]

Have you tried putting him down after he falls asleep in the carrier? My first son slept in a wrap for naps most of the time, but sometimes I really needed a break and would nurse him in bed and then creep away. Occasionally I'd only get 20 minutes until he woke up looking for me, so I learned to make the most of that time.

He was also an all night nurser. I ended up making two sleep spaces, our bed and a futon mattress on the floor just so I could have a little space away from him. I would focus on trying to get him to stay asleep without you for now, vs falling asleep on his own.

My second son, who is now 6 months, is a great sleeper. But even he needs me to lie by him at night until he's asleep and rock him in the chair to go to sleep for naps. But I can transition him to a bed after he's asleep which is a big help. I think 6 months is a bit young to be able to fall asleep on their own for most babies.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Louisep - we had our babes the same day!!

OP (original poster since you said you don't know all the acronyms) - give him some time. If you're desperate for some really good solid sleep give the nighttime parenting to your husband for a night while you sleep somewhere else. That will re-energize you (please don't flame me for suggesting that anyone, I did this a few times when my baby was little and my milk supply didn't suffer at all) and give you some energy for the next night.

Also, if you need some good couple time, get a babysitter and go to a movie! Someone in your neighborhood that you trust, who has babysat babies before, or a family member that you trust, someone, and go do something! Or, drop baby off at a babysitters house and go home to spend some quiet time at home with your husband! You need to take care of YOU too!

[akind1]

Definitely you can have me or couple time! I think I first left DS around 4 weeks to get a haircut, with DH at home. find some help, or even some sort of mommy and me group, with others there to help/hold your baby, you might feel more relaxed. and adult chatter is nice sometimes.

[dachshund mom]

For naps, can you try nursing him to sleep in bed and sneaking away? DD used to always nap on my lap, but after I started doing that I feel so much more refreshed having my body to myself for an hour. Be prepared, it might take a few weeks of short naps for him to get used to it. I read while she falls asleep.

Is the problem in the evening that it takes a long time to get him to sleep? If that's the case, maybe he needs to drop a nap. DD went to two at 6mo.

Is the problem that he wakes frequently after he goes to sleep? DD has always done that. She wakes every 45 minutes until we come to bed with her. Which means we get 45 minutes of alone time, I nurse her for 5 minutes, 45 more minutes alone... We're talking about trying to have daddy come put her back to sleep after she's been nursed down for the night. Sort of a start to nightweaning, BUT I have a 14mo, not an infant.

Can you try to get more sleep with the baby? Whenever I start getting run down, I go to sleep with DD at 9pm and sleep in until she wakes up at 9am. 12 hours of broken sleep is almost as good as 8 hours of solid sleep.

As far as night waking, all I can say is it gets better. Then it gets worse. Then it gets better. The better stretches get longer though and you get better at sleeping through the night nursing. I seriously have no idea in the mornings of how often she wakes anymore.

[zjande]

Geez, 6 months seems really, really early to me. My youngest is 7.5 mos & I've never considered trying to make him go to sleep on his own. He's such a tiny baby (well, 25lbs, but you know what I mean ), I just expect him to need nursing to sleep. All mine nursed to sleep at night until they were over age 2... my 2.5 yr old is just now, like this week, starting to learn to go to sleep for his naps without being rocked to sleep. I nurse my babies each time they wake during the night. I too have always been a co-sleeper & abhor any form of CIO.

I dunno. I'm completely unhelpful. I guess I just figure my insane sleep loss over the years is part of mothering & I can sleep all day when I'm 90. LOL I'm not a person that really needs "a few hours to myself" every day either. Everyone's different there, I guess. But maybe I felt that way back when I had my first baby? I don't know, all these years of sleep loss has stripped me of my ability to remember anything.

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by zjande

Geez, 6 months seems really, really early to me. My youngest is 7.5 mos & I've never considered trying to make him go to sleep on his own. He's such a tiny baby (well, 25lbs, but you know what I mean ), I just expect him to need nursing to sleep. All mine nursed to sleep at night until they were over age 2... my 2.5 yr old is just now, like this week, starting to learn to go to sleep for his naps without being rocked to sleep. I nurse my babies each time they wake during the night. I too have always been a co-sleeper & abhor any form of CIO.

Mine weren't quite as old as that when they were able to sleep without nursing to sleep, but I definitely needed to be there while they fell asleep (or at least Daddy, but I'm sure Daddy wasn't able to do it until after a year of age).

I totally don't understand why you are not nursing your 6 month old every single time he asks to nurse, though. His job is to ask to nurse whenever he wants to and I believe your job is to do it. You two are a team, naturally and as nature intends, so even though culture and society might tell you to ignore those basic instincts, and you are (rightly so) exhausted and more, please still nurse your baby every single time he asks to nurse.

I truly believe you sabotage efforts to get him to sleep without nursing when you deny his basic needs (nursing when he feels the nurse, urge, hunger, whatever).

There was a time when our son resisted falling asleep in our room or his room when about 8 or 9 months old (with nursing and without, depending on what he wanted) so I just stopped trying to put him to bed at night and he just stayed with us in the living room, on my lap or DH's, and we just went about whatever we wanted to go (watching movies, playing games, being on the computer, etc) until DS fell asleep on his own. Sometimes, he was on the floor playing with some toys when he'd slump over, fast asleep. We'd gently move him to make sure he was safe and comfy and leave him for 15-30 minutes before we gently transferred him to a bedroom.

Have you read "The Happiest Baby on the Block"? I think there are some great suggestions in there, things that we just naturally did but that really worked for us with our two children. DH would sometimes bounce baby on his knee (leaning against his chest) to sleep, while on the computer or watching a movie or while we ate dinner, and sure enough, DS and DD would fall asleep, sometimes after 10 minutes, sometimes after 45 but either way, it was a gentle, happy transition to sleep without the baby ever feeling abandoned, or alone.

[Nathan=Ikithathi]

Originally Posted by RiverSky

Mine weren't quite as old as that when they were able to sleep without nursing to sleep, but I definitely needed to be there while they fell asleep (or at least Daddy, but I'm sure Daddy wasn't able to do it until after a year of age).

I totally don't understand why you are not nursing your 6 month old every single time he asks to nurse, though. His job is to ask to nurse whenever he wants to and I believe your job is to do it. You two are a team, naturally and as nature intends, so even though culture and society might tell you to ignore those basic instincts, and you are (rightly so) exhausted and more, please still nurse your baby every single time he asks to nurse.

I truly believe you sabotage efforts to get him to sleep without nursing when you deny his basic needs (nursing when he feels the nurse, urge, hunger, whatever).

There was a time when our son resisted falling asleep in our room or his room when about 8 or 9 months old (with nursing and without, depending on what he wanted) so I just stopped trying to put him to bed at night and he just stayed with us in the living room, on my lap or DH's, and we just went about whatever we wanted to go (watching movies, playing games, being on the computer, etc) until DS fell asleep on his own. Sometimes, he was on the floor playing with some toys when he'd slump over, fast asleep. We'd gently move him to make sure he was safe and comfy and leave him for 15-30 minutes before we gently transferred him to a bedroom.

Have you read "The Happiest Baby on the Block"? I think there are some great suggestions in there, things that we just naturally did but that really worked for us with our two children. DH would sometimes bounce baby on his knee (leaning against his chest) to sleep, while on the computer or watching a movie or while we ate dinner, and sure enough, DS and DD would fall asleep, sometimes after 10 minutes, sometimes after 45 but either way, it was a gentle, happy transition to sleep without the baby ever feeling abandoned, or alone.

Perhaps I wasn't very clear. I never deny my son the breast when he's hungry. He is not a comfort sucker either. I'm not quite sure what I said that gave you the impression that I deny him the pleasure of nursing. When he wakes up at night and is not hungry, I do not nurse him, I just lay a hand on him and he'll go right back to sleep. That's what I meant about not nursing him at night. Reading his night time cues is all I mean. He sleeps very happily next to me at night and doesn't require more help going back to sleep other than either nursing (when he's hungry) or simple touching to reassure him that I'm there.

I do lay him down by himself after he's asleep sometimes. But because he is not able to go to sleep by himself, that means that once his deep sleep cycle is finished, and he stirs a bit, he wakes up and gets upset because he's alone. So, in the carrier, he'll take his normal 2+ hour naps, but if I put him down, he's only sleeping the length of that cycle - usually 45 minutes. I go to him immediately when I hear his first waking noise (our house is tiny and I'm not ever far away at all) and try to get him to go back to sleep, but I have to pick him up to soothe him back to sleep. The nap is usually a lost cause at that point.

What I'm asking for help with is how to teach him that he's able to go to sleep on his own, which will help THE MOST in terms of keeping him asleep in between his sleep cycles. Adults will wake slightly in the night, roll over, adjust the blankets etc and go back to sleep. If a baby doesn't realize they can do the same, they cry for Mommy. The No Cry SS book gives tips on how to teach your baby to do that, but I was trying to see if anyone else had some ideas that had worked for them. Right now, instead of him sleeping soundly between his nighttime feedings, he wakes, stirs, stretches, and needs attention. The result is both of us waking that many more times a night.

Also, I'm not saying that I need multiple hours per day by myself. I love being his mother and my husband's wife. I'm with my baby 24/7 and hesitate to leave him with someone else, which we're working on. But, being able to go to the yard and pull weeds for an hour in the boiling sun without him attached to me in the carrier, would be awesome. Being able to put him down for the night in our bed and know that my husband and I can have an hour or 2 together would be great.

We're wanting to have more babies soon, and at this rate, I can't see how I would be able to get the rest I need if I when pregnant. I guess you just do what you have to do.

[JessBB]

What I'm asking for help with is how to teach him that he's able to go to sleep on his own, which will help THE MOST in terms of keeping him asleep in between his sleep cycles.

Time. Bridging sleep cycles is a developmental milestone IMO and it'll happen when it happens. And it WILL happen, I promise

For bedtime, I'd recommend laying down with baby, nursing to sleep, and sneaking away. I do this with my now 15 mo ds2 and it's great. Naps, just lay down with him and get some sleep! If ds1 and my schedule cooperate, I do that, too. If not, I just accept that ds2 is probably only going to nap for 45 minutes. Oh well.

As for subsequent babies, they change so fast that the sleep situation will be totally different. At 6 months, ds1 only slept in 45 min increments (familiar, right?) By the time ds2 was born, ds1 was 2yo, and would sttn with daddy in the guest bed. He still needed cuddles for naps. Now 3yo, he sttn (sleeps thru the night, sorry) alone, and puts himself down!!! for naps. It'll happen, mama, just hang in there!

[karika]

Originally Posted by Nathan=Ikithathi

I'm new and so don't know all the abbreviations yet... My precious son has been sleeping in our bed since the day he was born (at home). During the day, he usually stays in the carrier and falls asleep for naps in it. He has never been able to fall asleep without help except for while we're riding in the car. He has never accepted a pacifier, which is fine with me, and is quite content to suck on my pinky instead.

I am a firm believer in co-sleeping and not doing CIO. I recently purchased the No Cry Sleep Solution book and have found some helpful ideas, but frankly am just so tired. I realize that she gives tips on how to train your baby to fall asleep alone, but I'm just not sure if they will work.

A friend recently suggested that, during the day, I put him down when he's almost asleep. If he cries, she says to wait for 10 minutes and then go to him, pick him up, soothe him, put him back down before he goes to sleep completely, and repeat the process for several days until he learns to put himself to sleep. Even though it's only 10 minutes, it seems to fit in the CIO category. I decided to give it a try today and it was so rotten... but I almost feel willing to keep trying if it means quicker results.

He is still waking very frequently at night and I do my best to not nurse him unless I know it's time to eat. He breaks his latch before falling asleep and so is not dependent on any such help at night. He just needs to be with me or my husband to fall asleep.

I'm just feeling like I need more sleep during the night and a few hours to myself during the day while he naps peacefully by himself. My husband and I are also finding that we're needing more time together just the two of us.

Could someone give me feedback and tell me how they taught their babies to fall asleep on their own, which also includes moving from one sleep cycle into the next on their own? HELP!!

~Sleep deprived, but totally with her baby.

Whenever a baby that young desires to suck, please insert your nipple, not a paci or pinky. What your friend suggested is CIO. I do not understand the statement about it being "time to eat". At six months old, the baby should be allowed unlimited free access to naked breasts 24 hours a day in order to satisfy baby's needs.
In order to get enough rest as the mama in the first year or two, it is necessary to nap when the baby naps, preferably together. I would let the housework slide, or let your partner do it. Also, go to bed when the baby goes to bed in the evening.
I let my babies nurse to sleep (of course I did have times when I was just empty, like after an hour nursing session which was preceded by an hour nursing session, when I used redirection (and water)in my 16 mo to allow more milk to build up), but 6 mo is too young for any schedules IMO. Now my dd2 is 18 mo she sleeps through the night just fine. Right beside me. She doesn't always nurse to sleep now, though that just started in this last month. She will fall asleep on the breast or not, then sleep for 7 hours. We wake and go potty then go back to bed for nursing and more sleep (5 more hours usually). Just give it time. The baby will not be ready to sleep through the night until much later. I agree with the previous poster that said frequent waking is normal. It is the baby's defense against SIDS. Just sleep with no top on, in physical contact with the baby and baby will find a nipple when it is needed in the night. If we try to 'get things done' when baby is asleep, it just leads to tiredness in the mama and more frequent wakings in the baby. This time will not last long, just lay down with the baby and enjoy all the rest you can get in the typical baby's 14 hr sleep schedule (12 at night (with waking every 2-4 hours to nurse in a baby) and 2 or more hours of nap in day)

[akind1]

What may help baby get through those times he doesn't need/want to nurse might be a comfort item. DS will use any bit of fabric he can grab hold of: my shirt, a soft lovey, a muslin blanket, whatever, and hug it while he sleeps. This is really not so much a substitue for me as with some items (like my shirt) I am attached to it - but really just something that helps him sleep. My mom noticed one day a couple months ago that he was making grabbing motions when he was tired, she was like, he wants something to hold onto. I gave him a receiving blanket and he was out. Sometimes moms really do know best!

When he wakes in the night it will often be just to either move close to me, or find something to hold onto. It may not hurt to see if this is a strategy that works for you.

As for paci's . . .I am a WOH mom, so I can't always be the "pacifier" for my son, even if I wanted to. so we did use paci's from a couple days old until around 4-5 months. He will still take one on occasion now, but more often prefers his thumb.

I don't think this is CIO - but on occasion, when DS wakes, I need to go to the bathroom anyway (some preggo habits never die) so he must wait until I get back if he wants to nurse (nursing at night with a full bladder is a recipe for disaster). I would say 3/4 times, he has fallen back asleep by the time I get back, and I don't take long. He is never screaming, but sometimes just has fussed a bit, like he had a bad dream.

If all it takes is a bit of a cuddle, or some patting on the back to go back to sleep, can your OH try doing that so you can get some continuous sleep? (doesn't work for us, because I wake first anyway and might as well do that myself, rather than everyone having broken sleep)