sleeping...or not

[jcsquared]

so my lil guy is 10 weeks now, about 16 lbs & still hardly sleeping. he is eating about every 1-2 hrs day & night...sometimes even more often. it seemed like he had longer stretches for a bit but is now fussing to be fed often at night again. he falls asleep for the night around 8 & usually keeps his eyes closed until about 6 am but fidgets & fusses for the breast throughout the night.

i've been reading some sleep books & most all recommend separate beds/rooms along with some form of CIO. is this necessary for my non-sleeper or is it possible for us to still cosleep but actually get some rest? i'm kinda losing my mind getting only 20-30 min naps for most of the night but really love cuddling him & have a hard time even putting him in his moses basket beside the bed (which does not seem to make a big difference in sleep stretches).

[HonkyTonka]

my baby was fussing in the night without waking... I started off picking her up and nursing her (first two weeks maybe). Then one night I waited a bit before picking her up (she was sleeping but restless) and she settled herself down and slept through the night.

Now she sleeps from 11pm until at least 4:30, usually 6 and recently 7am.

I'd say, unless she opens her eyes and fusses, let sleepy babies lie.

[Starfish11]

I'm assuming the fidgety stuff is keeping you awake? Wyatt is very fidgety at night and very vocal but he's sleeping the whole time. Do you feed him when he fidgets? I figured out that Wyatt just wanted to use me as a pacifier for a little bit and then move on back to sleep. Is that what you are experiencing?

Is this just now starting, meaning could it be a growth spurt?

I will say this, even the Father of Sleep Training (Ferber) will tell you that babies are NOT ready for any type of sleep training until they are four months + so I would avoid that at all costs. Right now babies cry b/c they absolutely need something.

I think you can try separate rooms b/c it sounds like this is significantly affecting you, right? I will say that for us we started co-sleeping b/c DD was super fussy at night and it was MORE exhausting to have to get up and care for her needs than having her be able to roll over and feed at will. BUT I do know that friends have had luck with separate rooms; maybe b/c the baby cannot smell the mama's milk?

Good luck and hang in there. Just keep reminding yourself that it's all a phase and will move on to something new soon enough. This is my mantra when I am particularly perplexed/annoyed/exhausted by something.

BTW, when Wyatt has a particularly restless/chatty night where he is not actually eating I use a pacifier

[mamaspirit]

Have you tried swaddling? That works really well for us. Luna would wake up often because of her squirmy wormy moves at night. I started swaddling her and she sleeps 3 to 4 hours at a time at night. I can hardly complain about that. My last baby though, had to be on my boob all night. I got used to after a while and was able to sleep despite her constant sucking. She didn't start sleeping more than 2 hours at a time till she was over a year. She's only been sleeping through the night consistently for the past 5 or 6 months. I tried putting her in a separate room/bed when she was younger and it made it worse, because than I actually had to get up and nurse her every hour through the night.

[attached2ethan]

All babies are different- I've had three and all were varying types of sleepers. One slept best in his own bed with a pacifier and hated to comfort nurse so he slept through the night around 3-4 months. He is still a great sleeper at 7 years old and no trouble at all.

The second was on my boob 24/7 and night was no exception. For survival's sake, I learned to sleep-nurse and rarely woke up- he just sucked all night long and always woke up by 6am. He just recently slept all night at age 4, and still gets up really early. His need for sleep is just minimal I guess.

My 3rd baby doesn't have any predictable sleep patterns during the day, but she sleeps great at night- goes down around 10 or 11 and wakes around 3am, 5am, and 7am to nurse but doesn't wake up for the day until after 9 usually. She grunts and squirms a lot in between so my sleep quality is very poor right now, so I'm thinking about moving her to a sidecar crib next to my bed (we are currently co-sleeping but she seems to sleep fine on her own at night, so I want to make the best of that situation!!).

I think you just have to do whatever works and allows you to get the most rest. Are you able to sleep while the baby is latched on? This is usually a lifesaver I have gone through various stages of loving and hating pacifiers, but I've decided that if they help my baby sleep and I can sleep and be less exhausted, then I would definitely use one. My DD loves hers but I don't use it at night and she still sleeps fine.

[Tenk]

I firmly believe that Lilah is sleeping so well because we have her wrapped in a Woombie, and zipped up. Once I got this thing and started putting her in it, she started sleeping 9+ hours at night and is up to 11 or even 12 hours. I put her down last night at 10p and it's 9:45 and she's still sleeping right now. She sleeps in a side car too, not in our bed.

[maydaymom10]

Originally Posted by jcsquared

i've been reading some sleep books & most all recommend separate beds/rooms along with some form of CIO. is this necessary for my non-sleeper or is it possible for us to still cosleep but actually get some rest? i'm kinda losing my mind getting only 20-30 min naps for most of the night but really love cuddling him & have a hard time even putting him in his moses basket beside the bed (which does not seem to make a big difference in sleep stretches).

I've been having issues with DS as well. Have you read the "No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley? She has some great suggestions on getting them to sleep and addresses co-sleeping & separate rooms. She gives ideas for infants (0-4 mos) to get them sleeping better, but doesn't recommend her full solution until they're over 4 mos. She also has a nap book that I'm reading b/c DS rarely naps during the day. It's worth checking out. I've been using some of the suggestions and it is helping... and no CIO involved

Good luck!

[Wolfcat]

Ladybug took after her brother and has slept through the night most of the time since she was about a week old. She sometimes gets fussy in the evenings, but mostly sleeps from about 10 to 6. If she wasn't gaining weight steadily, I'd worry. But since her brother is such a NEEDY child, I'm thrilled that she is so laid-back and worry-free.

[Kontessa]

or not... thats all I can manage to say about the situation right now.

[~Katie~]

Just a friendly reminder for everyone to please keep posts in agreement with the UA, we cannot host threads advocating CIO in any form.

OP, I'm sorry you're having sleep issues. Please do visit The Family Bed and Nighttime Parenting forum

[mischievium]

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