I've STTN exactly once in 18 months.

[nukuspot]

I can get into waking up 1-2 even 3 times a night for night nursing, but it's usually more like 4-5 or lately even more!

The one times she STTN we were visiting my mother when she was 16 months old and when I woke up in a strange bed and it was light out I had a panic attack, because I felt like something was wrong! Oh, that next day I felt AMAZING, so well rested. It's never happened again. I know I am living with a chronic sleep debt, but I am committed to co-sleeping, attachment parenting (even at night) and night nursing.

I guess I just want someone with an older babe to tell me eventually I will STTN again? Even just once more? It was like a mini-vacation.

[Mamato]

I'm right with you- my 18 mo. boy wakes me 4-5 times a night to nurse- we co-sleep. My husband insists we should night-wean because I'm a zombie! Like the Dr. Jay Gordon approach. I think there are lots of us out there!

[Daffodil]

Yes, you will sleep through the night again! I remember when my DD was that age and I used to wonder if she would ever be able to sleep all night, or at least put herself back to sleep without waking me up. When she was 18 months, she didn't usually sleep longer than a couple hours at a stretch. She had never slept through the night at that point. Around the time she was 2, she nightweaned, and on her 5th night of no nursing, she slept through the night for the first time ever! She didn't just suddenly start doing that all the time, but she started doing it occasionally, then more and more often. By the time she was 2 1/2, she probably slept through the night about half the time, and if she did wake up it was usually just once. Hang in there - things will get better! (FYI, nightweaning at around 2 was pretty easy and not upsetting for my kids, and both of them slept better after it happened.)

[T-man's Mama]

Originally Posted by Daffodil

Yes, you will sleep through the night again! I remember when my DD was that age and I used to wonder if she would ever be able to sleep all night, or at least put herself back to sleep without waking me up. When she was 18 months, she didn't usually sleep longer than a couple hours at a stretch. She had never slept through the night at that point. Around the time she was 2, she nightweaned, and on her 5th night of no nursing, she slept through the night for the first time ever! She didn't just suddenly start doing that all the time, but she started doing it occasionally, then more and more often. By the time she was 2 1/2, she probably slept through the night about half the time, and if she did wake up it was usually just once. Hang in there - things will get better! (FYI, nightweaning at around 2 was pretty easy and not upsetting for my kids, and both of them slept better after it happened.)

That is reassuring.  Obviously I am going through the same trials as OP with my son and nursing all night. I think teething is a nightmare for him because he lately he can't even seem to be able to sleep at all without a nipple in his mouth. It's worse than newborn stage, it often feels like. Poor little guy FINALLY just cut his fourth incisor, and I see several molars and cuspids about to appear. :-(

Edited by T-man's Mama - 5/27/11 at 8:40pm

[LadyCatherine185]

Liam woke every hour or more until we nightweaned slowly from 19-20 months. He then started sleeping 3-5 hour stretches.. and longer and longer... He sttn now mostly at 26 months, it became consistent once all of his teeth were in.

[penstamon]

I am jealous of your one night!

[catalii]

I had to come out of lurkdom to say that I'm right there with you too. DD is almost 22 months and I think I have slept through the night three times in those 22 months. I am zombie extraordinaire!

The one thing that is keeping me sane is that I have a 7 year old who is an AWESOME sleeper now and who started being an awesome sleeper at around 2 1/2. Awesome meaning that he would fall asleep on his own quickly and sleep through the night. Until about 2 he would wake up around midnight, 1 or 2am and sleep the rest of the night with us - sometimes waking a few more times, sometimes no more times. At 2 he regressed to waking more often (probably the 2 year molars) but by 2 1/2 we had progressed to falling asleep quickly on his own and sleeping through the night. He has been an awesome sleeper ever since.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and through your compassionate nighttime parenting now you will help shape a healthy sleeper. Before you know it she will be sleeping through every night. Hang in there!

[sammymama]

Ohhh, I so love the reassuring posts on here! My DD is nearly 15 mos and the longest stretch of sleep I have gotten - ONCE - since she arrived is 3.5 hours (which, of course, I LEAPT awake from, terrified, because she'd never slept that long). Average night is up every 1-1.5 hrs, worst spells have lasted several weeks of waking every 20-90 min, sigh. So, loving the light at the end of the tunnel stories!!

[elmh23]

I was there with my oldest. She didn't sleep through until a bit after 2 and wasn't consistant about it until 3ish. I nightweaned her around 20 months because I was pregnant and couldn't take it anymore (she went on to nurse until 3, so no harm done.) She'd still wake and I'd tell her the nursies were sleeping and then rub her back until she was back asleep.