Unusual way of getting back to sleep after night wakings -or is it?

[P.J.]

My DS is 5 months old. We cosleep. He was a STTNer until recently, when he became way more mobile and got his first tooth. That was a few weeks ago. The teething pain is gone (for now), but he still wakes up sometimes at night. Not every night but most nights, at least a couple times. He wakes up whining and sometimes I can nurse him back down while lying down, but sometimes he keeps whining and doesn't seem that interested in nursing. So at that point I sit up in bed and nurse him while I'm sitting cross-legged and he is on my lap. That always does the trick and he falls back asleep, usually within a minute or two.

What I'm wondering is why he won't accept side-lying nursing to fall back asleep, but immediately falls asleep once I'm sitting up nursing in that position. Could it be as simple as he wants to be held in that particular position? We are super cuddly while side lying nursing though so it's not like he gets more body contact in the sitting up position.

I'm also curious as to why he wakes up. It doesn't seem like teething pain, that was different and involved crying. Could it just be all the developmental stuff going on? He's been army crawling for awhile and looks like he'll soon be cross crawling, as well as sitting up on his own.

In any case I find it a bit odd that he is discontent to be nursed back to sleep lying down but falls immediately back to sleep as soon as I'm sitting up holding him on my lap. Is that a normal thing for babies? I'm by no means complaining here, I do realize how lucky I am that it's so easy to help him back to sleep. I'm just wondering....

[LessTraveledBy]

Mama, make sure you have something to support your back and a very firm mattress. As he keeps getting older, that position of sitting on a mattress is an excellent way of really killing your back! (BTDT, took years to heal.)

I think it is "just one of those things" that keeps changing. Next month he may only want to lie down for nursing, who knows.

[tibeca]

It may just be that your LO doesn't "want" to go back to sleep. He knows that side lying nursing= going to sleep. Perhaps it is a sign that your babe is smarter than you think. It is very common during mile stones for babies to go back to night nursing for a time. I would just be happy that you have something that works to get him back to sleep, regardless of whether it seems strange.

[Sfcmama]

I remember when dd started rolling over and sitting up a lot that I had to kinda of (gently!) pin her down when night nursing, like with my top arm/leg or tucking the blankets in tight. It was like her body was stuck on autopilot and her brain wanted to sleep. She'd do the wimped thing too until her body finally stilled. Funny - it was only a few months ago but i'd forgotten about it until I saw your post.

[Tattooed Hand]

MY DD has been that way since about 5 months, when she began trying to sit. It's only easing up now, at 11 months with her newly walking. Motor skill development really messed with her sleep and she's HATED lying down at all, diaper changes or side lying nursing unless she is asleep. She'd even be yawning and clearly exhausted and still trying to sit up or whining because she was stuck on her back. I did alot of sitting cross legged on mattresses and it is hard on your back. I do yoga postures that strengthen and release tension from lower back and neck and visit a chiro regularly. But she is slowly getting less crazy about lying down, thankfully.