"you've got to do something"

[wishin'&hopin']

Just need a hug from mamas who have btdt with multiple night wakings.  DS (7 months) sleeps on a futon in our room (on the floor) for part of the night and naps (he is GREAT about falling asleep and a champion napper).  The hard part is the many night wakings (after midnight I bring him into bed between DW and I).  He isn't waking to nurse really, he will "sip" and then fall back asleep.  He just seems very restless with lots of head tossing and turning ever hour and a half or so which then wakes him and he wants to nurse to resettle (he really just latches for less than a minute and then falls back to sleep) sometimes back patting works but it often doesn't.  He HAS gotten 7 teeth in the past 3 months and has had about a cold a month since 3 months old...so it seems like there is always some GOOD reason for his restlessness.  I'm managing...mostly, but there are days that are REALLY hard and the lack of sleep is making my anxiety issues worse.  A friend said today that "you've got to do something"...which has me uber bummed out b/c she is a very supportive and non-judgmental sort.  We have had success with bedtime/naps with NCSS...but it's the staying asleep thing that is sucking (he doesn't nurse to sleep for naps/bedtime, he always pops off chatters to himself for a few minutes and then goes to sleep easily--I know, counting my blessings!).  Any suggestions for helping him stay asleep (bedtime is between 7 and 8pm depending on tired signs and he wakes for the day between 6 and 7am).  I mean, other babies must be teething/have colds constantly and sleep...right?  Where have we gone wrong...or do I just need to suck it up and deal?  Okay, I guess I'm hoping for advice AND hugs.  LOL

[JMJ]

Hugs to you, mama.  No, other babies to not sleep well when they are getting teeth and have colds.  On top of that, your son is at an age that he is going through a whole lot of developmental milestones that he wakes up to work on in the middle of the night.  You're likely to find him sitting up, getting into a crawling position or even trying to stand in bed when he wakes up.  All of these at once, and no wonder he is waking up so many times through the night!

Yes, you've got to do something, and what you've got to do is to find ways to cope so that your family can get enough sleep while respecting that this is just what is going on with your son developmentally right now.  Does he get enough sleep between night and naps?  If so, it sounds like he's fine.  Can you go to bed a little bit earlier to get some extra sleep?  Can you nap with him or at the same time as he naps to catch up on some missed sleep?

The only thing that really concerns me that you mentioned is the frequent colds.  That is not really normal, especially throughout the summer.  Is he in daycare?  If so, you may wish to look into their toy cleaning policies.  You may also want to get his Vitamin D levels checked and/or consider supplementing with a Vitamin D supplement that you are comfortable with.  Such frequent illness is often associated with low Vitamin D status.  You may also consider consuming more zinc for yourself to pass on to him through breastmilk.  Oysters or Calf's liver are excellent sources of zinc.  Many of us are deficient in both Vitamin D and Zinc, and both have been shown to increase immunity.