i need night time help!

[mpvelaz]

My dd is 16 mo and has never been a great sleeper, but it seems to keep getting worse instead of better. She goes to sleep fairly easily most of the time, but then wakes up screaming a couple hours later and will not go back to sleep for me without nursing, but then she is prettty much either attached to me nursing or screaming (with me holding her trying to comfort her) the rest of the night, it usually seems to be the worse from 11pm to 2am. She screams like she is in pain, but I am not sure if that is the case because I work 3 nights a week and when I am not there she still wakes up quite a bit, but is easier. To put to bed and doesn't scream the same and is in general just easier tto put back to sleep by other people. My ds was a bad sleeper too, but we night weaned him around 1yo and had my husband take over night time, this isn't really a option this time b/c my dh is in the police academy and has to get up really earily so I try to let him sleep, but I really need help because between working nights and then dd keeping me up most of the nights I am home, I am getting literally no sleep. Can anyone help?

[red and lulu]

My dd is also 16 mo and we just nightweaned and moved her into her own bed. We were having similar issues — the screaming, restlessness, marathon nursing — and things were getting worse quickly. The decision to nightwean was made out of desperation. I didn't know what else to do. And I thought it would go horribly since she was so attached to me and the boob all night. But it actually went exceedingly well. There was very little crying involved (I cuddled with her in her bed), and within two nights she was sleeping over 9 hours straight; most nights now it's closer to 11 hours. And I did it without dad getting involved at all. I just kept explaining what was going on, kept a sippy cup of water on hand, and wore a tight sports bra. Looking back, I think maybe she just needed some space and some limits... and some sleep. She was so overtired all the time it just compounded everything. And she was probably feeding off my exhausted and frustrated energy at night, too. I would sit up crying because she just wouldn't let up and I was so exhausted, and I'm sure that made her clingier. I don't know, YMMV. Every child is different, but maybe you could try nightweaning or moving her to her own bed next to yours. It's okay to set some limits so that you get some sleep! It'll make everyone feel better.