Desperate for sleep.... we need HELP please :(

[amyandelle]

It has been a rough few weeks for us. I was put on pelvic rest due to SCH on March 5th. We had been working on night weaning but after that day we had to stop completly. Honestly Zay was not ready :( Her sleep pattern has been off ever since and is actually getting worse :( She took a paci and or a sippy cup the first 2 weeks which did help her to get to sleep and stay asleep but in the last week and a half she will have nothing to do with either one. She wakes up between 4:30-5:30am screaming like she is on fire and will not go back to sleep. She demands that we get out of bed. She is only getting like 6 hours of sleep a night. Getting her to sleep is a NIGHTMARE. She will scream and cry as well as hit me, kick me, and throw her sippy cup at my head. I honestly do not know what to do. At this point I am ready to put her in the pack and play next to the girls toddler beds and let her CIO. Never in my 7 years of parenting have I ever let any one of my girls CIO but I am at the end of my rope. She refuses to be comforted. I just got back from the Ped because I wanted to get her throat and ears checked just in case I am missing something that is a real problem. She was given a clean bill of heath ;)

Any suggestions, ideas, or support is welcome!!

Thanks,

  Amy

[milkymaid]

Hi Amy,

Sorry you are going through this.  Have you had any relief or solutions yet?  It makes me sad when I see posts like this and not even one reply.  It is an absolute necessity to wean completely?  Do you think your dd is getting enough to eat?  Sorry I don't have more to offer.  Having had a ds with reflux and food allergies who has never slept well, I can relate to the frustration of having a hard time comforting a babe.

Hope things are better. 

[D_McG]

It's so hard when they are overtired!

How are you with structure? Busy but very structured days are important when we get out of whack with sleep. Very tight sleep routines and zero tolerance for violence/extreme drama. Especially if you feel guilt over weaning (which you shouldn't!) she might be picking up on that.

Is your DH home at bedtime? Any extreme behavior at bedtime means my kids 'get' DH (if I am the preferred parent at the time) and if they act up for him we leave them alone. Not for long, just to make the point.

It may seem 'mean' if she's tired but IME with my kids things really need to be very tightly controlled and firm when they are out of control like that. It's like they are screaming for someone to be in command, if that makes sense.

Best of luck!

[mkksmom]

(((HUGS))) I dealt with a SCH and it was such a hard thing to go through (emotionally- worries, no lifting), but everything was fine. During my first pregnancy, I didn't know about it. My doc spared me the worries.

How long did you try night-weaning? I think at this point, if you can pass off nighttime duties, at least for the first half of the night, I'd do it.