6 Month old no longer sleeping

[MommaMoo]

Until recently, DS2 has been a fine sleeper. He sleeps next to me and would be out cold at night, and take 1 or 2 good naps during the day after being nursed down. Now it's awful, and I'm about to do a lot of screaming and/or crying. It's been over a week since he has really slept during the day very well. He doesn't seem to sleep deep anymore. The second I lay him down, he will awaken, and if we were already laying down, he will appear to be in a deep sleep but will be up within 5 minutes, max. He will not go back to sleep. At night, he is usually moving around, flipping from front to back, wanting to nurse, and getting disturbed if I so much as flinch. This lack of sleep makes him much more difficult to deal with when he's awake. It's also very hard to get him to sleep. He will be exhausted, cranky, rubbing his eyes, but will furiously fight sleep. He angrily grunts and wails while nursing, is as stiff as a board, and plants his feet against the arm of the rocking chair and pushes, while flailing his arm around. It takes many tries to get him to sleep, and then I have to sit there with my arm going numb because he wakes up so easily. I am especially upset over his change in sleep patterns because I went through a horrible, long-lasting experience with DS1. He was absurdly clingy. For almost 2 years, he wanted to me to sleep with my face in his face, and he would go into hysterics if I tried to roll over. He nursed every second of the night, and would wail angrily if I got up to use the bathroom. I am most definitely NOT going through that again. I don't even know why I am posting this, since I see nothing that can be done. If he won't sleep, how can I make him? Is this normal behavior around this age? His 2 lower teeth have come through, so I don't think he's actively teething now. I just can't deal again with having an infant attached to me for 24 hours a day. I also have a chatty 6 year old who is an argumentative know-it-all, and he likes to shout whenever the baby is crying. Being a mother is so depressing and anger-inducing sometimes.

[~Adorkable~]

i just want to hug you

[slgt]

I'm sorry Mama, lots of empathy! In my grand experience of 2, you can't force the sleep thing. 4-6 months sleep regression is common & normal - and exhausting & frustrating especially if you have another little one who is demanding you early in the morning and not letting you nap during the day.

Take a deep breath.

And another one.

Both of my daughters reached a point where they really stopped sleeping well in bed with us. DD#1, it was around 6 months. She was just Way. Too. Stimulated. If I was close by - she was restless, flopping, nursing, not sleeping. We moved her to a crib (in her own room, even) and presto - she went from waking up hourly to waking up 2x/night.

DD#2, it was closer to 9 months. I started getting very disciplined about not nursing her to sleep all the way - not CIO or even screaming, but using the "pop her off before all the way asleep even if it takes 20 times" idea. It eventually bore fruit, and I was able to start getting her to finish her trip to sleep by walking around with her for a few minutes, or just rocking her. We've gone back & forth a few times - but as long as I can haul my exhausted butt out of bed and be disciplined about getting her back into the crib (in our room), we all sleep a LOT better. She also went from waking hourly to waking 1-2 times per night. Sometimes she will let out 1 or 2 fusses when I put her back in her crib, but once she's on her tummy with her little tush up in the air, she's out like a light.

This may not apply in your case at all, but worth considering...as the social & physical development moves forward, I think some babies just need a "safe place", a quiet place without stimulation. Down time.

Whatever the case - you know that a lot of us have been right there with you, and time will get you there! One sleepless week feels like forever...but it's only a phase.

[MommaMoo]

Thanks mamas! I really should be thankful that DS2 hasn't had any sleep issues before this. He actually has been napping alone for the last couple days, but last night he woke up at 2 and we were up until 4. Now he's up an hour past his usual bedtime with no sleep in sight. I feel better about it, though.

We have a small apartment and no room for a crib, we are stuck together for now. I know that I need to come up with new ways to get DS2 to sleep. Rocking and nursing isn't a surefire thing with him. slgt, is what you did called Dreamfeeding? I suffered through the whole sleep thing with DS1, so you'd think that would have motivated me to try something different this time!