18 months and still not sleeping thru night

[summersmama]

ugh. i am *so tired*. my 18 month old does not sleep through the night. she never really has, but a handful of nights. i nurse her to sleep at nap and at bedtime, and then when she wakes in the night. it helps her get to sleep, *usually*, but sometimes not and i end up nursing for an hour or two attempting to get her back to sleep. she seems to wake at least once in the night, usually between 2-4am and sometimes we are up for 2-3 hours. for the first time since having her, i am now developing blisters on my nipples and nursing is *hurting* me. i have tried night weaning and she just sits up awake for hours, wide awake and crying in my arms or lying next to me, poking at me. the last of her set of teeth (before 2 year molars) are all through the gums, just 2 still coming down. this all wouldn't be so bad but i have a 4 year old who doesn't nap and so i have 14 hour days with kids without much of a break. my husband helps when he can (rocking her, etc.) but he is a farmer and growing season has started and he is super busy.

my older child was definitely sleeping thru the night by this age, and was night weaned. i could put her down tired but awake and she would go to sleep in a few minutes. so now i feel like, why won't my baby sleep for me by now?? some days i think i am going to lose my mind. i could give so much more to my kids/family if i wasn't so tired.

any thoughts?

[TiredX2]

First

Secondly, I'm not sure *what* it is, but what you are describing is not simply not sleeping through the night.  My DD didn't sleep more than 4 hours until after 2 and for more than 8 hours until after 3.  DS didn't sleep for more than 4 hours until 4.5!  BUT, they would wake up, nurse and go back to sleep.

Is there any chance she is in pain/sufferring from an illness?  You mentioned teething--- have you tried to give any pain relievers during this time?  Any chance she has an ear infection?

What have you tried so far?  How is her day time nursing/sleeping going?  Has anything changed recently?  Is this hours in the middle of the night a new thing or pretty consistent?

[mumkimum]

I know that around that age, both my kids woke up when they'd wet at night.  It'd take forever for them to get back to sleep after that unless I actually got up to change them (and then they'd go back to sleep pretty soundly and a lot quicker).  It made such a difference in our quality of sleep that the getting out of bed was worth it.

If you're using cloth diapers - pretty easy to verify.  But even if otherwise - that nighttime wetting is definitely bigger at this age and probably more uncomfortable - thus causing a wake-up.

[Kobaby]

Gosh! So nice to see a similar story. DS is also 18 months old and I also have blisters...

My theory is he's teething. When he first started teething he also grazed the new tooth along my boob, so I guess something about these eye teeth is really hurting him.

He's never slept any tremendous length of time either. There was a magical 10 hour night one night a couple of months ago, but I was up waiting for him to wake up and didn't get the rest I could have!

[summersmama]

yeah-gotta love that when they do actually sleep and you lay there all night, restless, waiting for them to wake up. *sigh* one day we'll sleep again!

[summersmama]

well she is improving a little, but i think i am also accepting that she just needs reassurance in the night.

first, she was in a crib and now we have converted it to a toddler daybed, so no waking her as we awkwardly lower her over crib rail down into crib after rocking her to sleep in our arms. also, i have been going to her in the night when she wakes and just lying next to her, but no nursing. first few nights of that she was really restless and flopping around, but within an hour was back to sleep. now she seems to sleep thru (6-7 hours) every other night, only night waking *about* every other night. she is definitely still teething, and sometimes a little tylenol has helped, but i really think she is just wanting to know we are there if she wakes.

so, hoping we continue on the improvement curve. thank you for the reassurance, mamas! sometimes its just so hard to be a wacky, sleep deprived mama.

[olien]

Originally Posted by summersmama 

yeah-gotta love that when they do actually sleep and you lay there all night, restless, waiting for them to wake up. *sigh* one day we'll sleep again!

LMBO! so true! Both of my kids went through a period where they would be up for a few hours in the night...wanting to read, play, nurse, go downstairs, whatever. Frustrating. teething is a big part of this I feel. If you dont want to give tylenol all the time. the homeopathic Chamomilla (sp?)by Boiron is terrific.

My 3y10mo still wakes 1 or 2x a night. My 25mo is usually up 2 or 3x to nurse. What is sleeping through the night? I usually get up once to use the potty myself. LOL!