7 month old waking up frequently

[Ramya Krishnan]

I have a 7month old boy and since day 1 he has not slept long stretches. This is his current schedule

wake up at 6 or 6:30 am nurse for 3 minutes

play with dad/grandmom while I try and get some zzz

Nap at 7:30 or 8:00 am for about 1 hour - nurses another 3-5 minutes before then.

Wakes up and nurses once again for a short time. Gets a bath, plays etc until 11:00 am. (I leave for work at 10:30ish).

11:00 am - 1:00 pm nap (wakes up once)

1:00-3:00 play (drinks 2 oz oz expressed bm)

3:00-4:00 nap

I come home and nurse him at 5:00ish again for maybe 5 minutes.

bath at 6:00/6:30. Oil massage, story time, nurse again and sleep at 7:30-8:00

He is always rocked or nursed to sleep. I always try to put him down when he is drowsy and he lies on his stomach and keeps arching his back over and over again and finally starts crying.

Once he is asleep at 7:30, he wakes up for example at 8:30, 9:30, 11:00, 2:00, 4:00, 5:45, 6:30.

I am really really tired of this. I am not sure whats happening!

What should I do? He is getting his naps. He refuses to nurse more than what he does and I hear from his dad/grandma that he purses his lip tight after just 1 oz of milk and it is such a task to get him to feed more. He will gladly eat pureed peach if given to him (I sometimes do). He likes rice cereal, but has thrown up on 2 separate occasions and so I have stopped using it.

I am a grad student and need to work longer hours that what I am currently doing. I am unable to get rest. Please help!!!

I am willing to try ANYTHING for the sake of an uninterrupted 4 hours of sleep.. thats all I ask for..

Thanks

[lauren]

I probably won't be much help. That sounds fairly normal to me. I had three babies and they had variations on the schedule of lots of nursing, but at 7 months, that sounds pretty typical. It is hard to be a student and/or work at the same time. Are you co sleeping? I usually slept through the nursing so I wasn't really up at all, just rolled over and let baby nurse. Sorry it is stressing you out. He won't be this little forever!
 

[Hillary77]

It sounds possible he's hungry. I would do what you can to find quiet space for nursing as much as possible during the daytime hours you are with him, and offer him your breast frequently. But babies at this age are BUSY and have many reasons for frequent night waking! Good luck.

[CascadiaMama]

Agreed that he might be hungry. Have you explored baby led weaning to start introducing solids at his pace (there's a book and website of the same name to learn more; by 7 months most babies can handle a variety of solids)? I'd also suggest trying to sleep with him. Even on nights my little guys nurses two or three times, I don't really wake up for it. Sure, I'd love 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but the 7 hours of mostly sleeping/just waking enough to roll over are pretty good.