JJMama
02-05-2006, 02:18 PM
I could use a little perspective and advice. My 2.5 year old (3rd child, so you'd think I would have this down by now!) has co-slept and been nursed on demand since she was born. Last week, I couldn't take the frequent night waking anymore and decided to wean her at night. My experience with my other 2 was they just needed a gently nudge to stop nursing at night. I made up my mind that it was time, read the Dr. Jay Gordon approach to changes in the family bed and set out to stop nursing between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
I have spent the last 6 nights soothing, rocking, walking around, but not nursing. This has been exhausting for me, but I felt it would be worthwhile for our long term health. Each night had been about the same - she would wake up around 1 and get back to sleep with some mild protesting, not much crying, mostly just moaning "I want babies (her word for nursing)" until I rocked her back to sleep. She also wakes at about 3:30 or 4 and same thing, but has taken longer to get her back to sleep and after 4 she wakes frequently moaning that she wants babies - stops if I walk around or pick her up and put her on my shoulder and rock her, but then everytime I put her down on the bed she starts all over again. A couple of times she did just snuggle up with me and go back to sleep. I was feeling fine, calm loving and capable of sticking with this all in the name of getting some unbroken sleep for the first time in EIGHT years.
Then last night she was up all night, on and off, not soothing easily, crying, carrying on.........still I stuck to it and rocked and sang and soothed and dealt. I woke up this morning feeling totally exhausted, cranky and done. I truly don't know what to do. I cannot fathom gong back to nursing all night and I can't face another night like last night. I am losing it. My DH works and is not very available to help me. He has been sleeping in another room so his sleep doesn't get disturbed while she is in the process of being weaned at night. I have been letting her nurse as much as she wants all day, I have explained that mommy needs to get some sleep and that "babies" are going to sleep until the sun comes up. I have read every book on this subject. I have made a thougthful decision to co-sleep and I have survived my other 2 weaning and moving on to their own beds, but I just can't do this anymore......... It is amazing what being sleep deprived does to the brain. I can't think straight. I can't be rational.
Now, I went to take a nap with her (she naps every single day at the same time and is very consistent) and she wouldn't latch off so I could get some sleep and I couldn't lay there and nurse her for one more minute, so.... now we are both up, both exhausted and I am about to cry.
Any suggestions and words of wisdom would be appreciated.
I have spent the last 6 nights soothing, rocking, walking around, but not nursing. This has been exhausting for me, but I felt it would be worthwhile for our long term health. Each night had been about the same - she would wake up around 1 and get back to sleep with some mild protesting, not much crying, mostly just moaning "I want babies (her word for nursing)" until I rocked her back to sleep. She also wakes at about 3:30 or 4 and same thing, but has taken longer to get her back to sleep and after 4 she wakes frequently moaning that she wants babies - stops if I walk around or pick her up and put her on my shoulder and rock her, but then everytime I put her down on the bed she starts all over again. A couple of times she did just snuggle up with me and go back to sleep. I was feeling fine, calm loving and capable of sticking with this all in the name of getting some unbroken sleep for the first time in EIGHT years.
Then last night she was up all night, on and off, not soothing easily, crying, carrying on.........still I stuck to it and rocked and sang and soothed and dealt. I woke up this morning feeling totally exhausted, cranky and done. I truly don't know what to do. I cannot fathom gong back to nursing all night and I can't face another night like last night. I am losing it. My DH works and is not very available to help me. He has been sleeping in another room so his sleep doesn't get disturbed while she is in the process of being weaned at night. I have been letting her nurse as much as she wants all day, I have explained that mommy needs to get some sleep and that "babies" are going to sleep until the sun comes up. I have read every book on this subject. I have made a thougthful decision to co-sleep and I have survived my other 2 weaning and moving on to their own beds, but I just can't do this anymore......... It is amazing what being sleep deprived does to the brain. I can't think straight. I can't be rational.
Now, I went to take a nap with her (she naps every single day at the same time and is very consistent) and she wouldn't latch off so I could get some sleep and I couldn't lay there and nurse her for one more minute, so.... now we are both up, both exhausted and I am about to cry.
Any suggestions and words of wisdom would be appreciated.