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Can't co-sleep and need help...

661 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Oceanspray 
#1 ·
Hello All! Haven't posted or been in these forums for a long time! Crazy how busy kiddos make you :) Anyway, I loved co-sleeping with my 2.5 yr old DD (she just transitioned to a big girl bed) and now I have a 5 month old, but I can't co-sleep with him. I work 2-3 nights a week and it's not safe for my husband to co-sleep (he is such a heavy sleeper, snores loud, doesn't wake when rolling around etc). It was ok when I didn't work at nights and I slept in the middle of the bed. So, I have a crib in our room. My son nurses well and is healthy for his age (almost 17 pounds at 5 months and 26 inches long). He will not sleep more than 2 hours at a time for the last 2 months! Before that he used to do one longer stretch in the beginning of the night-- like 4 to 5 hours then up every 2, but now he never does more than 2 hours and hes fussier all day long :-( I just don't know what to do. I feel so sleep deprived. Any suggestions?
 
#2 ·
Cranial Sacral massage worked wonders for my kids sleep. My oldest son stirred constantly all night long, and would need to be put back to sleep with a bottle or snuggling. Shortly after he turned 1 we got him a cranial sacral massage and he started sleeping 10 hours at night without us. My second was doing the same thing when he was born. We got him a massage about 1 week after he was born, and he started sleeping 2-3hr stretches at night. Whether or not your son's sleep issues are the same as mine I have no idea, but in our case it was wonderful.
 
#3 ·
Maybe I could give that a try again. I took my daughter to 2 different cransial sacralists and was not impressed with either of them. I actually do massage and have done some little sessions with him but maybe I should be more focused about it. My daughter never really seemed to like it as a baby-- she does a little more now.
 
#6 ·
If I can jump in - what exactly is the issue? I'm unclear. Is it only the nights you are not working nights that he has now changed his sleep schedule to shorter periods, and is that since you began working the nights? Do you think it has to do with him missing you being absent those nights during the week and his sleep patterns are now disrupted?

If not, what changed about 2 months ago? Or is it all sleeps that he is not sleeping very long - whether you are there or not? Where does he sleep at night when you are not there?

It could be something totally different like growth stretches, but that doesn't see likely, since I now see that it had been happening in mid November, so now's it has been 3 months.

Have you considered co-sleeping/bedsharing when you are there at night - maybe on a mattress on the floor if it isn't safe in your bed (though it sounds like when you are there you have no safety concerns) and then having him in the crib-sidecar style when you are not there and it is just dad? If you aren't there (and your scent and presence) he may make a lesser fuss or be just fine sleeping (with a bit of time) whereas it is different when you are there and he might fuss if he knows that and can't touch or feel you next to him (or to breastfed on demand). That could cause more frequent night wakings that you don't know about and disrupt his sleep making him fussier, more tired. etc. It is kind of the logic of weaning by having the non-breastfeeding parent take the child at night - they can settle the child without nursing whereas the nursing parent would have a much harder time.
 
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