[JessicaSpalding]

Please, please help!

I have a 12mo dd who cosleeps and BF. She WAS sleeping thru most of the night until 9mo, then she began waking up, sitting up in bed and crying for the breast - every hour. What could be the problem? I don't think it's teething, or hunger, or even a milestone because it has gone on for SO long. (Unless it is walking which she is just now starting to do.)

We have tried some nightweaning techniques, and at first my husband was able to get her to sleep rocking and then put her back to sleep patting her, but now she does the same with him, waking up crying. If I just try to rock her, or hold her, she REALLY gets hysterical and out of control. I am also having a hard time with the nursing because it feels like she is chewing me and it's driving me crazy.

I know some of you may think that it's too early and she is obviously trying to tell me, but I can't function this way much longer. I can barely get 2 or 3 hours of sleep in a row. I am angry and resentful and I can tell that some days I shouldn't be driving a car.

any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[LisainCalifornia]

My first child did exactly the same thing for the first almost 2 years of his life. And we did not have the honeymoon phase of "sleeping well" that you did for the first 9 months! It was horrible--and I feel for you. There were times I wanted to poke my eyes out with a dull stick rather than nurse one more time that night--but I plodded along.

Finally at 18 months I read in the Sears book about letting the baby cry for a bit and having my husband try and take over more at night. Before this point I had been vehemently anti-cry...so this was a huge step for me. I just felt like I would have to be hospitalized if I kept on like this--I was like the walking dead during the day trying to function like a normal person after nursing every hour (or more) for a year and a half. I know just what you mean about "chewing" too--I often said that to my husband.

I think that sometimes that the baby just gets into this pattern where they wake up just so slightly (to turn over or whatever) and like the feeling of nursing back down half asleep. It's a habit that is formed, and if you try and distract them like you have been doing--it just enrages them because they don't want to wake all the way up--they want to have their lovey (breast) and go back to sleep. Unfortunately this is brutal for mom.

So we tried several modified methods of letting him cry, and some times it did help. It was more of a "process". He would get a little better--and we would do it as long as we could stand it. Or until he got sick and then it was all out the window!

Now he is a big 9 year old and thinks it is hillarious that he use to like to nurse all night long! He still is a nightowl and likes to read in bed with a flashlight.

The only other thing it could be is a really long teething issue (sometimes they do take a long time to come in!) or an ear infection. Check out both. Try giving her some motrin before bed and see if it helps. If it does then maybe there is a pain issue.

Hugs,
Lisa

 

[Kundalini-Mama]

this sounds like my son and after finally eliminating a ton of different foods, he is sleeping better. he is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and possibly all nuts, carrots and corn.

when i would eat these things, he would wake up screaming and nurse all night long as his stomach hurt from the allergies. he is doing much better now.

you can get a blood test to test for allergies that is not 100% accurate, but it can give you some ideas. it is called the RAST test.

hth some,
amy