Need Help

About 2 weeks ago, my DS started STTN. He's almost 20 lbs & definitely does NOT need a night feeding in my eyes. He started stretching it out & then just eventually dropped it, going about 12 hrs at night for a few consecutive nights in a row.

Then he got sick with RSV. He could barely take more than 1-2 oz at a time because his breathing was so labored. He was up numerous times at night, and I understood, since he obviously wasn't taking in as much as normal.

However, for the past 2 days, his appetite has increased & he's back to his normal daily intake. The ONLY thing different is that he seems to have dropped his 3rd nap. His bedtime has remained about the same, 6:30ish, but now he's AWFUL during the night. He puts himself to sleep for naps (usually with some fussing) & bedtime (without a peep), so I KNOW he can self soothe. He's a thumb sucker, but when he gets REALLY worked up, refuses to take it (for some ODD reason).

So last night he was up at 10:30 & I gave him a bottle since he hadn't eaten well before bed. He downed 7 oz & promptly fell back to sleep. He was then up, wide awake, at 2am & didn't go back down until 4am (during which time my husband broke down & fed him 4 oz somewhere in there as a desperate attempt to get him back to sleep). He wasn't fussy, just AWAKE. Then, he was up again at 5am & fussed on & off until I finally got up with him at 6:30 (his normal wake time). My other DS now is sick (probably pre-RSV from the other) & having a harder time sleeping, so I'm just exhausted. I feel like I have 2 newborns again with the lack of sleep I have been getting (not to mention, my DH was gone over the weekend & I was alone with them).

Which brings me to tonight. He went down after a 5 oz bottle around 6:30ish & quickly fell asleep on his own. Like clockwork, up screaming at 10:30. I took him out to the rocker & attempted rocking him, but he'd really only settle when he'd take his thumb. I thought maybe his teeth were bothering him, so I gave him Ibuprofen (I had already applied Night Time Orajel before bed) & continued trying to rock him. He woke up the entire house SCREAMING. I took him downstairs where our PNP is & put him in there, to which he really freaked out. My husband offered to give him a bottle, but do you honestly think I need to? Who's to say if I do he won't be up again in a few hours time like the past few nights? He WAS sleeping SO good at night...what happened?

Could it be the dropped nap? I don't know what to do because I CANNOT seem to get him down for a 3rd nap anymore, not to mention he's spaced out his 2 naps so much that there really isn't TIME for a 3rd one. But could his lack of daytime sleep be attributing to his night time escapades? He slept about 2 hrs during the day today.

He FINALLY stopped screaming. I'm afraid to check on him (last time I did he was just looking around & started up again when he saw me). Do I continue CIO through the night or do I feed him if he wakes again?

I'm at my wits end. We're all so tired & I can't imagine him being up all night on & off is good for his sleep either. He's waking his brother, which is why I've now separated them, but I don't know what to do for him. He's crying again. It's been on & off for an hour now.

What do I do????

 

He's STILL going....

Anyone out there with advice? He settles, just to start up again a few seconds/minutes later. How long can he go like this? I've picked him up to soothe him & he settles, but starts in again when I lay him down, so I stopped going in there. It seems to make him worse.

I hate hearing him cry, but I KNOW he's tired. He's just soo stubborn & won't give in. I'm trying so hard not to give in & give him a bottle since I'm sure that would totally knock him out right now (after screaming almost 90 mins, he's got to be exhausted), but I'm sooooo tired.

Anyone? Anyone???

 

It sounds like you have created a habit, of he cries, he gets more attention, so why stop? Instead of taking him out to rock him, let him stay in the crib, don't talk to him, and quietly pat his back. After a day or two of that, try not going in so quick, and letting him settle on his own. He will cry--and at first, it will get worse before better, because he has figured out that nighttime crying gets more attention.

It will be hard, but worth it for everyone!

Good luck!

 

Is he still sick? Mine STTN, but when they were sick over Christmas one would wake up in the middle of the night to eat. Also I think sometimes her teeth hurt and that wakes her up. I let her CIO for a few minutes (not more than 30) and if she gets louder and louder and I know she's not going to settle herself, I give her a bottle in the dark - even though I know she technically doesn't need it - and put her back down and she doesn't make a peep. I worried too that I would be re-starting the night feedings, but it didn't happen more then 2 nights in a row. This is just what works for mine.

Good Luck and I hope you get some rest today while they nap!

 

Well, we survived the night. I took Aiden on one on one & my husband stayed upstairs with Conner (who was also up all night, but because he's still quite sick). After about 90 mins of crying, I went in & soothed him again, only this time he didn't get worked up again when I laid him down. He sucked his thumb for a while & FINALLY fell asleep. He woke again at 3:15, but this time I only turned on his mobile. He stopped fussing, but started again when it stopped, so I turned it on again. Again, he started up again, so I just gave him his blanket & left the room. This time he only fussed for about 5 mins & then was out cold. He stirred a few times after that, but no fussing. I heard him up talking but didn't look at the clock. I figured he'd start crying when he was ready to get up. My husband woke me up at 7:15 because he had to get ready for work & I couldn't BELIEVE Aiden hadn't freaked out to eat yet! I gave him a bottle at 7:30, but not because he was crying, just because it had been 13 1/2 hours! He still only took 5 oz, which proves that he didn't NEED to eat in the middle of the night.

SO, we'll see how tonight goes. I'm hoping it'll only take a few nights of this to get him back on track. He still has a mild cough, but I wouldn't say he's "sick" anymore (not like my other little guy). We'll see how today's naps go & then hope for the best again tonight . I wish I could keep him in his own crib & let him cry, but I just don't think it's fair to Conner to have to listen to him scream when he's trying to rest from being sick! Hopefully he'll prove he can go back in his own crib soon!

Thanks for the advice! It sure wasn't FUN last night, but I just hope we'll get him back to STTN soon!

 

I'm not sure if I should reply to your message because I don't want to depress you, but we went through the same thing with James at around the same age. He stopped eating at night at 3.5 months and would sleep about 12 hours, with just the very occasional paci replug some nights. Around 5.5 months he started having little sleep issues. We'd have to go in and re-plug his paci, pat him bum, stroke his cheek. That grew into having to rock him. Then it progressed to the point where I was in his room most of the night. It was awful! I tried bringing him to bed with me but that made things worse. We went on this way until 9 months, with me a walking zombie all day long from night after night of no sleep. James just seemed to insecure - he cried every time he rolled over and needed soothing back to sleep. Sometimes he would be up for 2-3 hours at a time - not upset, just awake. I knew he wasn't hungry. He was just not sleeping. Finally at 9 months we had to do sleep training. It was a ROUGH few nights - I actually hid in the basement and let my husband deal with James' cries. But it worked. Now he's back to 12 hours a night and boy do I see a difference in his personality. He is SOOO much happier all day long. His naps have improved and since he started sleeping better he has learned to walk and so many other skills. I realize now that he was in a tired daze all day long and I should probably have helped him to deal with this sooner rather than later. I know it's tough, but you have to think of the big picture. I should mention that I took him to the doc for a check up to make sure there were no underlying health issues (ear infections, etc.) before attempting sleep training. The most important thing is consistency. Make a plan and stick to it. But if you feel he's still too young, you can wait until you're all emotionally ready.

 

QUOTE(nurseandrea02 @ Feb 5 2008, 05:43 AM) [snapback]605971[/snapback]
He's STILL going....

Anyone out there with advice? He settles, just to start up again a few seconds/minutes later. How long can he go like this? I've picked him up to soothe him & he settles, but starts in again when I lay him down, so I stopped going in there. It seems to make him worse.

I hate hearing him cry, but I KNOW he's tired. He's just soo stubborn & won't give in. I'm trying so hard not to give in & give him a bottle since I'm sure that would totally knock him out right now (after screaming almost 90 mins, he's got to be exhausted), but I'm sooooo tired.

Anyone? Anyone???


6 mths is a classic age for a growth spurt. Many children need to eat more often and not necessarily at "normal" times.

 

I didn't read the other replies (sorry), so I hoe I'm not repeating! Whenever we have a distruption in our sleep routine, it's back to square one. So,if we go on vacation, get teeth, get sick, stay out late, it messes everyon up! The only thing we can do is go back to our original routine, deal with some crying, and be consistent. The only thing I would say, is that make sure he really isn't hungry. Sometime my girls wouldn't be starving hungry but just thirsty, and their behavior would esculate becasue they couldn't communicate.

 

I was going to attempt a 9 & 1 nap schedule today, but he just crashed at noon. Not much I could do to prevent that. I'm sure it's from lack of sleep last night. However, now I may be able to attempt adding in that 3rd nap again. I just don't think he's ready to drop it. I have a gut feeling that is what's leading to his night wakings (they always say, a good napped baby sleeps better at night). We'll see! His morning nap was only 45 mins, so I'm hoping this one will be longer. What I wouldn't do for LONG naps! The only way I get them is if I sleep WITH them or they're in the swing. They're outgrowing their swing quickly & I really want them to get used to sleeping in their cribs, but sometimes I'm desperate !

Wish me luck that tonight goes well & I can stick with my sleep training that I've apparantly begun . He needs to have this figured out by Thurs night b/c I go back to work Thurs night & I doubt my husband will be able to handle him screaming & dealing with our other sick twin (who will hopefully be feeling better by Thurs). It's draining having TWO of us here to do it!