Please help!

My girls are 7 months old now and still don't STTN! They did for a little while at about 4 months, but no more. I don't know what we are doing wrong. They don't sleep all day. They have a morning nap that lasts about an hour and then another in the afternoon that lasts anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Every once in a while they fall asleep for 15-20 minutes in the evenings, but other than that they are up and happy.

We have the same bedtime routine: eat dinner, bath, nurse, and bed. They go to bed with no complaints and usually stay asleep until about 1 am. Then it all breaks down. Sometimes (about once a week) they will both nurse and go right back to bed and sleep until around 8. Most of the time one of them wants to get up and play. We don't let them, but they just stay in their cribs and scream. I know they are tired, but I don't know how to get them to bed. They take turns doing this most of the time, but sometimes they are both doing it. I have tried putting toys in the cribs when they stay up, but it doesn't help. They are really fussy during this time and rubbing their eyes and everything, but WILL NOT sleep. Sometimes they sleep for 30 minutes at a time, when they do this it's both of them and they take turns waking up every 15 minutes.

DH and I are dying and we don't know what to do. The pedi said maybe they weren't getting enough to eat during the day, so we upped their solids but it's not helping. When they are up they don't want to eat after the initial nursing until it's time for them to sleep again. They are up from about 1 am to about 4 or 5 am. It's killing me!

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. We will try anything at this point. Thanks ladies!

 

Mine didnt STTN until they were 9 months old, but they would eat and go back to sleep. Have you considered separating them for a bit to see if they are feeding off each other? Other than that, I dont have too much advice. I hope it gets better for you both soon. No sleep is so hard!! :hug:

 

:hug: to you, I can't imagine how tired and frustrated that you are DH are right now. What time is bedtime? I've heard other moms on here recommend an earlier bedtime to see if that helps. How late is the afternoon nap, maybe that might need to be pushed up earlier? I don't have much advice, I apologize. :hug:

 

Bedtime is between 9 and 10. I know it seems late, but it's really the only time we have to do all the 'twin' stuff since all the other girls are in bed. The afternoon nap is from 1 or 2 until 3 or 4 usually. Maybe an earlier bedtime would help. That way they could do this whole wake up thing earlier-like before I go to bed. I think I'll try it tonight. Cross your fingers!

 

I would start with an earlier bedtime, give it atleast a week, and make sure they are eating enough during the day, they are not going to overeat. At 8mo I did CIO, they were sporatically STTN but I needed to know that I could get sleep!

Good luck!

 

Ditto earlier bedtime try for between 7-8pm, and like a pp said, do it for a few days at least 4 to see if it works. Keep us posted! Good Luck!
BTW- mine didn't sttn until 8months old when we did CIO for a few nights, now they don't eat at night anymore - but they do wake up pretty darn hungry in the morning!

 

Ferber's book on sleep suggests eliminating eating and drinking just before bed as that activates body systems and then the child wakes up to eliminate. It also messes with the metabolism and makes them not sleep when they're supposed to. When I eliminated night time BF -- last BF was before dinner, then sleeping got alot better. The other thing Ferber enumerates in his book is about sleep cycles. It sounds like maybe -- just maybe-- youre going in there and disturbing them too much by trying to nurse them back to sleep at 1 am. LIke they're not really awake, and going in there to sooth them wakes them up and they think it's time to start the day. It's completely normal to have a kid call out in their sleep at that age and not wake up completely. I would say, starting counting to 10 as soon as you hear them, and see if they go back to sleep, then send DH in to soothe them using an increasing amount of time befpre you go in each day. They have to get rid of the expectation of nursing at 1am if you're going to get your life back. You may have a cry fest on your hands for 3-4 days, but it sounds like you've already got that. Before you do this, get a copy of Ferber's book on sleep and read it through so you know your game plan. CIO worked for us because we followed his book. They started sleeping 12 hrs and have been basically great sleepers ever since. As far as engorgement, you know your body will adjust. Plan on pumping the first morning you stop night nursing. ..

 

Mine started STTN at 7 months. So, it's not very far.

It seems to me that they're up an awful lot though. If they wake up at 4pm and go to bed at 10pm, it seems a really long time... they might just be overtired and not sleep well because of it. Definitely try an earlier bedtime. Mine go to bed at 7-7.30pm and still have 3 naps a day.

 

I have my own sleep issues, so sadly I have no advice. Mine also slept better at 4 mos. than they do now, so I understand your frustration. Not sleeping truly sucks!

 

I have been through the same thing as you and one of mine is just now STTN at 11 months. The other one, I have given up hope that she will ever STTN. I would for sure not let them stay up past 9 as babies just can't handle that.

I feel for you. I tell people I have not had a good night's sleep in the year. Sad, but true.