Teatopia

You're not going to like what I have to say. I am in no way claiming to be an expert, b/c my daughter doesnt sleep thru the night either, but she's come a LONG way. Speaking from our experience, her waking up in the middle of the night was a learned habit. If we alway immediately go to her, then she will contiune to wake up and expect us to help her get back to sleep. It sounds like Olivia doesnt know how to fall back alseep on her own. SHe's dependent on you to nurse her back to sleep because she knows no other way. Wheither you tough it out now, or when she hits the one year mark, I would bet that she is not just going to "grow out of it". I think you're going to have to "train" her to fall alseep on her own. In the middle of the night, my husband is able to pat Emma back to sleep (sometimes). Also, wait a little while before "rescuing" her. A few minutes at first, but keep drawing it out. Have James get up and help because at least he doesnt smell like milk. Does she ever sleep on her tummy? She should be safe (or safer) to try that now and maybe that might help. WHo knows really.

Emma is almost 7 months old and still wakes up once during the night hours. She goes to bed at 10:30 or so (bed time routine starts at 9:30) and she makes up *usually* around 3am. Then around 7am and then gets up for the day around 9:30am. Its WAY better than it used to be. And that 3am waking? Is totally my fault because I have a very hard time toughing it out. We're working on that. Last night? SHe slept from 10:30-7:30. WOWOWOWOW!! AMAZING!!! Maybe because we fed her oatmeal right before bed. Well, oatmeal, bath, nurse, sleep.

Oh, and another idea. Is the only way Olivia falls to sleep is when you nurse her? Try pulling away when she slows down nursing. Or just rocking her to sleep after you feed her food. That should help (in time) with the night wakings.

GOOOOD LUCK!! I KNOW its tough. Believe me. I KNOW.

Hmm...let me see if I can lend some options to try. Not to brag but Anna was always a relatively good sleeper, but I put her in her crib from day 1, so I don't know if that helps or not. Here it goes...

Does she take a bottle at all? If so, maybe try (and I know they discourage this, but it might work) putting a small bottle of water in her crib so she can use that as a comfort at night? I know they warn about bottle mouth(is that what it's called?) but I did it with Anna for a few months and she just wanted something to suck on.

Like Alfredsmom said, and you might have tried it, just let her cry. I remember one time I let Anna cry for like 30 mins (and I cried in the other room) but it worked. She learned really quick that she had to fall asleep on her own. It took one time and after that...quiet!

The tummy thing is a good idea too...once Anna slept on her tummy (and I stopped freaking about it) at 8 months, she slept like a dream.

Try sounds, I put a radio on "light" music in Anna's room and just use the sleep button so it goes off after she goes to sleep...some babies just need background noise!

Hope these help...I'll try and think of more ideas for you!!

I feel you. MrMan naps, but not at regular times, nor for regular lengths of time. So it definitely makes it hard to get other stuff done, especially since he's dependent on me to fall asleep. He still wakes up at night to nurse, and won't stand for being comforted by Sam - he wants his milk!
I found that cosleeping helped make me not so tired, since I could just stick my boob in his mouth and fall back to sleep. These days, I'm a little more tired since we're transitioning him to his own bed. But I hold on to the idea that this will not last forever. Which makes me happy, and a little bit sad. Just think, five years from now, we might be fondly thinking of the days when Olivia and MrMan couldn't make it through the night without us, and missing our snuggle time with them.

I've posted a few times over at Real Savvy Moms a few times but this is my first time posting here. I have some suggestions too, and like alfredsmom said, you may or may not like/agree with them. My best friend is going through the exact same thing as you are and I can see how phisycally and mentally exhausted she is. She's still nursing her 13 month old and he wakes up about 4 times a night to eat, and will not take a nap unless he is nursed to sleep. Babies are indeed a creature of habit, and sometimes it's our job as parents to break them of these habits. Now I honestly cannot imagine how you feel, because my baby is almost 10 months old and has been sleeping through the night (8:30 pm - 8:00 am) since she was about 10 weeks old. She's formula fed, and I do honestly think that does have something to do with it...I tried really hard to breastfeed but I was only producing about 10 ounces a day and it was not probable for me to continue...but that's a whole other subject.

I'm not sure if you have ever heard of the book Babywise, but it has been an absolute life saver for me. I wan't sure I would agree with it because I'm not a big fan of the cry it out method either, but my pediatrician suggested I read it and it has helped. I am also not super concerned with schedules, but doing the things in this book has helped me learn my baby's cues, and she has been on a regular nap and sleep routine for several months. He also said that at about 12 weeks a baby's able to go at least 8 hours without food, and this is where it becomes a habit for them to eat. I do also understand that breastfed babies tend to eat alot more at night to make up for what they don't eat during the day.

One other thing and then I promise to shut up. Something that worked for me in the beginning was a modified version of crying it out. I put her in her crib, and if she cried I let her cry for 5 minutes, went in, talked to her and calmed her down, and then left. Then if she started doing it, I waited 10 minutes and did the same thing until she finally fell asleep. That way they know that you are coming back...and eventually they learn to fall asleep on their own. Alot of people think that just because they are babies they fall asleep, but babies have to learn to sooth themselves and it doesn't always work for all of them.

And if it makes you feel any better, it looks and sounds like Olivia is thriving and excelling at all of her milestones. While I might have a great sleeper, I have probably the worlds laziest baby. We just started sitting about 5 weeks ago and have yet to crawl or pull up on things. But, I know she will do it when she is ready.

Sorry for the long and drawn out post...I just know how frustrated you may be and if anything us other moms can do to help you, well that's what we are here for.

Oh, I know this has to be tough on you. It's difficult to function when you're sleep deprived! I wanted to echo something a couple of the others have said, you may want to try letting her sleep on her tummy. For the 1sr 3 weeks after Kendall was born, we let him sleep in a bassinet beside our bed~on his back. He didn't sleep much & neither did we. Then we tried putting him in his bed~on his tummy~& that did the trick. He's been in his bed from that moment on & sleeps like a champ~on his tummy, even now he still sleeps that way! I know doctors advise against this til they reach a certain age but sometimes you just have to go w/what you feel is right for your family. We keep a baby monitor in Kendall's room & ours so we can hear him if he wakes up/needs us. But, he rarely wakes up, unless he's sick. Also, you could try get her a little "lovie" (stuffed animal) to hold onto. I'm NOT trying to bombard you w/suggestions because you're a *great* Mom & are doing everything you know to do for her & you. You might try the tummy suggestion though & see if it works. I'll be praying for you & Olivia & praying that this all works out & she begins sleeping soon! Let me know if you need anything/there's anything I can do :) I'm here to listen :) Take care & keep your chin up~keep the faith! It will get better :)

Sleeping is such a difficult thing for us Mom's! We love to nurse and they will definetly fall asleep when doing this! Also there are so many methods that we use for our own children! My son was a non-sleeper just like Olivia! I think that I awake more than I slept over that first year. Then all of a sudden he started sleeping and now I can't even get him up for school! SO hang in there!

When Lani began to only be able to fall asleep when nursing I stopped nursing her to sleep during the day. I would lay her down for nap drowsy but awake. The daytime crying seemed to be easier to handle then the night time! There was more to keep me occupied. After about a week of crying for like 5-10 minutes she began to go down by herself at naps. So once she was good at going down at nap I started with bed time and once that was going well I began in the middle of the night! Needless to say we are still working on that! Her pacifier and Michael certianly help with that. He gets up to put it back in her mouth because as soon as she smells me her lips start smacking:) I think that the important thing is consistency. When you find something that works for you, Olivia, and your husband stick to it for a while!

This sleeping issue is one of the main reasons that I don't want to breastfeed Lila past one year. I want some sleep! Seeing Olivia in that picture sleeping sprawled out on her back makes even me a little jealous. Lila will take a good nap on most days, but she has to be in her infant carrier car seat. I think that I've held her so much while she sleeps that she feels like she has to be in a secure position at all times while sleeping. Maybe that would help Olivia nap? It's probably not a good habit to get into, but if you're anything like me, your still too nervous to let her sleep on her tummy.

i don't have children yet, as you know, but i have to agree with some of the others who have commented. if we had been fed, changed and loved, my parents never got us if we cried at night. they say it made us sleep through the night pretty quickly. also, my sister *never* let her children cry. she *always* went to them and they ended up in her bed. well, several years later, they were *still* sleeping in her bed or on the floor in her room. they'd never learned to sleep on their own! like i said, i don't have kids, so i'm not at all acting like i know anything, but i'm just telling you what i've seen. good luck! i'm sending thoughts of sleep your way!

do you think she is hungry? I know that you are still doing mostly breastfeeding and not doing a lot with other foods but it is the only thing I can think of... if she is crying till she pukes... well just sucks lol... try feeding her something like stage 1 bananas before bed... just an idea... Lore was a bad sleeper till she started to eat more other foods... I hope the Peds doc can give ya some good advice.... and hugs!!

Oh, I so feel for you. My daughter is going through the same thing right now and I am ready to lose my mind. No naps during the day, falls asleep usually for 2 hours from 10- 12. Eats, wakes up again at 1 or 2 and then between 3-4. Comes into bed with me where she eats on and off between then and 8. I'm hoping it's just a stage, I can't let her cry it out at night because there's 4 other people sleeping. Sucks.

I am SOOO sorry! I hope things change very soon for your sake.

Oh, not fun at all. I just can not function in life without sleep. I don't think I had PP blues....I was just so out of it & emotional because I needed sleep! Anywho, I hope you can find something that works best for you. A lot of babies are sleeping though the night by this point so put in some ear plugs and try not to worry....too much. I have heard that it only takes a night or two of leaving them and then done. It is hard but in the long run probably will help you get some rest. But every child is different so my comment might just be a bunch of bla. Also, have you tried giving her baby cereal right before she goes down? Help her to feel fuller longer? As for nap time, I put Jacob in his crib around noon and left him there for an hour weather he slept or not....though, by the end of the hour he did end up falling asleep. Hang in there! Lack of sleep can make us all feel that way...you're not alone. Rooting for you!

She looks so peaceful sleeping~ She just want more and more mommy time???

I hope the doc can give you lots of tips that work without medicating her. Ummmm why not let G'ma have her for a weekedn night? You an J can have some fun and then sleep for 8 hours straight?

I picked up some Advil pm and took one last night. I fell asleep with a readers digest in hand. the important part is *I fell ASLEEP*

i can't help cause i seriously got lucky with my daughter. she was a breeze never cried, never complained or wailed seriously ever. but i think you're right when you say she has to out grow it. babies cry, it sucks, it's hard.. so patience grasshopper. patience.