Friday, March 28, 2008

Desperate Measures

I am resorting to putting this out in bloggy land in hopes that someone brilliant will have an idea for me....I desperately need a full nights sleep. I cannot believe it, but J is waking up again through the night. At this point I have no clue what is going on with him...is it his ears?..the teeth?..hungry? The later, I am pretty sure, is not the right answer. (But is it?) He does weigh over 18 pounds and is 6 months old...I'm no expert, but I'm thinking he could at least do the 12 hour at night deal, right? I am questioning myself about everything at this point.

Last night he went to bed around 8 pm and slept peacefully until 2 am. From 2 am to 5:30 am it was non-stop....patting his back, giving him a pacifier, rocking him...all the while he is screaming crying (not fussy cry...screaming). I tried to let him cry it out but after a long time, he was still crying this way..no letting up. I would lay him back down and briefly he would drift off, but then as soon as I was snug back in my warm bed, he would start the crying again. Until, knowing I probably shouldn't, I resorted to just giving him a bottle at 5:30 am. He looked like a baby bird trying to get that bottle in his mouth, desperate for that bottle, wide open mouth. He finished the bottle quickly and I put him back in his bed and he slept great until around 8:30 this morning.

Here's the deal, I give him his last bottle at 8 pm and put him down...AWAKE. He puts himself to sleep. At naptime, he doesn't get a bottle before he lays down and again, he puts himself to sleep (sometimes he might fuss for a few minutes, but then he is off to sweet slumber). I say all this to inform you that I am not aware of any bad habits or props that he uses to fall asleep. So why is he doing this still?

For a while, I tried to look at it with a positive attitude, thinking "Aww, it's just a chance for me to cuddle with my sweet boy." I'm sad to say, I can't really find that attitude anymore. I am exhausted. I am desperate. This is the time for all those people who read my blog to please comment and tell me what to do. What am I doing wrong?

I Need Sleep. Brain is not functioning at it's full capacity. (I don't need any wise-cracks about that comment, T!)

H-E-L-P!

7 comments:

Mom of Eleven said...

I have no answers, but is he allergic to milk?

georgiamom said...

It has been a long time, but could he eat more at each feeding?

elizabeth said...

wendymom, no I don't think it's the milk thing because it is only at night, but i'll look into it.

dawesomestar, (it is so funny to call ya'll by these names!) I think that might really be it. He only takes 6 oz of a bottle and doesn't seem to want to take more. I was thinking the same thing, but couldn't remember when they started taking 8 oz. I also started him on solids so I'm hoping that helps some. Now, I'm just praying it won't be a belly ache!

Thanks to both of you!!!!!

Anonymous said...

You might want to try putting a little cereal in the bottle. I did that with one of the boys and it worked like a charm. I only put it in the last bottle for the night.
Just a thought. I feel for you I been there. I'll add a little prayer for you both.
Christa

georgiamom said...

Our dr. always said they should be taking half their body weight expressed in ounces. So, if he's 16 pounds or over he might need 8 ounces. Now, can you help me get my 2 year old to sleep? M

elizabeth said...

Ok, that might be the problem...he is 18.5 lbs!!! So, in theory, he should be taking the max of 8 oz. each time. I'll work on that.

Sorry, have no answers on your sweet 2 yr. old. Honestly, I have never had a baby that wouldn't just go to sleep in their bed alone all night. We never let them sleep with us though until just recently...sometimes M and K, as a special treat might sleep in my bed on a weekend night. Only every once in a while...and I think the key is they never did it when they were younger. Do you let MJ sleep with you?

Is she in a normal bed in her own room? I was thinking you might could persuade her with a new, big girl room... really fancy and really special just for her. Just a thought.

Thanks for your advice.

Kathy said...

I hope this phase passes soon and you can get some rest! I looked back at A's baby book and she did the same thing around that age. For her, it was teeth. I remember how frustrating it was. We tried Hyland's teething tablets, Dr. Starr's teething lotion from Ward's Pharmacy, Tylenol, and finally the only thing that gave us a night's peace was ibuprofen. I also agree that it could be that he wants more to eat at his night time feeding. Hope that works for you. I definitely sympathize!!