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AnimalHouse 07-25-2012 12:40 AM

just a vent - I'm never going to sleep again!
I feel like I'm losing my mind! DS3 will be one on the 26th, and still wakes up every 2-ish hours every.single.night. And sometimes he stays up for hours at a time!

We've tried partially night-weaning him, and every method of sleep training out there. Nothing has worked.

I haven't gotten more than 4-5 hours of sleep (total) in over a year, and napping during the day isn't an option. I'm exhausted. I can't think straight. I get angry at DS3, because seriously, does a 12 month old REALLY need to nurse 5-7x/night, and at DH because he can't help. Being pregnant isn't helping. I just want to cry. I want to go spend the night at a hotel, by myself, so I can get some sleep. DS3 does not have the personality to handle CIO, but sometimes that's exactly what I want to do. I want to buy some ear plugs so I can't hear him, and can get some sleep at night. I love breastfeeding, but I dread nighttime because I know it's going to be an all-night buffet, no matter if we cosleep, just share a room, or put him in his own room... sleeping arrangements don't change his wake-ups at all.

Anyway, there's no point to this thread at all. It's just 1:40am here, and I'm nursing DS3 for the third time (since 7pm), crying from exhaustion and frustration.

qsefthuko 07-25-2012 12:51 AM

Re: just a vent - I'm never going to sleep again!
Poor mama. Can you get someone to watch your kids so you can get in a good nap at least once? Sometimes when I would get too tired I would clear a room of anything that could harm my los then I would close the door with us all in the room and take a nap while the kids played safely.

gabmaxi 07-25-2012 12:54 AM

Oh, I feel your pain! My DS1 was exactly like that - he usually woke every 45 min to 2 hrs. I normally nursed 6-8 times a night. Zombie.

I used Dr Jay Gordon's night weaning method. It took a week. Some fussing but not bad at all. He slept through the night a few days after completing the night weaning. Miracle. I was also pregnant at the time, and physically could not do it. I really admire that you have made it this long with other children to boot.

Umm_Ibraheem 07-25-2012 01:38 AM


anne_josh 07-25-2012 01:49 AM

oh that takes me back.. ds1 was like that. it was horrible, awful and every other word that means the same thing. super high needs, nursing all the time, etc. i was losing my mind from sleep deprivation, starting to realize why they use it as a torture technique..

anyway. finally, around 2, and i wish we had done it sooner, he got nightweaned. i slept on the couch for several weeks :P i don't recall exactly how long, but dh was with him, offered water/milk/etc, and ds was super pissed, but he did get used to it. not a fun time, but necessary.

good luck. it does get better.

edit-just read that you are pregnant also? that makes it practically an emergency that you get some decent sleep. enlist dh for nightweaning duty, stat.

BubBubsMom 07-25-2012 02:30 AM

Oh you poor mama! Yes have DH watch kids on days off so you can rest, you especially need it cause you're pregnant. I can't imagine how exhausted you are. Good luck I hope you get rest soon

Dmpmercury 07-25-2012 02:49 AM

I went through that with my son but I wasn't pregnant. I really feel for you that is so rough. I hope it gets better. It is bad enough to be sleep depreived due to bad night waking but to be pregnant on top of it. :hugs:

wyatt09 07-25-2012 04:15 AM

One weekend when dh is home and maybe the other kids are napping tell dh youre going to bed and have feed the baby a bottle of breastmilk every now and then..thats what i did and if you can find a good bottle like breastflow so baby doesnt get nipple confusion that might be just your solution for a few hour nap every now and then.Even feed the baby right before your nap and see how long he can go before needing to nurse again he might not be hungry for those three hours while your napping if you feed him right before..just a thought hope to help...also maybe another relative can come help you or a good freind, dont get overwhelmed n take care of yourself first

AnimalHouse 07-25-2012 07:04 AM

I hate to hear other mamas have been through/felt like this, but it's kind of nice to know my baby isn't abnormal :blush:.

We've tried having DH pull nighttime duty, but DS3 literally screamed for almost two hours, even with DH holding him, rocking him, giving him water, etc. I had nursed him right before, so I knew he wasn't hungry... but after two hours of him screaming (making me unable to sleep anyway), I gave in and went and got him. He does that every time DH tries to get him at night. But we're definitely going to give it another try... DH graduates this summer, and his last day of class is this Friday, so he'll be able to help more. We have to get this under control, because DH is moving to Nashville August 13 for work, and will only be home on the weekends :cry:.

We don't have any family that come help me. Or, I should say we don't have any family willing to come help. We have DH's sister, but she works FT and isn't very helpful, and we have my mom... who's usually too high to be of any real help :/.

I hadn't heard of Dr. Jay Gordon's method before the other day, but it looks really interesting... and it seems gentle on baby. I'm definitely going to try it!

Thanks for the advice and commiseration, mamas! DS3 ended up waking up six times last night, and then DS1 and DS2 got up for the day at 6am. I feel so guilty... I know I shouldn't be drinking caffeine during pregnancy, but I've had so much Dr. Pepper this time around, just for the energy boost!

mommycass 07-25-2012 07:59 AM

My DD 2 was the same way. I would fall asleep on the couch folding clothes because I was so tired. It would scare me. She is 19 months now and I'm pregnant so I felt it necessary a couple months ago to start night weaning. I started by never allowing her in our bed, I would feed her in the rocking chair. That seemed to help some; then I quit feeding through the night and allowed her to nurse early morning(usually after 6). Instead of letting her CIO I would pick her up and when she signed for milk I just said "All done, its sleepy time". Sometimes she would be a little fussy and others she would just lay her head on my shoulder. I would console her for a couple minutes and say its sleepy time, then lay her down. She had water in her bed and i would make sure she knew where it was. She would fuss and if she got real upset I would repeat the process. When she realized she wouldnt be nursing, she would lay down. It did break my heart some nights because I didn't want her to feel like I was withholding her special time or thing. But I knew she didn't need to nurse and its best for the health of everyone, even her. There were some nights of this that were horrible and she literally would scream(talk about mama guilt). But sticking to my plan after 4/5 nights it was better. She was sleeping from 8-4/5 am. She still wakes up some nights at 3am but sometimes she'll lay down on her own and others she is held for a minute and layed down. She goes right back to sleep. It's really nice to have that complete nights rest. Now I wake up having to pee at least once or twice but I'm not exhausted during the day, lol!


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