# Won't stop moving while sleeping- HELP!



## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

So, for months now, I thought I would go with the mantra that babies are always changing and this too shall pass. But since it's been about 5 months now, I'm thinking that this is not passing quickly enough nor is it really changing.

Prior to 2 months, dd slept for one 6 hour stretch and went back down after nursing for another 3 hour block and often another one after that. I thought I had the best sleeper out there! Unfortunately, around 2 months, she started to kick in her sleep. After one good stretch she would fall into this unsettled sleep where she would constantly kick her legs up and down in her co-sleeper. We swaddled her in a Miracle Blanket and this worked for a few weeks, but then that failed, too. Finally we just brought her into bed with us where she slept more soundly, but dh and I did not.

For a few months, dd slept better, but slowly her stretches of sleep have decreased. 6 hours, 4, 3, 2, 1.5... It's been up and down ever since. Some nights we'll get 3 hours and then the rest of the night she's just _moving_. Her eyes are closed, but she's flailing around. First the kicking legs, then the rolling back and forth, then the arms, then she's on her stomach and looking around, then she's back down sucking her fingers, then she's kicking me in the stomach and hitting dh in the face. _She just won't lay still!!_

I know she's tired because her naps increase during the day when she's had especially active nights. Dh and I are exhausted. It would be easy to say, she's growing or she's teething, but after 5 months of nothing changing, can you really say that?

Has anyone else experienced the sleeping, but constant flailer? What did you do to get through this? Help, please!!







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## askew (Jun 15, 2006)

My DS went from being a decent sleeper, 8PM - 4 AM since 3 months or so... to being a terrible sleeper. He is back to being up every 2-3 hours. I keep hearing teething and growth spurt. He is about to cut his second tooth. He also kicks and flails in bed as he is waking up. He was much more peaceful when he slept deeply through the night. I guess I have no real advice, I am just commiserating. I will sub and see if anyone else has anything great to say!


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## Mere (Oct 1, 2002)

No real advice, but I'm curious to hear what others say because my ds has squirmy nights too. One thing that I've thought about is getting one of those hammock sleeper things (kind of like a giant sling that you suspend from the ceiling) but they are quite spendy and ds isn't squirmy every night. I would miss sleeping with him too, but maybe not if I hadn't gotten any sleep for 5 months! Yikes...you are a trooper.

I wonder too if it could be diet-related? Three times now I've had a glass of white wine in the evening and all three nights ds was super squirmy...maybe it was just a coincidence, but I no longer drink white wine! It made me wonder, though, if his occasional squirminess might be related to something I had eaten that evening (I haven't noticed any patterns though).


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## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

A friend of mine has one of those ambi beds and another friend has a different brand that's a little more hammock like. They didn't work for either of them. Both babies just ended up back in the bed with mom. But who knows... maybe you could find one on Craig's List and give it a try.

So the only advice I have been given, and think that I will finally take, is to purchase a king sized bed. Then we can put bolster pillows or even rolled up towels under the sheets and form sort of a blockade for dd to sleep in. That way she can squirm around to her heart's content and not kick me and dh constantly. We could put some along the edge of the bed as well to faciliate side nursing.

I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one that has this problem and has not yet come to a solution. Everyone else keeps telling me to read the NCSS, but I don't see how those techniques will help dd who is actually asleep, just not soundly. If you're using NCSS techniques and think some of them _would_ help, please let me know!

As for something I'm eating... I don't think so, but I guess you never really know. Dd does have eczema and we are working on an elimination diet as well as a homeopathic remedy. She does squirm a lot more when she's itchy (understandably), but she squirms no matter what and she squirmed before her eczema kicked in. I rarely drink alcohol or caffeine and never within hours of her bedtime. But it could be something I'm not thinking of. Any of you allergy expert mamas know of an allergy that tends to cause squirming (but not gas)?


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## goodygumdrops (Jan 25, 2007)

My six month old son is the same. He wakes himself up if he's not swaddled...and now he usually kicks and wakes himself up too. I don't have any advice because he wakes up every two to three hours also. Sometimes I can rub his belly or just snuggle him and he'll fall back to sleep but usually I have to nurse him.
I'd love to hear more suggestions.


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## AnamCara (Dec 1, 2006)

DS is squirmy when trying to get to sleep and when he needs to pee. It wakes me up then I hold him over the potty and he is back to a restful sleep when he finishes...almost before he finishes









Might try EC...might help, might not.


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