# This has to end. (Warning a long venting post)



## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

My DD will be 14 months tommorrow. I never, ever imagined that we'd still be here, with no progress almost a year later.

My MIL tells me that my DH didn't sleep through the night at all, until one morning, when he was 14 months old she woke and realized that he hadn't woke up the whole night. She actually called a friend because she was afraid to go in his room for fear that something had happened to him!

I guess, deep down, I thought that she would do the same thing. But on the eve of 14 months, she isn't doing any better than she has in the past year. Last night she actually woke every single hour. Yes, that's right. Every single hour. My DH tried to help but she just thrashed and screamed until I got up and moved to the futon with her.

I have long since reached the end of my rope. I've been sick a week out of every month since September. I am depressed. I am unable to focus on work and have been reprimanded a few times for it. I want to scream at anyone who talks about being tired because they have no clue what tired is.

This frequent night nursing is ruining our nursing relationship. Her latch has gotten so bad at night, that I have welts and am in pain everytime she nurses, day or night. I feel like I have no personal space and that makes me feel bad, too. Like I'm not doing a good enough job because I can't just put up with it. I want to scream everytime she asks to nurse.

She has all of her teeth. She isn't sick. She doesn't have allergies- we've done every elimination diet/envionment purge imaginable. She eats all organic fruits, veggies and soups with very little processed foods. We clean with all-natural GSE and launder with clear detergent. We also vaccum every other day to keep things clean. She nurses frequently during the day. She is worn/carried a lot and responded to immeadiately when she needs us. She goes to playgym 3 days a week so she gets her energy out. We take walks everyday that isn't too cold and keep the blinds open all day so she gets enough sun. We keep the room dark at night. We have white noise machine going all night to eliminate outside sounds. I don't know what else it could be- but a 14 month old waking hourly is NOT NORMAL!

I am trying very hard to be a good, attached parent. But I cannot help but wonder, if parents were meant to do this for their kids, why wouldn't we be equiped to need less sleep. I have been getting 4-5 hours or less of interrupted sleep every night for a year and I can tell you that it isn't enough. We are going to see the Sleep Lady next month. I'm about to the point that I'm ready to try CIO. We have tried everything else and I don't want to make a choice I will regret later, but I just know that I cannot do this anymore. I feel bad, but I can't function and provide a stable, loving and secure home for my daughter anymore.

Thank you for listening (and not flaming me!) If you look through my past posts in this forum you will see that I am not mainstream about nighttime parenting in the least, but my husband and I are falling apart trying to do this.


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## Castle (Aug 29, 2004)

Super big hugs to you. I so know what you're going through. You can read a short history of my stuggles with my DD's sleep issues here:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=238718

Quote:

I want to scream at anyone who talks about being tired because they have no clue what tired is.
Yes! Oh my gosh, back when my DD was waking hourly all night long, my SIL, who has a DS just 1 week younger than my DD, would IM me complaining "DS woke up in the night last night (once). I'm SO tired." Man, I wanted to punch her through the computer. I know for her, she was tired because she was used to sleeping through the night, but there's just no comparison. The worst is that she knew that I was up all night every night, and _still_ would complain when she got woken up once.

Quote:

I don't know what else it could be- but a 14 month old waking hourly is NOT NORMAL!
I know it's hard to hear, but I really think for some kids it is normal. Meaning, some perfectly healthy, happy, normal kids wake hourly just because. It's not anything you're doing wrong, and it's not anything wrong with your DD. That being said, I don't want you to give up hope. It can and will get better.

Now for some suggestions.

She might sleep better with her own space, and you don't need a crib at this point to do that. Put the futon mattress on the floor in your room, or on the floor in another baby safe room. Nurse her to sleep on the futon, then get up and go to your own bed. I found that my daughter really likes her own space when sleeping, and moving her into her own bed made her nightwakings go from every hour, to every two or three hours sometimes. This is difficult to keep up, though, because you have to get out of your bed and move to hers when she wakes, and then back to yours again once she's back to sleep.

If you're in an area like mine, it's been really cold lately. I realized that even though my DD seemed warm enough, she still slept so much better when I doubled up her pjs. Also, with the heat on all the time during the day, the air has been getting really dry. A humidifier has made the air more comfortable for her, and she sleeps better with it.

And then if you're still really desperate, and you feel like your DD can physically go without night nursings you could try nightweaning her. See the above link for my nightweaning experience. My DD is older than yours, 18 months, but nightweaning her now has been life-saving. In just 1 week she went from waking hourly to sleeping from 8:30 pm - 5:00 am without even rustling once. And you can do it without CIO. (CIO in my opinion is leaving a child alone to cry.) For me it was important for me to feel DD was showing signs of being ready before I nightweaned her, but if you're in such a bad state that your relationship with her is really starting to suffer, you have to do what's best for your family all around.

Good luck! I really hope you find something that helps you.


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## ShadowMom (Jun 25, 2004)

She has ALL of her teeth? Are you sure? The reason I'm asking is because I think some people think of the 2nd year and third year molars, and canine teeth, as something that comes in later... if she already has these, I apologize for doubting you







But if not, she's probably still teething.

My DS has all 4 of his canine teeth coming through now, so I'm just waiting on those last 4 molars! I'm still convinced I will get some sleep after that!

Sorry you're so tired. {{{HUGS}}} Hang in there, mama, things are going to get better!!


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## eminer (Jan 21, 2003)

It is normal -- but not fun!!! -- for a 14-month-old to wake every hour. 14 months was one of the two hardest times I had with my dd. I don't know if it is similar for you in other respects, but I suddenly felt like I didn't know her yet she needed me constantly. You listed all the physical stuff, except growth spurt (which is a possibility), and it's great that you've thought through all of that (though unfortunate that none of it worked). But to me, all of 1yo is fair game for some harrowing periods of *mental* change, e.g. language and sense of self, with the exact ages varying from child to child. As you have probably noticed reading here, it seems that virtually everyone goes through one or more periods of extremely frequent and annoying night nursing -- plus extremely frequent and annoying everything else (where is the rueful smile smilie?) -- at some time during 1yo.

Have you tried getting her to nurse more during the day? Sometimes they will make up for what is lacking during the day (even if they are too busy to ask for it) by nursing at night.

You wrote, "But I cannot help but wonder, if parents were meant to do this for their kids, why wouldn't we be equiped to need less sleep. I have been getting 4-5 hours or less of interrupted sleep every night for a year and I can tell you that it isn't enough."

First of all, we were meant to do this in a different kind of context, one with a lot more people around to help and a far less rigid schedule. So (though it sounds like you are already aware of this) you have to take it easy on yourself and feel good about what you have done.

Now: Is there *any way* you can do better than 4-5 hours or less of interrupted sleep without getting your dd to sleep through the night right now? Can you spend more time in bed? Get someone to take care of her while you take a daily, kid-free nap? Get someone to take care of her for several hours on your day off while you catch up on sleep? Get someone else to take care of whatever else is keeping you from sleeping (e.g. housework)? Drop other commitments? Substitute dh with EBM or other forms of comfort part of the night? See a lactation consultant about her latch and what else might be going on with the nursing?

For a lot of babies, this naturally works itself out, or in any case nightweaning becomes easy and gentle as soon as they have the verbal skills and time sense and less physical need. Maybe this is now for your dd, and you would have luck with telling her you can't nurse right now, offering her sippy cups, etc. But if not, it will happen. There are no guarantees about when, but for my dd it was a couple of months before she turned 2. At that point this child who nursed constantly and had had a couple of periods of near-constant night nursing during her second year just changed. She was different then in so many ways, all associated with her suddenly learning to talk (went from a handful of animal sounds at 18 mos to 3-word sentences at 20). btw I do not mean to say that she nightnursed constantly that whole year. There were rough patches and easier ones. I guess I mean to underline that 1YO IS STILL A BABY. We don't really expect that in a culture of 12-month-old weaning, but no, 14mo is not fundamentally different from 11mo for many babies. That doesn't mean it's going to go on forever.

Obviously you are seriously suffering from sleep deprivation, and I hope that you can figure out whatever *you* need to do to get more sleep and make it work with your dd.


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## sleepless-in-texas (Dec 1, 2004)

My dd is 1yo. She has not slept for more than an hour or 2 without waking up in many months. I'd love a 4 or 5 hour stretch! Count your blessings- it could be worse.

You really must get an ocassional baby break. I get dh to take her on field trips once in a while. It's a sanity-saver.


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## homebirthing (Nov 10, 2002)

She was saying that she gets 4-5 hours or less of interrupted sleep.

And it feels like you are talking about my second baby. We did Jay Gordons night weaning and it worked like a charm! After a while anyway. And she needed her own space at that point, where she couldn't smell me or hear me. And then she slept. Now she is three is scared of the dark, so we are starting all over again...


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## Raven67 (Apr 20, 2002)

I feel for you. Your life sounds unbearable, and it doesn't have to be that way. Even Dr. Sears says, if cosleeping isn't working for you, for heaven's sake, don't do it. I don't see how you are doing yourself, your husband or child any favors to keep this schedule up in the holy name of Attachment Parenting. Get yourself a copy of Weissbluth's book, Healthy Sleep, Happy Child. The CIO stuff, you can take it or leave it, you don't have to do CIO...but frankly, I would do whatever it takes to get some sleep. I saw this in my future, and did not want to live like that....I started getting my daughter to sleep through the night around six months. It was a transition from 4-5 nightwakings to 2, then 1, now zero at 14 months. You can do it differently. Kids need their sleep and parents do to....do something about this now, before you go insane.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Too Busy*
My DD will be 14 months tommorrow. I never, ever imagined that we'd still be here, with no progress almost a year later.

My MIL tells me that my DH didn't sleep through the night at all, until one morning, when he was 14 months old she woke and realized that he hadn't woke up the whole night. She actually called a friend because she was afraid to go in his room for fear that something had happened to him!

I guess, deep down, I thought that she would do the same thing. But on the eve of 14 months, she isn't doing any better than she has in the past year. Last night she actually woke every single hour. Yes, that's right. Every single hour. My DH tried to help but she just thrashed and screamed until I got up and moved to the futon with her.

I have long since reached the end of my rope. I've been sick a week out of every month since September. I am depressed. I am unable to focus on work and have been reprimanded a few times for it. I want to scream at anyone who talks about being tired because they have no clue what tired is.

This frequent night nursing is ruining our nursing relationship. Her latch has gotten so bad at night, that I have welts and am in pain everytime she nurses, day or night. I feel like I have no personal space and that makes me feel bad, too. Like I'm not doing a good enough job because I can't just put up with it. I want to scream everytime she asks to nurse.

She has all of her teeth. She isn't sick. She doesn't have allergies- we've done every elimination diet/envionment purge imaginable. She eats all organic fruits, veggies and soups with very little processed foods. We clean with all-natural GSE and launder with clear detergent. We also vaccum every other day to keep things clean. She nurses frequently during the day. She is worn/carried a lot and responded to immeadiately when she needs us. She goes to playgym 3 days a week so she gets her energy out. We take walks everyday that isn't too cold and keep the blinds open all day so she gets enough sun. We keep the room dark at night. We have white noise machine going all night to eliminate outside sounds. I don't know what else it could be- but a 14 month old waking hourly is NOT NORMAL!

I am trying very hard to be a good, attached parent. But I cannot help but wonder, if parents were meant to do this for their kids, why wouldn't we be equiped to need less sleep. I have been getting 4-5 hours or less of interrupted sleep every night for a year and I can tell you that it isn't enough. We are going to see the Sleep Lady next month. I'm about to the point that I'm ready to try CIO. We have tried everything else and I don't want to make a choice I will regret later, but I just know that I cannot do this anymore. I feel bad, but I can't function and provide a stable, loving and secure home for my daughter anymore.

Thank you for listening (and not flaming me!) If you look through my past posts in this forum you will see that I am not mainstream about nighttime parenting in the least, but my husband and I are falling apart trying to do this.


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## coleslaw (Nov 11, 2002)

My dd went through separation anxiety when she was this age and so did some of her friends. Also, at this age, my dd was getting 8 teeth - all canines and molars - and that was early, so I agree with whoever questioned that your child had all of her teeth. So between the teeth and the sep anxiety, my dd woke up quite frequently too.

Now that I went through that, I realize I have no advice. I had her in her room at that point because I didn't want to co-sleep (I was a silly stubborn person back then) but I learned to bring her closer and started co-sleeping some time shortly after this age. That's what worked for us, but it only helped in that I could sleep through the nursing. We didn't have a latch problem. Definitely get that checked out through LLL or a LC.

If it helps, my dd has now learned to sleep through the night, but she's 4.

I try not to remember these nights as I am having a baby soon and fight wondering what I am in for with this one, but I really do feel for you. I hope you find a solution that you and your baby can live with (and sleep with!).


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## gethane (Dec 30, 2003)

I really sympathize with you, though I have no advice. My son is also 14 months and I'm a walking zombie. Last night he went to bed at 8:30 and was up at 9:15, 10:30, 12:00, 1:15, 2;30 - 4:00 (awake for that whole time), 6:00, 7:15. I was enraged at the 90 minute wide awake time. As I told my husband, I can function on 4 hours of sleep, not well, but i can function, but not 2.5 hours. Or not 4 horus of sleep for 14 months. My boobs feel raw in the morning. Raw, and empty.

I don't know what to do either. I co-slept with my older three kids and they SLEPT, while co-sleeping. This little guy just doesn't. He's not a happy camper in the day, or at night.


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

Thank you for your advice and sympathy... I will definately try to get to an LLL meeting... Do they let mamas with Toddlers to the regular meetings? I am a corporate WAHM, which means I have to work 8-5 and the only toddler meeting in my area is during work hours







I don't even know when this bad latch started... it just feels like I can always feel her teeth, KWIM?

As for napping, unfortunately, I really don't get to nap. My DD is still pretty high needs... she won't let my DH (who is the SAHP) cook in the evening, so when I am done working at 5, he cooks dinner, we feed her and then she plays and goes to sleep. We don't eat until 7-8 pm, after she is in bed and then we have some "alone" time (I have made this a priority because we were having lots of trouble without some time each day to talk, etc). I usually get to bed between 10-11pm because that time is interrupted with wakings. Then it takes a while to fall asleep because of the wakings and I end up with very little sleep. It just feels like a neverending cycle.

We do get help sometimes, but we live 3-4 hours away from family so it is hard. But when our parents stay for weekends, they take her in the morning and let us sleep in. That is heavenly! I cannot explain how wonderful that feels









She sleeps on a futon in our room, so I can lie down and nurse her and I can hear her cry out. When I finally fall asleep, often I do so deeply that I wouldn't hear her on a monitor, plus I like having her in our room. When she wakes I nurse her and sometimes stay with her on the futon, but usually I go back into my bed. She thrashes around in her sleep alot and just doesn't do well and wakes even more when I am there, it seems.

Ahhhh, thank you for understanding. We are trying so hard to do this her way, but I feel like our family is way out of balance. It feels like slipping into a dark hole with nothing to hold onto. We're rethinking our convictions and trying to come to terms with whether or not we need to persue other options that we would not have considered before. I'm sorry that there are others feeling this way as well.

Thank you for understanding and reading my sleepy rambling.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

There are no restrictions on going to LLL meetings. Anyone that is interested in breastfeeding can go. If you are nursing, it doesn't matter how old your child is. You are absolutely welcome. We have women and children as old as 3 or 4 who are nursing who come to our LLL meetings.


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## sleepless-in-texas (Dec 1, 2004)

I'm sorry I misunderstood. I thhink my sleep-deprived brain isn't firing all its pistons.

We also have no family near. But we found a high school aged girl who is wonderful and we hire her to come play/care for dd while we get work done and take a break, nak
And dd NAPS for her!!! Go figure.


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## MsMoMpls (Oct 22, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Too Busy*
My DD is still pretty high needs... she won't let my DH (who is the SAHP) cook in the evening.... We are trying so hard to do this her way, but I feel like our family is way out of balance. It feels like slipping into a dark hole with nothing to hold onto. We're rethinking our convictions and trying to come to terms with whether or not we need to persue other options that we would not have considered before.


This seems pretty out of balance. Like AP gone bad. Please take better care of you. Don't throw out your convictions, but she isn't an infant any more, it is time to make some adjustments. At this age you can do a bit of baby "training". It seems like you getting some sleep is priority number one. Nothing else matters until that happens. So start working on something other than nursing for sleep. Maybe you and dh can split the night. Try and have him settle her for the first two or three hours and then you take over. Funny with my Joey- he never slept very well until I got pregnant and then very motivated to get things working better. I also made it clear to dh that once I had the baby, he was going to be responsible for ds#2 at night... well he got motivated as well. Joey has slept through the night mostly since Zach was born and if he does wake, dh goes to him and settles him. He has slept better in his own bed, and once I night weaned. DS #3 is doing a bit better, he nurses 3-4 times at night but I am already working on nursing just a bit, to settle him and then talking, soothing him back to sleep. Don't feel guilty for taking care of yourself, you sound pretty miserable. Taking care of you, is taking care of her.


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## OnTheFence (Feb 15, 2003)

: I better get this on.

When my youngest son approached a year I began night weaning using the Jay Gordon method. It worked and its something I don't regret. My husband had to take over the night time issues for awhile but it brought us much needed sleep and a rest for my tired boobies. When nursing is not enjoyable for you, then its time to do something different. If you night wean its not going to be detrimental, it may be beneficial to all of you actually.

My four year old has begun to have some serious sleep issues the past few months and so I have really been digging deep about sleep, healthy sleep, and what I have come across is that most babies, unless they have health problems, neurological problems or were premies can begin sleeping 6-8 hours or more a night by six months old straight, and sleep 10-12 hours straight by a year old. (this is based on research and sleep studies mind you)

I was recently at my son's psychiatrist office, who has worked with children and adoloscents for 20 years and he told me something that gave me a lot of pause to think about. He said that in 20 years of practice working with children and adults, he has NEVER had a child come in with learning, behavioral or emotional problems because a child was taught to sleep through the night. He said and let me quote "I've never had a patient say 'Dr. **** my mother let me cry it out or sleep trained me and it has screwed me up for life." He did however tell my husband and I that young children, going back to a year old show behavioral problems, growth problems, learning problems, and even eating problems when they do not get enough sleep, continuous sleep at night, or have lots of night wakings. He told us that he has had thousands of parents and children in his office with sleep issues and that often times encouraging sleep, sleep training often made some behavioral problems and learning problems completely disappear once the child began to be getting the proper sleep. So after our meeting, and with his suggestion I bought the "Ferber" book to "ferberize" my four year old. (he said he used it when his child was 3)

I was quite embarrassed to be going into a bookstore, obviously pregnant, buying the CIO book. I wanted to scream at the cashier "I swear I am not doing this to my baby, I cosleep, I breastfeed!" and I got out of there as quickly as I went in. That afternoon while my younger children napped I read Ferber's book. And you know what its not "evil" and there is a lot more to it than what some here would describe as "CIO". There is a lot of great information in the book. Now I personallly disagree with his views on cosleeping, but there are great points in there about sleep disturbance and cosleeping, etc. He also doesn't even recommend CIO (and personally I thought the method wasnt as bad as what I had read in articles online and in magazines) until a child is 6 months old. There was an abundance of great information about how long children should sleep per day, getting a toddler and preschooler to sleep, conquering sleep issues that do/can develop and determining whether your child has legitimate needs verses manipulating you and it being more of a discipline issue.

So for the last three nights we have been "ferberizing" our four year old. I can tell you there has been no crying, no screaming, no tantrums from this child that often did this for hours each night refusing to go to bed, and he has been sleeping through the night. With a 14m old you would surely have to handle things differently, and by no means am I recommending CIO or "ferberizing" but I really found some of the man's suggestions not much different than the Happiest Baby On The Block or Jay Gordon's book on night weaning. (which I think would work for you best with such a little toddler) I wish you lots of luck. I know its hard to not feel guilt, because I do all the time, but after talking to our psychiatrist and family therapist, I've come to realize that healthy sleep habits, sleeping through the night is something that both children and parents need.

{{{HUGS}}}}


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## coleslaw (Nov 11, 2002)

There is also no "No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. I know people who have loved this book and it worked for them. Disclaimer: It didn't work for me, but she had food intolerances and stuff beyond what any book could help with. Good Luck!


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## bratmobile (Jun 30, 2004)

i have no advice only







ds is the same. every hour. and 14 months. its insanity right? how much patience can you have? well, he only woke 4 times last night so i feel ok today.


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## Village Mama (Jul 22, 2004)

Hi! This sounds so much like my first son. What finally worked for us was my partner taking him and taking all responsibility for the nighttime routine. I was pregnant at the time and could not unlatch my little guy. He would wake up so often throughout the night. I was happy to have the extra bed space !
I had always nursed my son to sleep as well so we had to start a whole different routine. We got a double bed for "his room" and my partner went in and read stories and slept in the bed with him. If there was the chance he would slip back into our room. ( my son is quite thirsty at night too, so he often needs a drink of water) This went very smoothly in my opinion. Now at three and a half he sleeps by himself in his room happily. Different personalities though... I have a very easy nightime nursing/ and sleeping relationship with my other son who is 16 months old.
Good luck! And sweet dreams


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## Sofiamomma (Jan 4, 2002)

I'm going to jump in here with an unpopular opinion, but it is what has worked for me. I initially tried to follow AP tenets to the "letter of the law" and it tripped me up. I didn't pay attention to those things that were different or didn't fit with my family. I kept trying to do things and kept hoping would work. I also did not realize that my approach should change as she got older. Dr. Sears' books have some great stuff about nightweaning and about how attachment parenting changes with an older babe. They can begin to handle some frustration, and their wants and needs are no longer one and the same. They begin to have wants that are not needs and you can begin to balance their needs more with your own. I did my own version of "crying it out" with both my girls and I absolutely do not regret it. It was the right decision for me and mine and it greatly improved our lives.

What I did, when dd1 was 13 months, and dd2 was about 8-9 months, was to go in when they first woke and pat them back down, say it was her bedtime, not mine, and I'd be to bed later, night night, I love you, I'll just be in the next room, etc. Then I would go in the next room and let them fuss/cry a little and listen to how they sounded (Dr. Sears' "Baby as barometer" idea) and if they were winding down I'd stay out, but if they were escalating I'd go back in. I also paid attention to how they acted the next day. If they were clingy I'd know not to push and if they were fine I'd know we were okay. They never did get clingy. They wanted me there, but did not *need* me there, and I needed to be up doing my own thing and I needed uninterrupted sleep, so the other thing I did was to begin nightweaning and to tell them it's not time yet (a little older for this 18 and 15 months) and keep adjusting until we were at a schedule I could handle at each stage.

I also wanted to point you to kellymom.com. That site has some great info on what to do about chewed upon nipples!


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

I just wanted to say we are going through the same thing, nothing is wrong with her, she wakes now more at night than any other time, they only thing that will calm her is nursing. It's getting worse not better, oh she's 16 months.

I really like us all being together at night but I can't do it anymore, I'm a lousy mother I can't parent on so little sleep. We talk about night weaning all the time, I think we just need to commit to it. I'm so torn if she crys the whole house it up, I can't deal with that, but then I can't deal with this either.

Hugs and luck
Patience


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## LongLiveLife (Nov 5, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Too Busy*
I am trying very hard to be a good, attached parent. But I cannot help but wonder, if parents were meant to do this for their kids, why wouldn't we be equiped to need less sleep.


We _were_ meant to do this, with the help of our mothers, sisters, and neighbors... without jobs to wake up and get ready for at the crack of dawn... without the pressures of a society that marginalizes the impact a baby has on family and expects mothers to squeeze the baby into an exsisting lifestyle, and nurturing baby when it doesn't interfere with feeling good and looking good.
You're a natural mommy in an unnatural world, fighting against a strong current.

My daughter also wakes up hourly, but she's only 5 months old- and I already feel like I'm going to lose it. Not only is 5 or 6 hours not enough, but the quality of those hours is bad b/c you never really get into that deep REM sleep.
I'm only coping b/c I can sleep in late on days when my older daughter doesn't have school.

*I can't imagine doing this and having to get up in the morning for work.*

I can't give you much advice, except to say that ITA with those who have said to be flexible and consider relaxing your strict AP standards if it saves your sanity. Whatever decision you make will be the right one, because you've already proven your strength and your dedication to doing what is best for your daughter. You are obviously not a selfish woman, so don't be afraid that your decision will be selfish.

I also wanted to say that moms like you, who are so devoted to AP and then GET UP AND GO TO WORK absolutely amaze me!
I don't think I would have the strength to do what you do.


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## Tuesday (Mar 3, 2003)

Hugs to you Busy Mom, first of all. I have a 20 month old DS who is not a great sleeper and it is very hard to function at times especially if you've got to get up and work in the "adult world". I can understand your frustration.

I've got no advice, unfortunately. I just thought I'd mention - my DS has been going up and down in his sleep patterns. We seem to go for 2 weeks where he may wake every 2 or 3 hours and more frequently after 4 a.m. Then, suddenly, for whatever reason, one night he will will wake every 60 -45 minutes. Sometimes, I think it's because he is teething, having a growth spurt or perhaps, like mostly recently, he is feverish and is ill. There are many days where I wake every 60 minutes through the night and just when I think I am going to go crazy, he starts waking every 3 hours and I get a break. I co-sleep with DS in my bed and this helps my sleeping. We have a fan on for white noise too.

At 14 months and then around 18 months, I've noticed DS having particularly tough time sleeping. Like I said, we go in cycles - it's never perfect and I envy moms with different babies but he is what he is ....

I read anthropologist Meredith Small's Our Babies, Ourselves and my impression was that infants and young children have short sleep cycles until they are around 4 or 5 years old. Obviously, every child is different. I have friends whose kids all slept 8 hours straight by 1 month, 6 months, 1 year. On the other hand, I know women like me who have children that wake frequently. I find the lack of sleep brain numbing but what I tell myself is I can and will get through this because eventually we will all be sleeping regularly again and the sleepless red-eyed days and nights will be a blurry memory (like most of my struggles).

My MIL will tell me that DS should be sleeping through the night and I just ignore her. She seems to love to tell me about DH and his siblings all being "such great sleepers". IT's all very absurd because he is NOT a "good sleeper" now and my MIL suffers from insomnia. So, I'm just curious why she thinks it's important to drill this fact into my head.

In any case, I hope somehow you get through the next months. I suspect things will eventually get better .... it's just getting through those days isn't it. I feel like so many days I am a zombie but I know when DS is older, I'll be wishing he was still a sweet little toddler and I'll barely remember how tired and cranky I was. That's what I keep telling myself !!!


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## Ellien C (Aug 19, 2004)

So let me just say that I night-weaned MUCH earlier than 14 months. I did have to get up and go to work, but so what if I didn't?

You DO NOT need to be a martyr to be a good AP mom. You need to be a master and balancing EVERYONE's needs. This includes you as a wife and you as a daughter or neighbor as well. So get creative, think outside the box and look inside youseself for what you need to do. Maybe this means night-weaning and maybe it means something else. But the answer for you is inside yourself. You don't need to follow some arbitrary AP "rules." They don't exist. There are plenty of traditional cultures that help babes along their way to independence. There are plenty of animal models where the mothers shoo the young away. They just do what comes naturally and don't overthink it ya know?

I'm not trying to be harsh here - but to give you some confidence to move outside of something that doesn't seem to be working. There's a whole lot of middle ground between total CLW (including at night) and CIO (which are different animals, but you get the picture). Once you know what you to do, come back and ask for suggestions on how to implement it. We'll be here.


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## Treasuremapper (Jul 4, 2004)

Yeah, sadly, for some kids waking up that much is normal. My first dd woke up that much and she didn't start sleeping through the night on most nights until she was two and a half years old.

The thing that helped us the most to reduce the nightwakings (this did not eliminate them, but it cut them down by almost two thirds) was to make sure that she was very comfortable. Here is what we did:

1. A big snack right before bed (followed by the last day's toothbrushing, of course). This was something filling and easy to digest, and required us to move her biggest meal of the day to 4pm with smaller portions at dinner. The snack was usually Earth's Best Plums, Bananas and Rice or a banana or applesauce or a slice of whole wheat bread. Bland and filling.

2. We kept a sippy cup of ice water by the bed and always offered that first before nursing. Yes, she fussed at first, but this cut way down on the length of nursing as well as the number of wakings.

3. Temperature: a) Cool air in the room, even if it sent our AC bill through the roof.
b) Warm, soft pajamas with socks on her feet. The combination of soft warm pajamas (we love Hanna Andersson baby zippers http://www.hannaandersson.com) and cool air made a big difference.

4. Put all the dogs in the garage so their barking would not wake her up. If there is some noise that is waking your child up, figure out what it is and reduce or eliminate or mask it.

5. In our family, dh was a major insomniac and was a big part of the problem because he woke up off and on all night long and then crept (not nearly as quietly as he imagined) around the house, in and out of the bed, etc., repeatedly waking her up. He broke this habit when he realized it was driving everyone else crazy. Now he sleeps better than ever.

6. Soft, soft sheets and blankets. We use one hundred percent cotton jersey knit sheets, which feel like an old soft Tshirt.

7. Plenty of room on the bed. In our case, we have a kingsized mattress on the floor with a single mattress on the floor right next to it. That way, Gracie gets to snuggle up to her parents but she has her own comfortable space.

8. If, by some fluke, she takes a nap in the afternoon, I would wake her up if the nap went past 4pm, even if that meant she was cranky for the rest of the day. If we didn't do that, she would be up during the night, and then the horrible cycle would continue for a week. If you are working during the day, your child's care provider might be enjoying a late afternoon nap for your child that is wreaking havoc on your nighttime routine.

That's all I can think of right now. I think you might be amazed how big a difference this stuff makes, almost overnight, especially the snack/sippy cup thing. A lot of my children's night nursing was due to hunger and thirst. My mother said that in the sixties with her kids, there was a saying "feed them, don't wean them." I have to say that it seems to work.

Good luck.


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## Treasuremapper (Jul 4, 2004)

Oh, I just remembered something else. After my second daughter was born, my dh took over a lot of the older daughter's nightwakings. We shared the time awake in the middle of the night, which helped me to get some sleep. DH would put her in a stroller (A BOB, which is a jogger with full suspension) and walk her until she fell asleep. I realize that this plan requires a partner, a good jogger, and a safe neighborhood, but it did help us.


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## Hope'smom (Mar 3, 2003)

I didn't get a chance to read all the other responses--but consider some other things, too.
You said that she is not sick or teething or allergic--but what about something along the lines of silent reflux?
It's just a thought. My first dd suffered (and I mean suffered) through silent reflux and sleep problems often accompany reflux. It's just a suggestion, and maybe not the answer.

The other thing is this: try a homeopathic remedy called pulsatilla.
It's a bit of a catch-all remedy when it comes to infants--and can be used for any ailment from sleep issues, to teething, to crankiness (yes, crankiness), etc.
Homeopathic remedies do not have the side effect concerns of main stream meds, and you can probably buy it at your local health food store--or even some main stream stores, like Wal-Mart.

We use a homeopath instead of a mainstream ped. and family doc and it has made all the difference in the health and well-being of our kids and ourselves.

In fact, the latest issue of Mothering magazine has the VERY BEST article when it comes to homeopathic remedies for common colds and flu that I've seen in a long time. And we've been seeing a homeopathic doc for years now.

Best of luck---my ds is 14 months, too--and still nurses and has yet to ever sleep through the night...and I stay home with him and my dd--and ever since they were both born, I would swear that I am losing my short-term memory due to lack of sleep. I probably am, to some degree, but I swear homeopathic remedies help the kids and me, too!


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## WriterMama (Mar 27, 2002)

Here's a link to Dr. Gordon's advice: http://www.drjaygordon.com/ap/sleep.htm


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## Mindy70 (Nov 1, 2004)

Just wanted to add that when dd was 14 mths, we too did the Jay Gordon Night weaning. It worked great, and within a few weeks she was sleeping through the night w/o nursing. Actually, sooner than that, though she would still have setbacks and wake up wanting to nurse, but I stayed consistent and she only fussed for a few minutes.

REally, you have to give it a try. Be prepared to hold her the first time you refuse the boobie, because she will be pretty mad and suprised, but you will be right there with her. DD cried perhaps 20 minutes the first night, maybe 10 the second night, and just a few the third night when she wanted nummies. After that, she "got it" and really was much happier during the day- and so was I.


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## fuller2 (Nov 7, 2004)

Re: night weaning--my son was similar to your baby, and one day when he was about 16 months old I just said, "Okay, enough. We're nightweaning now." And you know what? It was WAY less traumatic than I imagined. Granted, a pacifier really helped, but after a few nights of him sitting up and yelling "NA NA!!!" and crying for a few seconds he was fine. AND, he immediately started sleeping longer, for 3-4 hours stretches instead of 1-2 hours. He still wakes 1 or 2 times a night now at 22 months (though even those seem to be on their way out, knock on wood) but I just say Na-na is sleeping, cuddle him or give him the pacifier, and he conks out almost immediately. Now I can even just SAY to him, "Go back to sleep, it's OK," and he lays back down and goes to sleep. I have come to realize that he likes me to be gently 'in charge' as it were, that he expects it and respects it. It's my job, you know?

I also had a friend like you, and at her daughter's 1st birthday she said, Enough! and had her daughter CIO in the crib (where she'd never slept before) while she was there touching her and talking to her, and within 3 days her daughter slept through the night. My friend, who really had been almost psuchotic with sleep deprivation, said she just felt like an idiot. "Why didn't I do this before???" Now she has a second and this kid at 6 months sleeps MUCH better than the first--she didn't make him CIO, but she thinks it's because she just doesn't have as much time to agonize over every little thing or fuss and worry about everything he does, and sometimes, yes, he does get left to cry for a minute or two because she's busy with the other one. When she turns around he's fast asleep. And he's the happiest kid around.

It's OK to make boundaries. You don't have to sacrifice yourself--that is not the point of good mothering! A little bit of crying because of a healthy change at 14 months is not going to hurt your kid. But you being angry and resentful and completely fried with exhaustion could.


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## plantmommy (Jun 7, 2004)

You know, what I did with ds at age 2, being pregnant and exhausted, was similiar to Dr. Jay's suggestions (which I'd never heard of) but something that I did that he doesn't suggest, I think would be very helpful, since babes can't tell time.

I would nurse at will until I was ready for bed, and at that time, he would always wake to nurse. When he woke at that time, I would nurse, and explain that it's time for mommy to sleep after he was done, and that we would not have any more nummies UNTIL IT WAS LIGHT OUT. I think Dr. Jay's idea of 6 am, or any arbitrary hour, would be much harder for baby to "get". This way, babe knows when it's light out, and when it is ok for them to be up and to nurse. It's not hit or miss, keep trying. If he woke and it was still dark, he'd get love and cuddles and rubs and hugs, but no nummies. If he woke and it was light, he'd know it was ok to nurse. So, over the course of a few nights, he learned that if he woke and it was dark, he might as well just cuddle up and go back to sleep.

I might add that for this particular babe, he didn't sleep through the night on his own until he was 5 years old. But he also didn't wake and disturb mommy when he woke up, unless it was just his tossing and turning, after he got the hang of the non-night-nursing. Occasionally he still needed patting, and once he was 3 and going to sleep in his own bed, he would wake during the night, come into our bed, cuddle up and go back to sleep.

His younger sister, otoh, was always a good sleeper and I never needed to do anything like this.


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## jgale (Jan 21, 2003)

No solutions, just more support. I'm in a similar boat. A wise friend whose 3 kids are older (teenagers) told me this when my son was a newborn: breastfeeding is a negotiated relationship. That has been the most helpful thing that anyone has told me on this crazy journey. Parenting is a negotiated relationship. This is our children's first real relationship and they need to know that there are other needs besides their own involved. And there's no need to feel guilty about making changes so that things are working for you (well in theory anyway).

We are getting ready to make some changes at night also--my son is an every 1-2 hour kind of guy too. We haven't decided when or how, so I'm going to keep watching this thread for more ideas.

Good luck and lots of hugs to you. This is so hard. Jessi


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

WOW! So much support and advice! THANK YOU! Truly, I am reading all of these posts and thinking of ways to implement them into our situation to see if they help.

We are 100% certain these wakings are not health-related. No reflux anymore and she does have all but her final molars. It has become very clear over the past two nights that she is rousing, but is not happy about rousing and is unable to fall back to sleep easily. My DH and I have been taking turns with her at night to note what is going on. It is like one moment she is asleep and the next she is rolling around and wide awake. As soon as she is aware of this, she starts to get really angy and sort of throws herself around the futon, rubbing her face into the mattress and then she climbs on top of us and cries into our faces... like she is asking us to help her figure it out.

She isn't nursing back to sleep anymore either. So all of a sudden, in the middle of nursing she will pop of and roll around crying. If I try to latch her on again, she bites, which indicates that she doesn't want anymore. So we are doing Dr.JG's technique to help her find new ways to fall asleep.

We have found that she gets angry if its me soothing her, so my DH is doing most of it. He is better adjusted to his MS meds, so he's not sleeping as deeply as he used to and is able to sleep next to her.

So far she is still waking as much as ever, but she goes back to sleep pretty fast with him. I hope this helps her.

I agree that all babies are different. And I agree that some wake more than others, etc. What I do not agree with is that it is normal for my DD. She is clearly wanting to sleep, but not able. I really think that her rough start kept her from developing a natural sleep pattern and as a result her brain is "used" to waking so much.

Anyway, still here, still sleepy and rambling. Just wanted to post a thank you for all of your thoughtful posts and advice. We're trying everything you've suggested!


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## mainegirl (Jul 13, 2004)

:

I am watching this thread with interest because my 18m old son does not want to sleep at all. He'll get so tired and is obviously exhausted, but if he wakes up the slightest bit (in my arms, being put into bed, being nursed, etc.) he will kick his legs and thrash and shout, "No! No!" until he wakes himself up, then he'll start wailing. It's awful.

I'm considering trying to night-wean because he would stay latched on all night if he could, and to be frank I'm getting awfully sore because as he nods off, he nips. Well, let's be honest. Chomps.

I'm so pooped, most days when I get up for work he's fast asleep and it makes me so mad! He keeps me up all night long then when it's time to get out of bed there he is, cherubic and angelic.

There are days I consider locking myself in the bathroom just so I can try and get some sleep in the bathtub.

- Jen


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## Sofiamomma (Jan 4, 2002)

I'm curious what you mean by "rough start"? Was she a NICU baby? There may be some homeopathic, or naturopathic, or body work things you could try.


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## mosschops (Nov 21, 2003)

I night weaned my first son, Joe at 15 months, I just *couldn't* wake up every hour any more. I felt like i'd lost my soul, let alone my mind!! The ONLY way that we could do it was for me to sleep downstairs for a while (so that I couldn't hear him!) and for dp to do the night parenting. It really only took a few nights, during which time I really looked after dp (cooked the meals, did the cleaning, shopping etc.) so that he could manage on no sleep (!). I was happy to, I was having my first nights sleep in about 18 months!!

I was back at work then, as well.

Noah, my 2nd son, was heading exactly the same way... and d'you what I did? I put him into a cot at 12 months. I don't feel in the least bit guilty, or bad, or less 'ap' (or whatever label) about this, I just feel like I have the benefit of experience that I won't let myself, and him as well, get to the point where we're so tired that we can't even think straight.

I think that a large part of the problem in this situation is that you're so tired that you just can't come up with a solution, you just offer a boob in a desperate attempt to get the sleep that your body and mind is so powerfully craving.







and you're working too??! night wean mama, really.

Good luck - let us all know how you get on!

Steph


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## mainegirl (Jul 13, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mosschops*
I think that a large part of the problem in this situation is that you're so tired that you just can't come up with a solution, you just offer a boob in a desperate attempt to get the sleep that your body and mind is so powerfully craving.







and you're working too??! night wean mama, really.

I realize this was directed at the OP but it sounds EXACTLY like my situation. So I'll consider it for me, too









- Jen!


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## Sofiamomma (Jan 4, 2002)

She says it's not the night nursing, though, that is the problem. It sounds like the babe is nightwaking and can't get back to sleep, nursing or no. Is that right, Too Busy?


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sofiamomma*
She says it's not the night nursing, though, that is the problem. It sounds like the babe is nightwaking and can't get back to sleep, nursing or no. Is that right, Too Busy?

Yes and no... she was waking a million times and I would nurse her back to sleep. That was a problem and then it started taking longer and longer to get her back to sleep and then nursing stopped working.

I tried to post an answer to her "rough start", too... but it disappeared? Anyway, she was born at 37 weeks because of AROM. She wasn't ready to come out and had bad jaundice and couldn't nurse and ended up FTT. So we were wawking her every two hours to eat for 6 weeks before we got her to exclusive breast. And then she started having colic, which turned out to be reflux and would wake with pain constantly. This went on until about 6 months.

When we first brought her home, we were letting her sleep however she wanted, but when her billi levels kept rising, the nurse told us we had to wake her or she would never learn to nurse and would never get her levels down. So we followed instructions to a tee out of lack of knowledge and fear.

Anyway, what we found out from working with an LC around 3 weeks was that we didn't need to keep interrupting her natural sleep pattern to eat. At that point it was too late and she was already up every hour like we had been doing.

Then the reflux kicked up and she was always waking with pain. I know that it could have happened this way anyway, but I truly think she would be a different "sleeper" if things had gone differently. I think that "schedule" we had set the pace and then the reflux ingrained it.

She can put herself to sleep sometimes. I can hear her do it... but it doesn't happen often and at this point sucking is not working anymore. And the poor thing is just lost. We are having some BREAKTHRU success with my DH laying with her and soothing her (She gets too mad with me) but she is still waking nearly every 60-90 minutes and getting mad.

Sorry so long winded. This has just been inside for such a long time and its just so frustrating to want to do what you believe is the right thing, but have it turn out to be different. And now that nursing isn't working... well, this is just crazy.

Thank you for listening to me and trying to help!!!


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## Henry's_Mamma (Jan 23, 2004)

Too Busy ... I've been lurking and I just wanted to offer a







of support as my ds, who is basically the same age as your dd, is at a very similar point. Although I WAH (rather poorly at the moment, I might add), I can't imagine having to be at a "real" job everyday and going through what I/we do. You deserve a







. Hang in there! And let us know if you find something that works!


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## mosschops (Nov 21, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Too Busy*
... And the poor thing is just lost. We are having some BREAKTHRU success with my DH laying with her and soothing her (She gets too mad with me) but she is still waking nearly every 60-90 minutes and getting mad.


This is EXACTLY why i had to sleep downstairs! I just couldn't get J to sleep, because he associated me with nursing. DP could, however, and they got to a point where if he woke dp could 'snuggle' him to sleep on his chest, even, eventually, when we all co-slept, which we did 'till he was three.

J was born at 37 wks too, and had to have an op and had some reflux (although not as extreme as your experiences, you poor things!)

I remember feeling such guilt when dp started the night parenting, such guilt for J, such stress... and then the utter joy when he started to sleep longer stretches... he's still a 'spirited' chap, i've been up with him since 5am this am!! but that's another issue!!

xxx


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## Sofiamomma (Jan 4, 2002)

I'm not really sure exactly what might help, but your idea about her brain being "wired" a certain way has such a strong ring of truth to it. I'll bet you are intuiting exactly what the problem is. It sounds like what you are doing is working, so certainly to keep doing that may be all you need. I just wonder if there are natural and body work things you can try in order to rewire her brain. Things like craniosacral therapy, network spinal analysis (that one seems the most promising and probably quickest, not too expensive either, since she is young), infant massage, homeopathic remedies for fear and for sleep issues to name a few.


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sofiamomma*
I'm not really sure exactly what might help, but your idea about her brain being "wired" a certain way has such a strong ring of truth to it. I'll bet you are intuiting exactly what the problem is. It sounds like what you are doing is working, so certainly to keep doing that may be all you need. I just wonder if there are natural and body work things you can try in order to rewire her brain. Things like craniosacral therapy, network spinal analysis (that one seems the most promising and probably quickest, not too expensive either, since she is young), infant massage, homeopathic remedies for fear and for sleep issues to name a few.

Thanks mama









We have an AWESOME chiro who is very knowledgable about natural rememdies... we have been taking her to him since she was dx with reflux, hoping that it might help, but unfortunately it hasn't really helped us in the areas we've needed it. He's told me that at this age, our options for any herbal therapies to help her sleep are pretty slim. He wouldn't feel comfortable giving us melatonin for her.

We have tried massage and she is just too darn wiggly for it! I remember reading a book about infant massage while I was pregnant and it talked about the author's experience in India with a mama and baby who sat down every day at a certain time for massage and how the baby, no matter how fussy her was would immediately calm when he saw his mom preparing for it. I so longed for this to be my DD :LOL She is not much into hugs or cuddles unless she initiates it.

I have never heard of craniosacral therapy or network spinal analysis... is that something my chiro would know about? Or is it more of a ped thing? We have not been to the ped for a looooong time because we are not vaxing and have had a really hard time finding someone who supports that. And I hate taking her in there if she isn't sick, KIWM?

Thank you!


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## ShadowMom (Jun 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Too Busy*
We are 100% certain these wakings are not health-related. No reflux anymore and she does have all but her final molars. It has become very clear over the past two nights that she is rousing, but is not happy about rousing and is unable to fall back to sleep easily... It is like one moment she is asleep and the next she is rolling around and wide awake. As soon as she is aware of this, she starts to get really angy and sort of throws herself around the futon, rubbing her face into the mattress and then she climbs on top of us and cries into our faces... like she is asking us to help her figure it out...She isn't nursing back to sleep anymore either. So all of a sudden, in the middle of nursing she will pop of and roll around crying. If I try to latch her on again, she bites, which indicates that she doesn't want anymore. So we are doing Dr.JG's technique to help her find new ways to fall asleep.


I'm sorry to be obtuse, but I'm not sure how you can rule out her last two teeth coming in as being the problem. The behaviors you describe are EXACTLY how my DS acts when teething is starting to get really bad (i.e. a tooth is getting close).

Nightweaning might be a good idea even if that's what is going on, but I thought it was odd that you were able to rule it out. If there's a way to find out for sure whether a baby is teething, I would like to know, because I'm PRETTY sure my DS is still teething, but would love to know FOR SURE, if you know what I mean.


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

I can just tell. We have been teething since she was about 3 months old and we've gotten really good at being able to tell when she is teething. There are differences in how she acts when she wakes and the way she cries. She also always tuggs at her ears and rubs her face when she is teething. I know things can change, etc, etc, etc. But suffice to say that I have watched her and been with her for all of her wakings and she is just different now. Its not an in-pain fuss, it is an bona-fide angry cry.

During the teething episodes, she always needed to sleep upright, in the recliner on our chests. And she also gets a very runny nose when she is working on teeth. Neither of these things is true this time.

I didn't mean to sound like I have some secret about teething... I guess I am just confident in knowing that its not her teeth or anything else physical because I've been thru the ringer with her. :LOL


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## Sofiamomma (Jan 4, 2002)

Too Busy, depending on where you are, NSA may be easy or a little tough to find. Your chiro will likely know about it. At this point only chiros can do it. It is a way of teaching the body to realign itself. It works amazingly well with little ones. The office that is closest to me does demonstrations and it is just the most incredible thing. It literally rewires the body, nerves, spinal cord, and therefore, muscles, bones, organs, etc. I'll bet if you Google it, you'd come up with someone near you.

I plan to start with myself and my younger dd in the next few weeks. We've been to a demonstration and had a consultation and a couple of treatments. She had a bit of a rough start herself and I've seen good results even in the two treatments she's had so far.

I know I may come off as some kind of enthusiastic convert, but I'm really not. In fact, it didn't come to mind until I'd read this thread a couple of times. It was your wiring comment that made me think of it.


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## ShadowMom (Jun 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Too Busy*
I can just tell. We have been teething since she was about 3 months old and we've gotten really good at being able to tell when she is teething. There are differences in how she acts when she wakes and the way she cries. She also always tuggs at her ears and rubs her face when she is teething. I know things can change, etc, etc, etc. But suffice to say that I have watched her and been with her for all of her wakings and she is just different now. Its not an in-pain fuss, it is an bona-fide angry cry.

During the teething episodes, she always needed to sleep upright, in the recliner on our chests. And she also gets a very runny nose when she is working on teeth. Neither of these things is true this time.

I didn't mean to sound like I have some secret about teething... I guess I am just confident in knowing that its not her teeth or anything else physical because I've been thru the ringer with her. :LOL

Oh, I totally know what you mean. I tell DH that I can tell DS is in teething pain because of the way he acts when he's about to get a tooth versus just working on a tooth, etc. so I completely understand. I guess it's still possible, but I agree it sounds like you intuitively understand there's something else going on.

Hope the nightweaning continues to work for you! How was last night, btw?


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

Pretty well! She did 2 hours stretches, which is the first time in a LOOOOONG time. She still had a rough patch in the middle of the night when she just didn't want my DH, but it didn't last as long as it has in the past three nights. Then she woke up at 4 and I tried to get her back to sleep, but she kept waking up! Everytime I would get her settled she pop up and start babbling and kissing me. Its hard to be mad when they do that :LOL

But I had to pee and my DH took her and she went right down for him. I am seeing small progress each night. Its basically like getting used to a new routine and she is slowly learning that she can go back to sleep and getting less frustrated. I think its going to take 10-14 days total until we're transitioned completely. Or maybe a little longer... I don't want to rush her.


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