I’m hoping someone has some advice for me! My 6.5month old son and I have been Co-sleeping almost from day 1.
He just doesn’t seem to be able to connect his sleep cycles at all! He actually feeds 2-3 times a night. But like clock work he wakes, and goes 0-10 hunting for my boob! I always give him a minute to see if he will settle but he escalates quickly.
We’ve had a few things to contend with the last 2 months, other the usual sleep regressions and developmental leaps-we’ve had bugs & colds etc plus the poor thing has had a time of it with his teeth; he’s got 2 bottom and 4 top already, he’s also allergic to ibuprofen so he’s been powering through with calpol. The teething gels and crystals don’t seem to help. It’s been brutal. But now the teeth are through I’m unsure what could be waking him every hour other than just to nuzzle. He wakes with a cry each time and always has done but it’s definitely got worse. Not wanting to make this post too long I’ll include a little backstory incase it’s relavent as im pretty sure I caused this!
He was very poorly when he was born with a very high infection, I had a traumatic Labour and as a result of everything being so far out of my control I was obsessed with breastfeeding successfully & getting my milk in asap after an emergency c-section. I wouldn’t let them formula feed him at the hospital, I spent 72 hours straight expressing tiny droplets of colostrum, as soon as my milk started to appear I hooked myself up to a machine and didn’t come off until I was completely engorged and had enough to feed twins!! I was very ill myself and frightened for my poorly son, so I wasn’t necessarily thinking rationally. I was able to breastfeed successfully, he got better and we were discharged. Only 2 days later we were readmitted with her another infection and i became paranoid my milk would dry up. I expressed and also fed him directly as much as possible and as soon as I got him home I just started co-sleeping. I think partly because I was just so worried he was going to be taken away again and in my delirious head I thought it would strengthen my milk supply. So he was presented with the perfect opportunity to feed and nuzzle all night!!
We are now almost 7 months into our lives together and he is perfect. He’s a fit and healthy 19lb chunk of love, and we still EBF (can you say that when they’ve started solids?! ) and cosleep. However; almost 7 months of 40min chunks of sleep have been manageable (accept during the brutal teething…evil evil teeth!) but its beginning to take its toll.
I’m not expecting him to sleep through the night, he’s doing baby led weaning and is EBF so he will need to feed. But I’d love some 3-4 hour chunks of sleep.
His bedtime routine goes: bath, story, song, feed to sleep. He goes down between 7-7.30 and goes into crib (since 5 months old) and stays there -with me going up to ‘feed’ him as he wakes for his hourly check-in. This continues until I come to bed, then he comes in with me.
I’m happy to keep cosleeping, but it would be wonderful if eventually he just slept through in the crib and my husband can come back to the family bed… I’m hoping that will naturally evolve after he gets longer chunks of sleep.
Any help, advice welcome. How can I help him connect his cycles? Preferably without sleep training … or will he suddenly just get it?
Sorry long post!
He just doesn’t seem to be able to connect his sleep cycles at all! He actually feeds 2-3 times a night. But like clock work he wakes, and goes 0-10 hunting for my boob! I always give him a minute to see if he will settle but he escalates quickly.
We’ve had a few things to contend with the last 2 months, other the usual sleep regressions and developmental leaps-we’ve had bugs & colds etc plus the poor thing has had a time of it with his teeth; he’s got 2 bottom and 4 top already, he’s also allergic to ibuprofen so he’s been powering through with calpol. The teething gels and crystals don’t seem to help. It’s been brutal. But now the teeth are through I’m unsure what could be waking him every hour other than just to nuzzle. He wakes with a cry each time and always has done but it’s definitely got worse. Not wanting to make this post too long I’ll include a little backstory incase it’s relavent as im pretty sure I caused this!
He was very poorly when he was born with a very high infection, I had a traumatic Labour and as a result of everything being so far out of my control I was obsessed with breastfeeding successfully & getting my milk in asap after an emergency c-section. I wouldn’t let them formula feed him at the hospital, I spent 72 hours straight expressing tiny droplets of colostrum, as soon as my milk started to appear I hooked myself up to a machine and didn’t come off until I was completely engorged and had enough to feed twins!! I was very ill myself and frightened for my poorly son, so I wasn’t necessarily thinking rationally. I was able to breastfeed successfully, he got better and we were discharged. Only 2 days later we were readmitted with her another infection and i became paranoid my milk would dry up. I expressed and also fed him directly as much as possible and as soon as I got him home I just started co-sleeping. I think partly because I was just so worried he was going to be taken away again and in my delirious head I thought it would strengthen my milk supply. So he was presented with the perfect opportunity to feed and nuzzle all night!!
We are now almost 7 months into our lives together and he is perfect. He’s a fit and healthy 19lb chunk of love, and we still EBF (can you say that when they’ve started solids?! ) and cosleep. However; almost 7 months of 40min chunks of sleep have been manageable (accept during the brutal teething…evil evil teeth!) but its beginning to take its toll.
I’m not expecting him to sleep through the night, he’s doing baby led weaning and is EBF so he will need to feed. But I’d love some 3-4 hour chunks of sleep.
His bedtime routine goes: bath, story, song, feed to sleep. He goes down between 7-7.30 and goes into crib (since 5 months old) and stays there -with me going up to ‘feed’ him as he wakes for his hourly check-in. This continues until I come to bed, then he comes in with me.
I’m happy to keep cosleeping, but it would be wonderful if eventually he just slept through in the crib and my husband can come back to the family bed… I’m hoping that will naturally evolve after he gets longer chunks of sleep.
Any help, advice welcome. How can I help him connect his cycles? Preferably without sleep training … or will he suddenly just get it?
Sorry long post!