Hallie_D
11-30-2010, 03:45 PM
We are cosleepers and DD has never been a great, or consistent sleeper--she'll go for a couple of weeks sleeping 5-7 hours at a stretch, then revert back to waking every 2-3 hours, usually when she is teething or has achieved a new milestone. We've tried to roll with the punches. At about 13 months we successfully night weaned her, which is how we got to the 7-hour stretches of sleep. A few weeks ago, she started waking up wanting to nurse more frequently, so I assumed she was teething. However, in the past week she has started screaming when we even say the word sleep--and not just crying, we are talking full-on tantrum, screaming at the highest possible volume like she is being stabbed while flailing around whacking us and kicking us. This is when we say, "Time to go to sleep" or when we take her into the bedroom, and persists while DH or I lie next to her rubbing her back, saying soothing words or singing lullabyes. If we let her get up to walk around, she is happy as a clam, sweet and loving.
Although she had been going to sleep awake until a few weeks ago, now the ONLY way she will go to sleep is if I nurse her. However, even if she falls asleep nursing, she will be up again within an hour and goes from asleep to full-on screaming fit instantaneously if she finds herself in bed, and won't settle down unless I nurse her again. Repeat hourly, all night long. I'm either chained to the bed nursing her, or she is screaming, or we just let her get up and play so we can get things done around the house and give our eardrums a rest.
I just can't nurse her all night long anymore. I'm exhausted and sore. I thought she might be teething but if she is these teeth are taking a mighty long time to come through. Night terrors? But she is experiencing what seems to be terror of going to sleep. Hunger? But she eats a big dinner, gets a 4 oz bottle and then nurses until bedtime.
Obviously we can't even try CIO if we wanted to...because this girl has stamina! She screamed nonstop from 8:30 to 10:30 last night, when I tried in vain to get her to fall asleep without nursing AGAIN (she had nursed from 7:15-7:30, fallen asleep, and woken up when we tried to transfer her into bed, and then again from 8:00-8:15, fallen asleep, and woken up the second I tried to get up).
Any advice welcome!!! Thank you!
Although she had been going to sleep awake until a few weeks ago, now the ONLY way she will go to sleep is if I nurse her. However, even if she falls asleep nursing, she will be up again within an hour and goes from asleep to full-on screaming fit instantaneously if she finds herself in bed, and won't settle down unless I nurse her again. Repeat hourly, all night long. I'm either chained to the bed nursing her, or she is screaming, or we just let her get up and play so we can get things done around the house and give our eardrums a rest.
I just can't nurse her all night long anymore. I'm exhausted and sore. I thought she might be teething but if she is these teeth are taking a mighty long time to come through. Night terrors? But she is experiencing what seems to be terror of going to sleep. Hunger? But she eats a big dinner, gets a 4 oz bottle and then nurses until bedtime.
Obviously we can't even try CIO if we wanted to...because this girl has stamina! She screamed nonstop from 8:30 to 10:30 last night, when I tried in vain to get her to fall asleep without nursing AGAIN (she had nursed from 7:15-7:30, fallen asleep, and woken up when we tried to transfer her into bed, and then again from 8:00-8:15, fallen asleep, and woken up the second I tried to get up).
Any advice welcome!!! Thank you!