Boykinbaby Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I know sleep is a major biggie right now but I just can't seem to get the hours needed! my little girl is 7 months and exclusively breastfed so she wakes up anywhere from every 1-5 hours at night with little routine in the span from night to night. i'm hoping my diet will help her system regulate better but right now i'm either rested or exhausted! add to it that she's already crawling and pulling up on furniture and she's got me running ragged by 8 pm when we both start winding down. I would take naps when she does(thankfully im a stay at home mom) but i've never been able to nap during the day and there is no telling how long she'll stay down either. tips, advice, or simple commiseration welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hojo Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Unrelated to whole30 but your child would benefit greatly from a schedule. I recommend Babywise or a similar book that teaches a routine and napping schedule. I have three children and they were all sleeping by 8 weeks of age through the night. I am not super mom, I simply implemented the suggestions and it works for me and many many people I know. You may have a tougher time training her because she is so much older but it will still help. It also regulates napping so that you get a great 2-3 hour nap from her every afternoon. It can be done. Hang in there, do some research and study and try some new things. You need to take care of you as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser179 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Having a napping/night time routine is critical for getting good sleep patterns. I didn't follow BabyWise but I did create a set routine that we followed on a regular basis with very good results. That being said, not every baby wants to nap on a regular basis, but it is worth a try! I'm sure being exclusively breastfed is contributing to the waking for feedings too. Every mom has to do what is right for her and what is right for her baby; however have you thought of introduing some solid foods? That would probably help with night time hunger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The Baby Whisperer book helped me immensely. I poo-poo'd schedules for kids until my son's daycare put him on one and it was like the sun finally came out after 9 months. We were ALL happier, including my son. It's worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethany Lannon Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 My baby is only 3 months old but I made some sort of connection to her feeding schedule and to her sleep habits... I noticed that I had become somewhat lazy in feeding her. If she was sleeping in in the morning, I let her sleep. If we had approached the 3-hour mark from her last feeding and it was time to feed her again, but she was still asleep, I'd let her sleep, sometimes going 4 hours between feedings. But she would wake up consistently every 3 hours to eat at night. So, I got the thought that maybe her appetite schedule was reversed. I started waking her at a consistent time every morning for her first feeding. And I stuck as close to 3 hours as possible in between feedings through the day. It seemed as if she was able to go longer than the 3-hour timeframe during the day, but couldn't do it at night. So I thought that if I kept her consistent at every 3 hours during the day, then maybe her nighttime feedings would spread out. After a couple days of a strict daytime feeding schedule, her nighttime feedings became more spaced out and she started sleeping through the night. Yay! I second the Babywise book. I used it with my son and re-read it before my daughter was born. Its definitely a sanity-saver. Beyond that, as far as what you can do NOW to help with sleep, I would suggest doing your best to make sure you take a nap (or at least rest quietly while laying down) when she naps. Its difficult for me to nap too, but sometimes I just would have to force it. I definitely understand where you're coming from. Best of luck, dear... and lots of hugs to you! I know those nights of lack of sleep add up very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boykinbaby Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Thanks for all the tips. She's almost 8 months now and already cruising along furniture and smoothly pulling herself to standing, and has been for almost a full month already! She is very active, as you can imagine. In addition she is working on her two upper front teeth and they are taking their sweet time breaking through. I will look into those books, though i am not on board with simply letting her cry it out just yet. At least i'm almost 2/3 of the way through my 1st W30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser179 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Awww 8 months is such a fun age! I hear ya about those teeth taking their sweet ole time I have not read BabyWise, but my understanding was that book focuses on creating routines and a schedule to help with napping and sleeping through the night. I don't think it focuses on letting them "cry it out", but others can comment on how the book addresses that subject. I personally would not let my daughter "cry it out" if I knew she was teething or something else was amiss; HOWEVER we certainly did go through rough spots when she simply did not want to go to bed. This issue is somewhat separate from creating a strong schedule. During those rough spots (when not teething) I did use the Ferber method which includes some "cry it out time". It was tough for a couple of days but did produce great results. Just wanted to clarify on schedule vs cry it out. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yummymumma Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Don't CIO. This is completely normal- but it does suck. I think part of it is acceptance. There will be times in your life when you get lots of sleep. Now is not one of them. It's part of having babies- part of being there for them. I had a very attached nurser in my DD1. She nursed often in the night, up til over two years old. It was hard. My new DD, who is only 7 weeks, only nurses once or twice in the night. We co sleep, but I don't encourage night waking ... if she's moving around or grunting, I wait til it gets definitive before I respond. I hope her trend continues, but even now, I am TIRED ALL THE TIME. Hoping my Whole30 helps with SOME of that.... but, it's just a tired chapter Remember, the benefits are worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleomama117 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Depending on your comfort level with it you could try co-sleeping. My son is 6.5 months old and there have been very few days over those 6.5 months were I've been a zombie because we always manage to get enough sleep. And he nurses 3-4 times a night. It's definitely something you have to do your own research on and become comfortable with. I know the media really freaks people out about it but it is a safe practice when done correctly. I'd recommend checking out Dr. Sears website if you're really interested in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherw Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I just wanted to commiserate. I couldn't even tell you how the whole30 has affected my sleep yet because my youngest has some food intolerances that I still haven't entirely figured out (part of the reason I'm here) and they affect his sleep. Many nights he will sleep through til 5am but when he's having tummy troubles he'll wake in the night and be unable to settle for hours. I won't go into my choices regarding sleep as they're very personal and reflect your overall personality and parenting style. So just letting you know you aren't the only tired one around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happylilgirl Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Our daughters sound similar, so you're not alone! I get enough sleep due to cosleeping, but with teething she needs to nurse more for comfort. Personally I know what the books say, but I found the best advice was just to listen to my heart and use whatever strategy fit for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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