Catherine has never, ever been a good sleeper. She wakes at the drop of a feather or a sneeze a mile away. For the last month or so, she's been getting up 3 times a night to eat. She's always woken at least twice, which is exhausting, but three times a night is about to do me in. I'm on auto-pilot and starting to feel quite sorry for myself.

On top of this, for the last two weeks or so, she's started screaming her head off when put in her crib for any sleep time (naps, night). She screams until she's out of breath, panting, choking, puking. Since the weekend, I've been trying to cram her full of solids in hope that she'll sleep better but so far no success. So, last night I decided I would try a little tough love to save my own sanity. This is what happened:

7:45-9:00pm screamed her head off and then fell into an exhausted sleep. I did pick her up a few times during this period. She stops crying then but starts up again as soon as she's put back in bed. She only wants to be held over my shoulder and walked. She fights me if I try to rock her.

10:20pm woke up again crying, gave her a bottle

11:00pm-4:00am slept fitfully, sporadic crying, coughing, choking, didn’t know about the puking until this AM

4:00am screaming again

4:30am went to get her, changed her puke-covered sheet, gave antibiotic and decongestant and bottle, put back to bed

Cried until 5:30, coughed and puked some more and fell back into a restless sleep until about 6:30. I got her up for good then.

I know "right now" is not a good time to tough love one night feed out of her, but I honestly don't know what else to do. And there will never ve a good time. She's exhausted from poor sleep and/or lack of any sleep, and I'd like to crawl into a hole.

I also put the bumper back in her bed at 4:00am. I had taken it out as she's starting to pull up on it a little and peep over the top of her crib. She’s more comfortable with it in there, though. Familiar surroundings and all.

Any ideas??????

Lesley, I don't have a lot of advice, because Kaylin my healthy baby was a terrible sleeper and still is. She wanders into our room sometimes once or twice a night, especially if she gets hot or cold or thirsty or it thunders or she sees a shadow. I could go on and on. We did the cry-it-out method for her, but I'm not sure how effective it is for a reflux-baby.

You said she's on antibiotics, I forgot, is it her ears? Maybe her ears are bothering her when she's lying down. Kaylin frequently got ear infections and viruses and the poor thing just would not sleep for anything. I spent nights upon nights walking the floor until whatever bug of the week was out of her system. I wish I had some advice, but we always flew by the seat of our pants with Kaylin.

We tried to take Cady's bumpers out too last month and that was a disaster. She wouldn't sleep without it, so I put it back in after one night. Kaylin had hers in until she was 1.5 years old. Again, just wouldn't sleep without it.

I hope things get better for you. Hang in there. Maybe all of this will pass soon.

Any new milestones? That always, always seems to mess up what little sleep these poor kids get.

I feel for you. That groggy auto pilot fog is so not fun.

Oh no, Lesley! :( I wish I could be of more help....if it's any consolation, Emma's been a little nightwaker lately, as well. I think it's her teeth. She has three more coming in....and she gets hematoma's, (sp?)....they look like little blood blisters on her gums, and they're bluish purple! Ack! Three teeth at once....at least it will be done and over with! :shock:

Last night Emma fell asleep at 7:45, was up at 10:30, (pacifier), up at 12:15...I fed her, up at 5:15...pacifier, up at 6:30...pacifier...up at 7:00....school bus picks up the kids across the street, and the driver takes off like a bat out of you-know-where....and Emma was up for the day. :?

I know Catherine doesn't take a pacifier.... It may be her ears, diaper rash, and just reflux rearing it's nasty ol' head. I hope she sleeps better for you tonight. :(

Lesley,

SOrry i don't have any ideas but I wanted to say that Zac just started this, also. Not nearly as often or bad as your situation sounds. He has started waking up 1-2 hours after being put down, crying. He is also crying someimtes when I try to put him down the first time. He is taking LONGER to get back to sleep, also. It makes me nuts. I've tried the tough love thing a couple times myself when even me TRYING to comfort doesn't work, I figure why bother, and save myself and probably him by putting him down and letting him go at it. I finally give in which will never help if I'm trying to get him OUT of the "rocking to sleep thing". I've created a big problem because I spend majority of my day trying to rock him back to sleep after he wakes up too soon from naps also, which is most of the time.
Anyhow Its making me nuts that this has just occured out of the blue...maybe it's something in the air? I sure hope not for all you others' sake!
Maybe teeth? Ear? Reflux? WHO KNOWS...dont you wish they could talk?!?!
SOrry I was of absolutely no help. :?

Catherine has never, ever been a good sleeper. She wakes at the drop of a feather or a sneeze a mile away.

lesley, I was just re-reading this post and your DD sounds so much like my DS!

I have to wear socks when I walk down the tiled hallway so the bottom of my feet doesn't make noise when it parts from the tile! I know where every creak is in the wood floors in his room and I attempt a "double O seven" move everytime I have to sneak in there. (As if there were lazer alarms everywhere) I come up w/some neat moves I tell you. THEN...my ankle snaps from stretching my legs apart...and it's all over! :roll:

I know where every creak is in the wood floors in his room and I attempt a "double O seven" move everytime I have to sneak in there. (As if there were lazer alarms everywhere) I come up w/some neat moves I tell you. THEN...my ankle snaps from stretching my legs apart...and it's all over! :roll:

Sooooooooooo been there! :lol:

Agh....light sleepers are the worst. :shock:

(((HUGS))) Lesley! It sounds like you're going through what we went through with Evan in his first two years. As for advice...? Hang in there. Things will improve again. Now that Evan is feeling better much of the time, he has also become a better sleeper. We still keep a fan running in his room for white noise, but now that winter is on it's way, we're trying to have it off for a while during the quietest part of the night. Have you already tried some form of white noise? It didn't work for us for a long time, but with persistance he's finally sleeping better.

I have a "running stream" sound machine and classical music going in his room at all times to try to block out other noises, since birth. Maybe that's where I went wrong int he begining?!

Catherine has an air purifier in her room, and it runs 24/7. It's been in there since day one.

Oh yea! We've got one of those going , too!! LOL