Exhausted mum and sleepless 5 month old

treetrunks

it was a bit rubbish but one thing myself and girlfriend did was she went to bed at 8 and i did the 11 feed. This meant that she could sleep until 2:30 ish. Made time together difficult but wasnt forever and meant we had more sleep so were less cranky when we were together.

Gillby1

Thanks Treetrunks, but for some reason i just can't seem to sleep that early. It doesn't make sense to me to feel so tired but not be able to switch off, but that's what seems to be happening. I've lost count of the amount of hours i've spent in bed wondering why i can't sleep, despite barely being able to drag myself out of bed in the morning. Typical!

Ms_Piggy_2

Plenty of babies start waking more frequently at this age - it's tough, but completely normal.

It's unlikely to be hunger, and really no solid food will be as nutritious, calorific or filling than milk anyway. Pureed carrots or baby rice are hardly going to fill him up :rotfl:. Anyway, research has shown very clearly that introducing solids doesn't mean better sleeping patterns (despite what your granny or best friend may insist!).

Would you want to try co-sleeping or a bedside cot? That way you could shush him/calm him down without getting out of bed. A slightly disturbed night is always better than a broken night!

Day time naps for you are also a great idea!

WRT weaning - advice does differ greatly around the world - but mostly it's six months or later. There is loads of evidence that says early weaning (pre-six months) increases lots of risks. Of course, you may be lucky and your child may be fine, but the risk will increase. You may decide you want to introduce solid food anyway - but it should be an informed decision...

aligerdie

Has he cut any teeth yet?

DD1 was exactly the same at that age, it went on for weeks and I was absolutely exhausted. She wasn't hungry, but would wake every hour or so during the night.

As soon as she cut her first tooth she slept so much easier, and I felt terrible that she'd been in pain all that time!

Have you tried just rubbing some bonjela on his gums when he wakes, or maybe try a spoon of calpol?

Might be worth a try...

fitzmum

My son (who is now 10) was exactly the same as yours - same pattern of waking etc. I went back to work at 7 months full time and I thought I would die of tiredness - I can actually remember driving to work and debating on whether to drive the car into a ditch - at least that way I could go to hospital and have sleep.....

Anyway, what we did out of sheer desperation was as soon as he woke (1am on the dot) we had a spare double bed in his room and i'd lift him out of bed and into the double with me. He would go straight back to sleep and sleep right through till 7am.

I know its not what you may think is the way forward but really, as long as everyone gets sleep does it matter? As sson as we did this I could function again and everyone was a lot happier. Admittedly we had this till he was about 3 (I was still doing it whilst pregnant with my daughter!) and he eventually got out of it at about 4.

Incidentally, my daughter was a great sleeper - never any problems with her and still is now - my son still sleeps badly and he's 10....some people just do I suppose....good luck xx

Lara44

I don't have any children, but you seem to mention that it's hard for you to get off to sleep. Have you tried some relaxation CDs, bath, massage from Mr Gilby or anything like that for yourself? It sounds like you need some help to relax - I know it's probably stating the obvious with such a young baby :rotfl:

frannyann

Buckets and Buckets of sympathy for you, my DD is now 13, but she didn't sleep a full night through until she was 2 1/2 :eek: I tried everything in the book (and not in the book) She just wasn't a 'sleepy' child. I eventually could sleep anywhere at any time night or day lol. It does pass, eventually and you will be dragging them out of bed for school before you realise x

Gillby1

Fitzmum - thank you for making me laugh, although i'm sure it wasn't funny at the time! I know exactly what you mean about the ditch thing. I've definitely had thoughts along similar lines...

Ms Piggy - co-sleeping worked up to 4 months, but now he actually fidgets and fusses more if he's in bed with me, and i can't sleep properly with him beside me.

Aligerdie - no teeth yet, but it's quite possible that's part of the reason.

I suppose the worse thing about all this is the frustration of not know why he's waking, and therefore not being able to 'solve the problem'. If i just accept that he's still very young and that sometimes young babies wake in the night for no apparent reason, then i might just be able to relax about it.

Thanks again everyone. Even just talking about it is making me feel better!

frannyann

fitzmum wrote: »

My son (who is now 10) was exactly the same as yours - same pattern of waking etc. I went back to work at 7 months full time and I thought I would die of tiredness - I can actually remember driving to work and debating on whether to drive the car into a ditch - at least that way I could go to hospital and have sleep.....

Anyway, what we did out of sheer desperation was as soon as he woke (1am on the dot) we had a spare double bed in his room and i'd lift him out of bed and into the double with me. He would go straight back to sleep and sleep right through till 7am.

Glad its not only me who has ever thought that!! The idea of a week in a hospital, sleeping, was like a far away dream!

I ended up sleeping with DD to get decent nights sleep too.

Ms_Piggy_2

fitzmum wrote: »

Anyway, what we did out of sheer desperation was as soon as he woke (1am on the dot) we had a spare double bed in his room and i'd lift him out of bed and into the double with me. He would go straight back to sleep and sleep right through till 7am.

Yeah co-sleeping saved my sanity! It's not for everyone, but works really well for us - and we've bought a super king size bed so loads of room too!