leahsuzi
06-13-2007, 08:23 AM
I am brand new to GCM and am hoping that I can find some helpful advice for my DS and his sleeping struggles. He's never been a "good" sleeper but things have definitely gotten worse in the last 5 mo or so. He goes to bed fine, it's the waking up and such that are driving me and DH crazy. We're expecting DD any day now, so it's really been rough with me being extra tired these days. He is just the busiest, most active toddler and so very happy daytime. He has high needs for touch and especially since I lost my milk (about 5 mo ago), this has increased at night. For a few months he would still nurse down to sleep and even after waking up (though I would give him his sippy cup of goat's milk first) every time. Then he decreased to just nursing before nap and bed and then he just quit nursing altogether (which was a sad event for me). But it's that he wakes up every 2 hrs or so at night that's so hard. The slightest thing wakes him up and he has to be touching me all night. He's started this annoying habit of liking to put his hand in my armpit (gross, I know) :shrug and it annoys me bc he will move his fingers and wake me. So I will stop him, but he will just starting crying and pitch a fit. What do I do? We tried to wean him from most of his drinking milk at night bc he was drinking about 3 - 9oz sippy cups full of milk and will hardly stop to eat daytime. We tried for three weeks to cut him back to one night drinking, but he cried and fought it every night. So I gave in to two (which was better than previous - and we had him down to about 3 night wakings, while he would only drink at 2). But since I did that, he's started waking up more often for milk again. He just literally only sleeps well when he's laying on me and I know this isn't realistic w/DD coming. We have a co-sleeper for her, but I'm afraid DS will wake her up. Maybe he's teething a little or there are other things we can work on to improve the situation. I'm sure some of it is him processing emotional things and I know I've been busy, but we do play together and I try to cuddle with him at different points throughout the day. I know I don't wear him anymore hardly (mostly bc he wants to run and play, but it's also uncomfortable for me at this point), so that probably also has something to do with it. But when he wakes up, regardless of the night, he seems rested and is so happy! I wish I could be! Any suggestions would be helpful!