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My 8 month old DOESN'T know how to sleep

Posted by Sleepless Meghan's Mommy on January 27, 2001 at 08:56:52:

HELP!!! I have a beautiful baby girl...her name is Meghan. She was born 12 weeks premature, and weighed only 2lbs 10oz. Meghan spent 7 weeks 1 day in the hospital and came home at 4lbs 13oz. She started out sleeping about 2 hours at a time at night and would easily go back to sleep after about 10 minutes of walking and bouncing. We were told NOT to have her go back to sleep on her own but to feed her every time she awoke in order for her to gain weight appropriately. So I did. She is a breastfed baby, who doesn't like a bottle. She is not 13lbs and developing well, sitting...standing...gurgling and all that fun baby stuff. My issue is that she doesn't know how to sleep at all anymore. Meghan's sleep habits are rapidly diminishing. She went from 2 hours sleeps to 1 hour to 1/2 hour and now is only sleeping for a max of 15 minutes at a time all night. I am exhausted!!! Even beyond that!!! She will scream and cry and put up the biggest fight she can when it comes to going to sleep, she really does a good job fighting it, but eventually I win. I get her to sleep by bouncing her in a certain hold, or by nursing her....she doesn't like anyone but mommy in the evening or the middle of the night. I go through 20 minutes of trying to get her to sleep for only a 10 minute nap. This continues ALL night long...midnight until 8:00am when I give up and get out of bed. I have tried holding her..she still wakes...I have tried her sleeping in our bed, now that is the only place she wants to be...which is okay but she wants the whole bed, and I need some room too!!! LOL We have also tried a fan in the room, lights on (since the lights were on constantly for her 1st 7 weeks) total darkness, the TV on all night, the radio on, pure silence, stuffing her full of solids at bedtime, nursing more often, my goodness, I have tried almost everything. Yes, we have done Ferber but she throws up and screams harder, she cried for 7 hours one night before I got her calmed down after letting her cry...even with patting her bottom. It doesn't work and it is all the doctors suggest. I am tired of hearing let her cry. I don't believe she wakes up for attention since she is in my arms or beside me in bed. Any other suggestion...I am desperate. Oh and I've been told that sleep clinics won't take her until she is 8 months corrected, which is according to due date which makes her 11 months old...that is too long to deal with this..... I'M DESPERATE!!!!

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Archived Infant Sleep Forum3 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Infant Forum Homepage.
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  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


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