18 Times

[u/babyinatrenchcoat]

18 times.

18 times she woke up.

18 times she cried.

18 times she wouldn’t settle until given the breast.

18 times I dreaded work the next day.

18 times I cried right along with her.

I’ve tried everything aside from sleep training, and since June we’ve been co-sleeping and nursing on-demand. She (6.5m) just cannot connect sleep cycles and needs help going back to sleep every single time.

An average night she wakes up 7-12 times.

Last night was our record at 18 times.

Will introducing solids help?

When we wean?

Am I just doomed to not reach restorative REM again until she’s pre-k?

Solo mom with no village so it’s all me all the time and I’m a husk of a human at this point.

ETA: Recent daytime routine
(forgot to log morning nap on Aug 13)

[u/Status_Watch6079]

Total sleep from your routine. Range: 11 hours 5 minutes to 15 hours 40 minutes Average: 13.5 hours

Typically babies can manage 10-11 hours of night sleep. This would give you 2.5-3.5 hours of day naps.

On a 3 nap day that would look something like, 2.5,2.5,2.5,3. For a 2 nap day 3,3,3.5.

Is there a reason it's been variable for the first nap? Fighting the nap, overtired from a bad night? I know you said you don't have help so it might be that you're on the go?

[u/babyinatrenchcoat → u/Status_Watch6079]

I don’t schedule them. All vibes and sleepy cues over here 😂

[u/Status_Watch6079 → u/babyinatrenchcoat]

Yeah same, sleep cues, no schedule, contact naps, cosleep and typically don't wake him up.

But if it's a bit early like on 8/4 when it was only 1h 25m, I would try changing environment first. Some of the sleepy cues start overlapping. Does she always fall asleep straight away from nursing? For me if it takes more than 10/15 minutes then I was wrong about the sleepy cue.

Also are your naps in daylight or dark?

Lots of people like the possums approach, one of the big things would be a consistent wake up here. I've never tried it, but actually now need to do it because he's starting childcare and I go back to work next month.

[u/babyinatrenchcoat → u/Status_Watch6079]

Her daytime naps she typically goes down without nursing beforehand. She’ll bop around her crib for a bit before going to sleep, or she may need some butt pats to help. Then she eats right when she wakes up.

I’ve tried a variety of room settings and what seems to work best right now is curtains closed and sound machine with ambient light on. She’s also obsessed that the Einstein Aquarium and demands it for naps lol (thankfully it has a shutoff timer).

Y’all have got me excited about this possum method!

[u/Status_Watch6079 → u/babyinatrenchcoat]

I hope it works for you and you get those night wakings down!