Chronically Sleep Deprived, Can't Nap During the Day W/ Baby, What Can I Do?

My 9 month baby sleeps in a different room and has woken up evey 1-3 hrs since birth. On 2 occations I took 1/2 and then a whole sominex because I HAD to get some rest. Hallicinating while driving isn't good ;). I can sleep thru my partners snoring right next to me, but if my baby makes a peep, I wake up, before its even a cry.

This sounds so familiar. When my son would wake up throughout the night I would nurse him, but it rarely made him sleepy, usually it just recharged his battery and he wanted to play! But, here's what worked for us and it is a solution that won't work for everyone. First, we established a very strict bedtime routine--cereal, bath, naked-time, nursing, rocking, bedtime. It got so he would fall asleep pretty easily while rocking at bedtime, but was still up constantly throughout the night, most the time for at least an hour or two (his record was wanting to hang out from 12am-5am...five hours of rocking!) many, many nights I was unable to go back to sleep between his wake-up calls. My husband and I took turns getting up with him, but even still I was laying there wide awake and pretty miserable. This is what helped us. First, I quit co-sleeping. It just wasn't working for me--my back hurt, I would lay in weird angles just praying that the pop of my hip wouldn't start the whole cycle over again! We actually moved our son to his crib, in his own room when he was about 4 1/2 months old. We both actually started sleeping a little better--turns out he's not really cut out for co-sleeping either. Finally, we let him cry himself to sleep and it worked like a charm for us. We did not intend to do this--but after his night where he was up from 12-5 and we both were up at 6:30 the next day we were just completely exhausted. The next night we put him to bed at 8:00 as usual and then both fell asleep too. When he woke up for the first time (probably about 10) we both were so tired we couldn't get out of bed and fell back asleep with him crying--this is so unusual--we are both light sleepers and both were opposed to crying it out. We don't know how long he cried for, but I woke up about 45 minutes later to quiet. The next thing I knew it was morning! He had slept all night! We did it the next night too we put a video in our computer laid in bed and felt like we were going to go to hell, until he fell asleep in 25 minutes. That was it after that it's like he's a different kid and we're different parents. I think a couple of full nights of sleep made me realize that a sleep deprived mom who is full of anxiety is worst than a baby crying itself to sleep. After two nights everything changed for us, he started routinely sleeping through the night, he's 18 months now and when he cries at night I let it go for about 4 minutes and if he's still upset we know he needs us. He also started taking real naps after this too. I think his little body wasn't letting him get through his first sleep cycle. It really was an amazing transformation in him, he used to be a pretty happy baby, but would get so fussy a times, once he started sleeping he became just a completely joyful kid almost all the time. All I know is that my husband and I ended up trying something that we were opposed to and it has been the best thing for our marriage, my mental health and I think for my son too! For me once my son started sleeping I could relax enough at night to sleep too. It is almost like you can't ever relax or fall asleep because the minute you do you're called back to duty. I really feel for you, I really felt like I was losing my mind, I was so tired, so grumpy, the whole world felt fuzzy.

Hi M.,

I noticed your post says that your son takes only catnaps during the day. At the age of 5 1/2 months, he is old enough to stay awake and take two or even one long nap during the day. So, personally, I would try to get him on a schedule by keeping him awake and entertained, until he's really tired. I'd try to work on extending his awake-times so that when he does go to sleep, he'll be out for a while and you might be able to snooze off as well.

Also, I believe co-sleeping is not for everyone, and can be very h*** o* ligth sleepers. In our case, my second son was an awesome sleeper, he slept through the night at 3 weeks - which freaked my husband out and he kept checking and waking him up. So we finally moved the baby to another room (with monitor, of course), and our son and we got more sleep. If your son is a light sleeper like you are, co-sleeping might not be the best choice for both of you.

Best of luck, hope you'll get some rest soon!
S.

Co-sleeping with a child will do this to you too. Put your sweetheart in his own room, in his own bed and don't bring him back to your bed. You will eventually start sleeping better in your own bed. I thought I wouldn't wake up if he cried, but even in the other room, I still heard the first peep. He will learn to sleep better and so will you. For me it was better in a few days, but it might take a few weeks. Sweet dreams....

The momma switch flipped on when you had your baby. You have become a lighter sleeper to hear anything that may go on with your baby. Any medication or herbal supplement that you would take for sleep could transfer to your breast milk. Check with your dr. before taking anything like that. Right now he may be going thru a growth spurt and need more nourishment. At 5.5 months, you might try some rice cereal before he goes to bed for the night. This might tide him over a bit longer if it's hunger that's waking him. He may just need the reassurance of your presence. If we only knew what went on in those young minds to keep them up at night!!! For you, after he goes to bed or while you're nursing him, have a cup of warm milk. Chamomile tea would be okay as well. On a weekend, give Dad the baby to but to bed, lock the bathroom door and take a long warm bath. You might want to express breast milk and freeze it so Dad can provide a bottle during the night sometimes to get you the rest you need. Trade off every other night or so. I wish you well. The hours you spend awake at night now are a prelude for when they're teenagers and you're waiting up for them to come home from an evening out with friends. This time is the practice period for those teenage years!

Oh Honey I know how you feel, my daughter was a preemie baby and was up ALL night nursing and burping and fussing until she was about 5 months old. At this point I could take no more so I started taking hot baths at night with about 10 drops of Lavender oil With my little one. I would just hold her on my chest and sing to her and the mixture of touch and the heat from the bath and steam made her really sleepy. Also I would keep her up until 8:30, our bath time would start at 8 and she would be out by 9 and sleep for 4 or 5 hour stretches at first, then through the night after about 3 weeks of this routine. My biggest advice to you is to keep your baby up until he is genuinely tired. I know it can be really hard when you have a fussy baby who just wants to go to sleep but if you don't stick to a routine for both naps and bedtime, then he will not get the sleep he needs and you will not as well. Good luck and trust me it does get better!

I completely relate to your post! I was bound and determined to make co-sleeping work for us, and after a couple of months, we realized it was not the best thing for our extremely "mobile" daughter, my "sleep-through-a-bomb" husband, and my "up at the first sound" self!

At some point (4 months or so), I started seeing a naturopath and realized that my lack of sleep was definitely contributing to some PPMD (post partum mood disorder/ depression) issues. The best thing we ended up doing was moving her to her own room, getting a monitor, and giving ourselves permission to let her cry for a while and us to sleep! She was a different baby because she was genuinely resting, and I was a MUCH better mama because I was genuinely resting and actually allowing myself to rest. I think having her with me actually "wound me up" more so-to-speak.

***Read Annie P's post carefully--she has a great story in there.

Also at 5.5 months, he probably would be too big for most co-sleepers as they are designed for newborns. He also needs to sleep more during the day and that will help him at night. Has your pediatrican ok'd solids yet? We started our little one early, and it helped her get lots of nutrients during the day and not feel hungry at night.

You could also approach this as a sleep-training issue, and start trying to let him soothe himself back to sleep. It's hard to do if he's used to you nursing him several times a night, but the SOONER you can get him used to not eating throughout the night, the BETTER he will sleep. Our pediatrician said that any sleep training (whether it's cry-it-out or no-cry) is MUCH harder after they hit 11/12 months.

Best wishes to you M.. This is one of the hardest parts of being a new mom! Call your pediatrican AND your own doctor or practitioner. You can't let this continue because it really can lead to depression.

I didn't co-sleep with my babies, but I did keep the cradle next to my bed. I found that this did NOT help with sound sleeping. I would wake up for any little movement or sound and not sleep very deeply because I was always "listening"; and vice-versa. My babies would sleep very lightly and wake up often because they could hear me. When I moved them to thier own room, we both slept better. I moved my first to his own room at about a year old, but felt like I had waited FAR too long and in hopes of getting more sleep, I moved my second at 5 months. This helped so much that by the third baby, he was in his room at about 5 weeks and sleeping soundly for up to 13 hours with a 3 or 4 hour nap during the day. I slept better knowing that he was sleeping soundly and he slept soundly because he had nice calm quiet. I was relaxed because I knew that he was just accross the hall so if he really CRIED and needed me, I would be sure to hear him and wake up, but my sleep pattern wasn't disturbed by his every movement.

Even thought you might not wake up everytime his breathing changes, you still hear it and your brain is responding to it, so you're probably right that you're not getting much REM sleep. I would try moving your baby to his own room and at his age, he no longer NEEDS (nutritionally) to eat at night. He likes it, but he should be eating enough calories in the day to be fine going at least 8 or 10 hours at night. Give him a night-cap right before you go to bed yourself, close his door, leave your door open and relax with a cup of decaf tea or warm milk. Keep everything quiet so you will have peace of mind that if he screams, you will hear him and wake up.

I hope this helps. Don't give up, it's hard, I know, even with my second in a different room, he still woke up at least 2 times a night until he was about 9 months and then once a night until 18 months. But at least the sleep I got in between was good sleep and I felt OK. I had to teach myself to follow the night rules when he went down for a nap and make that sleep count as well.

Natural remedies ofcourse. I would try melatonin and lavender. Put lavender essential oil on your neck, hands and temples. I also start to meditate by starting to bring energy to my toes, feet, ankles and start working my way up through the whole body. It never fails...even when I have over slept and I still want to sleep I will do this meditation and it will put me right back to sleep.

Try it!

First I would start consolidating some of his naps. That means keeping him up during one of his morning naps and then the next nap will be longer. Do the same for the afternoon naps.

During his nap times you need to stop moving. Don't think about napping. Just lie down and stop moving. Think about the couch or bed you are on, or the cover that is on you, the room you are in, etc. You might get a quiet CD to listen to.

Soon he will be crawling and the additional exercise will make him sleep better. Look forward to that and encourage the crawling by putting him on the floor as much as possible.

Hi M. - If your son stopped sleeping through the night then of course us moms don't sleep well too. I remember when my kids were that little at first they did sleep through the night but went through a small bought of intermittent sleep. Part of the problem is they just moved LOTS (combo of growing & moving because of "freedom") plus growing spurts. I know that you must love the co-sleeping but this could be your son telling you that it is time to move him into his own bed. My boys slept in a cradle in our room until they were able to sit up on their own (about 6 months old) then we moved them to a full size crib in their own room. I did have a baby monitor to make sure I did not "miss" anything. It was a great decision for us. It was a little adjustment but we all started to sleep better and I was able to keep their rooms quieter than mine. Having that distance between us I was able to listen (me staying in bed) to see if his waking up was just a sleep cry or if he was really hungry. More often than not it was a sleep cry & he rolled around & went back to sleep on his own!! I started getting more sleep. When it was a hungry cry then I quietly got up fed him without turning on the lights & then put him back to bed. I was so surprised when they on their own let me sleep all night & so did they. Because your son is accustomed to rolling over & having "dinner & a snack" right there he may need a little more adjustment time with moving to his own room but if you do that now it will be much easier than trying it later. Also check with his peditrician & see if you can start giving him rice cereal before bed. When you have moved your son to his own space it will take some adjustment for you as well but you may like the added freedom because now part of your brain does not have to stay "alert" to if something happens to him in your bed. You will know that he is safe in his own area & you can stretch out & relax.

On your relaxing & sleeping it will take some time for your body to allow you to rest, you have to give yourself permission to do so. Trust your husband to watch your son. Maybe ask him to "give you a night off" by making up bottles & if your son wakes up then daddy takes the shift & you rest. I know that dads work lots but just talk with him & you will be surprised that they want to help more than we let them. On your diet take some time & write everything down that you eat & drink. You may be able to find something else that is not allowing you the rest you need. Cut out one item at a time & see if that helps. If you can get away go exercise away from home this gives you all a break. Yes you are tired & think you are too tired to exercise but if you start you will realize that your energy will increase as well as your resting ability. If it is your brain that wont shut off (mine still does that at times) then put paper & pen next to your bed & then start to write down what ever comes in your head. When it is written down we have a tendency to let our brains rest more. If you are still having issues sleeping then you must talk to your doctor & even to your peditrician about this. They will want to know what all you have tried, what has helped & what did not. The important thing is to work with them because anything you take will go through to the baby if you are still nursing. Even things that are "natural" may be OK for you but not for a child under one year, so be careful & work with a professional.

Just take it one step at a time, give your son his own space, start to exercise, keep track of what you eat & drink, talk with someone! You are not alone & many of us have made it through & so can you! Take care

Hi M.,

Chamomile tea lightly with honey is wonderful for the whole family and affordable. Keep in mind honey should not be given to kids under 12 months. Chamomile is soothing and a calmative. Helps with teething as well. My 16 month grandson uses it regularly and has since birth. You can mix formula powder directly into tea water or you can simply give the baby unsweetened tea as needed.

4 cups boiling water to 1 tea bag works great, steep until cooled off to room temperature. Pour yourself a cup and put a cup in a bottle for the baby to sip on as needed.

Drinking tea is a good healthy habit to learn and to teach.

If you are not the tea type you can purchase chamomile in supplement form. I recommend homeopathic and herbal remedies available at New Seasons Market (natural grocery) on Cornell or Cedar Hills Blvd.

Best wishes to you and your family, :-)

Hi M.,

Just know that you are not alone. I went through this problem when my daughter was just a little older than your child. It was awful to say the least. I highly recommend taking steps to address the problem before it gets too bad. The cycle is harder and harder to break the farther you get into it. Have you visited a naturalpath? or tried accupuncture? Exercise (especially in the morning) really helped me. I put baby in the stroller and off we went. Yoga right before sleep also helped. Epson salt in the bath in th evening also helps relax the muscles. I also took calcium magnesium in the evening as well. I found out the hard way that co-sleeping did not work for me. I could never fully relax as I was always somewhat on alert. I also found that she nursed more and more often rather than less. When she slept with her dad she didn't need to eat at all. Good luck,

C.

Hi M.,
It's hard to be a first time mom. There are so many stresses involved. You are right to be worried about protecting your sleep. I started having the same problem when my boy was about this age. As much as I hated to do it, I had to stop co-sleeping. It was the hardest thing I had ever done at that point, because it feels so selfish. You might want to check out the book "Healthy, Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth. I live by this book, even today now that my son is almost 4 and I have a daughter who is almost 2... the book has been indispensible for both of them. He has lots and lots of information on how much sleep children require and tips and tricks for getting them to sleep longer. He addresses both crying it out and not crying it out, depending on your temperment and your sons temperment.
You may also want to try simply meditating while your sons sleeps during the day if you are unable to take a nap yourself. The meditation will help rest your brain, and may put you to sleep.
Take care, and good luck.
T.

Hi M.,

You could almost erase your name and write mine at the top of your post, it sounds so familiar! I was just saying to my best friend that my son (almost 11 months) only wakes three times in the night now, instead of 6, and how nice it is. When he does wake up in the night, I just keep laying him down and trying to sooth him to sleep. 5 months old is so exciting for them, and they wake up often to practice the skills they learned during the day, and yes, those darn teeth.

You're doing the right thing to co-sleep and breast feeding. You'll have a securely attached, healthy child!

I just wanted to write a note of sympathy, and to tell you to keep on. It gets easier. Also, make sure that you are getting plenty of good food in your diet, concentrating on protein and iron, fruits and vegetables of the leafy kind, and plenty of water! When he does lay down, curl up with him with a book if you can't sleep, and relax. Take long deep breaths. Pet him, and concentrate on the moment, that'll help keep the stressful thoughts out of your head and maybe even allow you a 15 minute power nap. Ask DH to take care of him while you go out for a walk, to listen to the birds or look at the flowers. It's very important that you get some unwind time as your baby knows when you are stressed, and will react.

I recommend also, that you get a girlfriend with a child to spend lots of time with. Someone who is also a SAHM who can come over and play with the kids while you catch up on housework, and visa versa, or someone to share some of your woes with. That helps stress a lot, (for women at least) to just be able to talk about it with someone. If you're feeling isolated it can add to your stress and tired feelings.

I hope this helps, and hope you find a way to relax and enjoy this beautiful time with your son. It goes by so FAST..I can't even believe mine's almost a year.

:)
C.

Hi M.,

I just wanted to give you a quick thought. I don't have time today to read down through the other posts to see if someone already gave you similar advice so here goes. I just wanted to mention a book that helped me while I was co-sleeping with my little. It's called: When Your Body Gets The Blues. It's dealing a lot with depression and stuff, but it has some good info. regarding sleep. I checked it out from my local library. You are a great mom! Keep up the good work!

D. Rylander
A Blessed Birth Doula Services
###-###-####
____@____.com

Hi M.,

Sorry to hear about your sleep troubles. It ends up being a vicious cycle, doesn't it? I also had a lot of trouble with a non-sleeping baby. For a quick fix, you can take Unisom, it's safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I don't like to load up on such chemicals usually, but sometimes it's really the only thing to do. Then, once you've had some good sleep, I believe there is a Hylands Calms Forte that's safe during pregnancy/breastfeeding. Once you're feeling back in control, you could see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for herbs that will help you stabilize, and fortify you from the drain of breastfeeding (it really takes a lot out of you). You can also bring your baby to a tuina practitioner, who uses massage and acupressure to normalize his sleep patterns. My friend did it, and her baby had a complete turnaround. Here is one place that does it:http://www.portlandacupuncture.net/services.html#tuina
I agree with the recommendation for the co-sleeper, that way you know your baby has enough of his own space that you don't have to worry about your heavy sleeping. He will wake you up if he's hungry enough to eat. Also the recommendation of expressing milk for dad to take a turn in the night is a good strategy.
Best wishes, take care.

HI -- been there, done that. My suggestions:If you are set on continuing to co-sleep (and I did with both my little ones)get yourself a co-sleeper. It is a crib that attaches to the bed. With it there, you have the baby close but don't need to worry about rolling over or having the baby roll off the bed.

Next:Get yourself a full body massage and, if you belong to a gym, start swimming. I know how it is to be exhausted but there is a curious thing about sleep, the tireder you are, the harder it is to sleep. Swimming is an excellent exercise for relaxing.

I am assuming that you don't drink caffeine? If you do, don't. Both Camomile and Mint teas are good for relaxing bodies, but don't make them too strong.

Finally, train yourself and your son to go to sleep at exactly the same time. Lie down, make sure that the room is truly dark -- research indicates two things (1)Light stimulates the pineal gland and keeps sleep lighter and (2)especially in older women, light during night time sleep may be implicated in the development of breast cancer. So, a DARK room. Then lie down, baby in co-sleeper, and put on some quiet music.Your son may complain a bit. Rub his back and then leave him be. The truth is, he does need to learn to settle himself back to sleep -- and so do you. Trust me, I KNOW how hard that is but for everyone's health and sanity, you need to help him learn. If you haven't read E. Pantley's 'No cry sleep solution', find it and read it. She is a very gentle teacher.

Finally, we discovered that there are certain foods, bananas and turkey top the list, that have natural trytophane. My sons both eat a banana before bed. It gives their tummies something to nosh on, they get lots of potassium for their muscles and the tryptophane is a good addition to their rest.

Jenny

PS One other thought: Some kids, like my eldest, are extremely sensitive to environment. Check that your son is neither too hot nor too cold, that his bedding isn't causing an itching (Detergents can), that there is no stray light or sound that might bother him. Amazing what children can detect.

Best wishes.

I would suggest getting him in a co-sleeper bed next to yours ( or transition him to a crib which will be something you have to do in the future anyway) so you can safely take something for sleep. Sometimes you just can't sleep on your own but you need sleep!!! There are herbal remedies at your local healthfood store like New Seasons and the staff can help you pick one.. I think passion flower is a great one but it makes you sleepy just like a prescription would. I used a sleep aid or muscle relaxer in the very beginning when I wasn't breastfeeding. You don't have to take it every night. I wouldn't feel guilty about wanting sleep either;-) I totally forgot! UNISOM OTC is the best.. You can just take a bit of it and it works like a charm.. I woke easily on it when my baby cried. My OB even suggested it for morning sickness when I was preg.

Hm, that's a tough one. Phases of night waking are perfectly normal but I am fortunate enough to be able to go right back to sleep after being woken up...

I would advise against taking any sleep aids, even OTC ones and especially if you are cosleeping. Personally, I would wake up still, even if my husband attends to the baby to give me a rest and then you feel even worse if you couldn't go back to sleep, since now you are not only exhausted but also tired from the medicine and likely will still have thoughts racing through your minds...

I would suggest that you speak to a counselor. Not being able to sleep even when someone else is watching your child tells me that there is something else going on in your life that is stressing you out or having an effect on your sleep. Sleep meds may be a quick, short term fix but won't remedy the cause.
In addition some easy low impact exercise, getting fresh air (even when it's cold out) may help.
Also trying different relaxation or meditation techniques may help you feel a little better even if you don't fall asleep.
Good luck.

Hyland's makes and Insomnia tablet that is non habit forming safe for baby as well as for you. When I can't sleep this is what I take and it helps drown everything in my head and lets me sleep. When my twins won't go down regardless of everything I have tried I give them one or two tablets and then they fall asleep withing 15-20 minutes and they stay asleep.

One thing to keep in mind the 4-6 month range is where a LOT of learning developments happen. rolling over, crawling, learning how to grab. There is a book called the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. She talks about the developments and why the babies do the things she does. It made a huge difference for me.

Keep trying to sleep on the weekends! That's what my hubby and I do. I'm 8 months pregnant with #3 and he gets up when the twins get up (they are 15 months) and lets me sleep for a couple extra hours it really makes a difference during the week. I typically don't take naps with them during the day, I use that time to clean the house.

Good Luck and hang in there.

S.

I was such a light sleeper I finally had to not only move my baby out of the bed, but into another room. You are probably waking up VERY often (every few minutes all night) with the baby in the bed. Try having your baby sleep in another room for a week and see whether you sleep better. You need your REM sleep and sanity to be a good, healthy mom.

Hey there! Listen, I heard that total relaxation is almost as good as sleep. Just lay on the couch and watch tv with a pillow and blankie and tea, I do this and I often end up falling asleep. But if I try to take a nap, I can't because I'm thinking too much about falling asleep! It's weird. Or just think of anything you find relaxing, reading, thinking, writing. I really hope you feel better. Just remember, this doesn't last long and soon you'll be able to sleep through the night when your baby is older.:)

I don't know that I have advice, but I've been there and it WILL get better! What you described is what we went through last winter with my daughter and she's now 19 months and things are much better! There's a reasonable chance that your son is starting develop seperation anxiety and that lasted about a month for us. Once that passed, she still wanted to co-sleep and breastfeed overnight, but it everyone was able to sleep better. Good luck!

You may also be going through PPMD - Post Partum Mood Disorder. I had it with both of my kids and was plagued by anxiety and had difficulty sleeping. You may want to consider getting some professional help. Abigail Meyers in Bryant is fantastic! You might also look into a Post Partum Doula to help you out. Then you can take a light sleep aid like Unisom (or even half of one) to help you get 2-4 hours of sleep during the day while someone else watched baby. Sleep deprivation will get worse and worse if you don't take some time for yourself. All the best!

Feel free to PM me for more info too!

i have been through 3 babies in 3 years.... the best solution for me was to cosleep at night. I did this with each baby until they were about 7 months old.

When you have time to sleep and someone else is watching the baby, try Melatonin. Its a natural sleep aid.

I have had 3 children and we co slept with them all. I found it worked best for breast feeding and being able to stay in bed all night since nursing laying down worked great.
I do know something that I believe would greatly help with your energy and sleep issues and that is the perfectly balanced nutritional shakes our family has been using and distributing for the past 4 and 1/2 years now. They are the best nutrition we have ever experienced and have seen and been a part of helping people with chronic fatigue, insomnia, and energy besides most common health issues because they all seem to have be rooted to varying degrees to lack of nutrition. The best thing is is that it is simple to take in shake form. What I can do if you want to learn about and consider this is let you hear what has happened for other tired moms with little ones. It is a favorite part of what I do by bringing encouragement by hearing what is really happening with those using these products. Sorry if this sounds sale pitchy- I am passionate about what I do as I see such life changing results with people! Email me to learn more ____@____.com

This may sound harsh, but bear with me. You feel like you are going crazy because you are. "Its torture" isn't just a phrase. Its the truth, sleep deprivation is a viable method of torturing one's enemies, and is used by many governments around the world. The body need's at least 4 solid consecutive hours to get any regenerative benefits. If your baby is waking you up every 3, then you are not getting the rest you need, and your body is not repairing itself, your mind is not keeping up, and everybody is suffering. I don't mean to scare you, but excessive sleep deprivation is hazardous. You shouldn't be driving or operating heavy machinary. Its time to call in the big guns. You need a night nurse. A friend. A family member. Someone who can come take care of the baby for an extended period of time so you can get some real sleep. I wish you luck. Pump milk ahead of time, so you don't have to be awoken for nursing. One of the interesting things about sleep is that although the deprevation is cumulative, the coming out of it is not. It only takes one good (8+ hours) night's sleep to make up for several bad ones. My prayers are with you. I hope you have a support system strong enough to help you. Other moms will understand.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear this. I'm afraid that I have had a similar experience with my now almost 18 month old who still doesn't sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time. I've tried it all and I still don't know what to do. Hoping to read the other posts but I'm convinced that my son won't sleep until he's bigger. Oh and everyone who goes with that whole, Some babies don't do well co-sleeping, can just stop. I've known people who had children who did the same thing in a crib and the advice is to co-sleep. I think it's the individual child. Different things work for different kids.

You can take melationin. It is alreayd produced by your body and helps with sleep. I totally undestand how you feel. Sleep deprivation is compeletely hard. I know why they would use it for torture. It makes it so hard to function. You can even get chewable melatonin at Fred Meyer. We give it to my daughter, who has autism and has major sleep issues. Good luck mommy. Hope you get some rest.