Need Advice on How to Get Baby to Sleep Through the Night, Again

Hi Trisha,
What is her sleep schedule? At her age she should be napping around 9am and 1pm for at least 1 hour each, going to bed around 6-7pm and getting a good 12 hours at night. Sounds like she is overtired, which is a very common reason for nightwaking. If her bedtime is later than that I would immediately move it earlier. Be consistent on her sleep times and give it a couple of weeks. You will be amazed at what a difference the early bedtime makes.
Sincerely,
L.

PS I HIGHLY recommend reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for age appropriate sleep needs and schedules. I know his info works because I have a 4 yr old daughter who still sleeps 11-12 hrs each night because I have synced her sleep times to her biological sleep rhythms.

Sometimes it is helpful to have dad go in to help little ones settle in the night. They know mom can nurse them, but dad is more neutral. I know usually dad needs to get off to work in the morning, so start this on a Friday night. Usually just a few nights will get this under control and she will be sleeping longer at night again. You hubby should not pick her up, but just go in quietly (keeping the light off) sshhhh her quietly, rub her back a little then walk back out. If she keeps crying, just give her 10-15 mins. before going back in and repeating the same thing. Stay very consistent and she should be sleeping well by Monday!

The same thing happened at my son's 5.5 m.o. mark. He began having fragmented sleep, after previously being a sound sleeper. I read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" cover to cover and started applying the method in earnest. After 3 nights of letting him cry it out, which sucked pretty bad and was really hard for me, he learned to be a great sleeper. He's 18 m.o. now and we've had a couple of brief periods of having to make adjustments to the routine, but overcame them within a few days. I refer to this book a lot and it's been a real eye-opener. There's so much great info on sleep needs/habits from birth to age 12. Even if you don't want to use C.I.O., the book is educational on pediatrics and sleep research.

My 81/2 month old went through the same thing. It's taken about 3 weeks to get back on track. I think it was due to teething and a growth spurt. Plus I notice when he drinks more formula (breast milk dried up after 2 mos) than eating of solids he sleeps better. I was told this is because the solids have more carbs and he burns them off quicker. It's been an arduous process but I think we are getting back on track to where we were before so hang in there!

Do you nurse her to sleep when she goes to bed? This might be a reason she is waking up in the middle of the night looking to nurse. I know this is harsh but I let my son cry in the middle of the night till he fell back asleep. It was an exhausting weekend, but worth it