[Resi]

It was going so well the first couple weeks. He would wake up maybe 1 time per night and cry for 5 minutes or less. Then he would roll over and go back to sleep until about 6-6:30AM and I'd let him nurse then. I always offered cuddles and told him he could nurse in the morning. Sometimes he took a few drinks of water. Now it's awful! He is waking up earlier and earlier. Last night it was 2 AM and he carried on until 4 AM and then woke again at 5 AM. At 5 AM I gave in and let him nurse. The night before it was 4 AM, before that maybe 5 AM. He scream because he isn't getting what he wants but no tears. DH came in last week yelling at me to let him nurse because he had to get some sleep for work. I'm dealing with Oliver not going back to sleep and asking to nurse every 5 seconds while screaming on and off and then worrying that Damon is going to come in and yell at me too. I don't think there is anything to do but not give in and let him scream/cry. Next week his new full size bed is coming and we are setting up his room. Then Damon can go back in our bed and Oliver will be in his own bed with me. I can let him carry on when he wakes up then because Damon should not be able to hear him then. (I'm sure a lot of you are thinking.. look at this crazy sleeping mess she made! I'm glad I sleep trained at an early age.) I just want some sleep!!

[bittersweet]

Well, no experience here...I think it might be easier to do before his bed comes. Can he climb out of his crib? You sleeping in a bed with Oliver and DH sleeping seperate is not probably what you want long term. I would think it would be harder to break the longer you wait. If you can night wean him AND get him to sleep alone this week (or at least start), it may work better with the crib. He can't get out of the crib like he can a regular bed. Once you have the regular bed, I'm sure he will just get out and come into your bed. I don't know though, I do understand about DH wanting to sleep. I plan to night wean at a year and I'm sure my DH will be kicking me out of bed to go nurse her when she screams too The couple times I've tried so far, after about 2 seconds of crying, he is begging me to go to her. But we've both agreed at a year, we will night wean for good and he will have to be prepared to be woke up in the night.

[Resi]

He hasn't had a crib since we was a year old and never slept in it. He has always slept in a big bed with me. I KNOW he can sleep next to me and not nurse because he was doing great for a couple weeks. I'm not ready to not sleep with him at this point and I know he isn't either. I'm okay with co-sleeping for some time and so is Damon. I just wish he would go back to sleep after he knows he isn't getting his way.

[bittersweet]

In that case...Shannon (LC) posted an article in her PR about night weaning while co-sleeping. It seemed to make a lot of sense. Maybe she'll read this and respond. I think it was from Dr. Greene...but could be wrong.

[Resi]

There is a Dr. Jay Gordon article that I read on nightweaning and it's the best yet. I guess this post was more of a vent. I know what I need to do but it's hard losing so much sleep.

[soImarriedAnerd]

Most women I talk to say that a long weekend with daddy do ALL the night stuff (after nursing to bed) works very well, but its hel! on the dad for that weekend. Remove the boobs from the equation kind of thinking. And explain that there is no nursing between going to sleep and sun up (or something concrete the child can grasp).
And you can't blame yourself for this. {hugs} many of us co-sleep, nurse on demand, and all the stuff you have done/do....the kids just do things differently because they are their own little people. And they aren't going to do one thing forever, its ALWAYS going to change (we just hope for the better ), it will pass, it all passes, its ALL a phase, he will not be like this forever.

[Frozendesire]

As my MIL always says "He wont be night nursing while in highschool!" Well lets hope he's not nursing at all haha. Anyways

I did nursing to sleep, co sleeping, and all that and all three boys turned out crazily different. Dustin is a horrible sleeper he just plain hates sleep and if he wakes up in the night he feels he has to come sleep with us, he wont go back to sleep in his own bed. Curtis has and always will (okay maybe not) wakes up 1 time a night. He's our puppy and comes and sleeps on the end of the bed.. we hardly even notice him. He's easy to put back in his bed after he's fallen asleep though. Then there is AJ, who is in his crib by 9 after nursing to sleep and we don't see or hear from him again till atleast 7. Kids are all so different!

I have no real answers or suggestions but I didn't want you to keep feeling like this is in result of the parenting choices you made... well it IS but it's also a mix of everything else! Dustin is only NOW sleeping better and it's after finding him a stuffed animal that he loves, he has it all night long and he falls asleep initially alot better with it. I know AJ sleeps better with out me... he would wake and nurse a couple of times a night. With Dustin coming in to our bed I got into the habit of making sure AJ was safe in his own crib, then he just sorta slept through any night time feedings! However I realize you aren't ready to not co sleep so I hope you find a solution all three of you agree on

[Resi]

Actually I would still be some what okay with the night nursing but I stopped because it's effecting his teeth. I started the night weaning after his visit to the pedi dentist. I was told her has 7 cavities and the front 4 need to have crowns as well. I know there are different opinions on BM causing teeth decay but I know it can't be helping his teeth and I can't risk them getting worse. That was the reason I did the night weaning. A bonus is getting better and we both were for a couple weeks. Also, I'm hoping my LP goes back to normal with night weaning.

[~*sierra*~]

i wish i had some advice for you, but all i can give is *hugs*.

i do like hearing about all the issues everyone faces with their LO's. its good to know some of the possible 'what if's' that can happen.....

i really hope he night weans soon, that cheeky little monkey!

[~* Helen *~]

No experience here but first off do NOT let Damon shout at you .. hes not the one with the boobies!! To me he has no right .. you are trying your **** hardest to wean Oliver off night feeds so you can get sleep too!!!

I think for your sake he needs to be weaned off overnight .. poor you needs some sleep!!! I know you enjoy it .. but hes old enough now for you to go cold turkey overnight .. just point blank refuse. Hes old enough to be be sleeping through now and deal with what mommy says .. and Damon should be supporting you on your decision .. work or no work!! I know he needs sleep .. but it will be the same if he was working or not so really its best just to get it over and done with whatever xx

[Resi]

Originally Posted by ~* Helen *~

No experience here but first off do NOT let Damon shout at you .. hes not the one with the boobies!! To me he has no right .. you are trying your **** hardest to wean Oliver off night feeds so you can get sleep too!!!

I think for your sake he needs to be weaned off overnight .. poor you needs some sleep!!! I know you enjoy it .. but hes old enough now for you to go cold turkey overnight .. just point blank refuse. Hes old enough to be be sleeping through now and deal with what mommy says .. and Damon should be supporting you on your decision .. work or no work!! I know he needs sleep .. but it will be the same if he was working or not so really its best just to get it over and done with whatever xx

I agree about Damon. Every time Oliver wakes up I'm thinking that next Damon will wake up and get mad. Damon isn't willing to help with the night weaning or nap weaning. He won't try to get Oliver to sleep EVER. My mom can get Oliver to sleep no problem though. I think if I did a weekend at my moms with Oliver sleeping with her it would not help. He'd still ask the next time he slept with me. So I might as well be the one to refuse him every night. I'm hoping tonight is a better night for both of us. Oliver only took a 30 min nap today and he has been acting like it too!

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

Landen started out doing great but then like Oliver he started screaming at night after about 3 weeks. He would scream "please boobies eat milk please booby eat milk dish mmm dish please" it drove me insane!!!! It took about a week of letting him beg all night until he started doing well with it again. I bet Oliver will get back with it too!!! And I am so with you on the not ready to not sleep with out him thing !!!

[Resi]

Originally Posted by Angelaosaurus-rex

Landen started out doing great but then like Oliver he started screaming at night after about 3 weeks. He would scream "please boobies eat milk please booby eat milk dish mmm dish please" it drove me insane!!!! It took about a week of letting him beg all night until he started doing well with it again. I bet Oliver will get back with it too!!! And I am so with you on the not ready to not sleep with out him thing !!!

That gives me some hope. I know it's just a matter of not giving in to him. I get so mad and then I start getting snippy with Oliver at night. My mom thinks I need to wean him all together and teach him to sleep in his own bed. I don't want to wean all the way. I want to let him wean on his own but I'm ready to limit it. I'm no where near wanting to sleep without him and he isn't close to being ready either. I'd rather sleep with Oliver than Damon on any night and I know how bad that sounds.

[Mjp121212]

Brayden was 2yrs 91/2 m old and the ONLY way i night weaned him was full on wean. 4am April 24, 2008 was the last time he nursed 3 nights of pure Hell, then it was all done

[ShannonMVT]

I hope he gives up soon! I'm not much help since Matthew sleeps in a crib. When I'd go in at night and he asked for milk I told him that milk was night night. Of course it made him mad. Now that I'm pregnant Dh is doing night duty (he wakes usually once at night) and rocks him for a bit and puts him back in his crib.

That stinks that Damon is being so difficult about it. If it were me I'd say something like "oh do you want his teeth to rot out then?" when he tells you to give in and nurse him.

[**jessie**]

Sorry Damon is being such a stinker. With something like this, is is going to get worse before it gets better. I understand he needs his sleep, but go buy some ear plugs! I have no experience with this but just know that it is very common to do okay for awhile and then get really bad again. The important thing is to hold to your guns. If he went a week without night nursing and then he gets it once, you are almost in a more difficult position then when you started. Know you are making the right decision... it sounds like he really needs this for his dental health and he does not need that one nursing session for nutrition or comfort, especially as you are right there beside him to cuddle him. Best of luck, girlie!! No joke about the earplugs though.

[Mars]

I don't have any advice but I wanted to offer some hugs and support. I hope he settles soon.

Perhaps sometime in the new year, you can encourage Damon to have a father/son full day out and use the day to rest up. Your body needs rest and if this takes longer than anticipated, you could make yourself sick because you're not getting enough rest and your resistance is getting lower.

Good luck. (((HUGS)))

[Frozendesire]

Hows it going Resi?

[Bre*n*Will=Reid]

Oh no, Resi! I am so sorry I can only imagine how hard it is to deal with this at our boys' age. They can be so strong-willed....it's hard to do a "cry it out" type thing...but I think the only way to break it is to hold strong and be firm. The few times I have "caved" to Reid's demands, he walked all over me and I created a giant mess that took weeks to fix. They are so stubborn!

[Resi]

Originally Posted by Frozendesire

Hows it going Resi?

It's gone better the last couple nights. He woke up at 5:45AM on Friday morning which sucked but we got a good nights rest. This morning he woke up at 5AM and I let him nurse. We kind of slept on and off until 7:30. Once he wakes up at those times he always asks to use the potty and he doesn't wear diapers at night anymore so I have to take him to the bathroom. After that he is more awake so it's harder for him to fall back asleep. I should have done the night weaning before the potty training but I'm sure it will get better with time.

Today Oliver went to my mom's for the day and I got the day to myself. I did some shopping, went out for lunch, and saw a movie! I've been doing that more often lately and it's great!