Help..... need sleep!

I have a 3 month old who hates to sleep. He is getting up every 2-3 hours in the night to feed and he only sleeps for 30 minutes at a time during the day. I am totally exhausted and don't know how to get him to sleep longer. For a while he was sleeping from 7:30 PM till 1-2 AM then only getting up twice to feed and up at 6:30-7AM for the day. But for the past week all hell has broken loose and I don't know how much more I can take. Sleep deprivation is really having its toll on me. I don't have the energy for my other 2 kids. Any suggestions?

Have you considered co-sleeping? I did it on the nights when I was just too exhausted to keep my son in his room. He sleeps from 7:30pm-5am at this point but he'll occasionally wake shortly after I fall asleep (when teething, growing, etc.). I just bring him in bed and let him nurse on demand throughout the night. He doesn't really get in the habit of nursing all night so I'm able to put him to bed in his crib as I normally would after a night of co-sleeping.

There's also a similar thread with some excellent advice:

 http://caloriecount.about.com/sleep-ft136027

Good luck! I hope you get some sleep soon!

He has hit his growth spurt and increased his nursing to up your production.  Almost all nursing babies do this around 3 months of age.  Dont worry just go with the flow.  And get your husband to help out as much as possible

Bier: He does sleep with me usually after 3-4Am but I find I don't sleep good. I'm too nervous and don't fall into a deep sleep. Plus, he wants to be permanently attached to my boob and I hate sleeping on my side.

 

Spuckine: I have heard of this before, do you know how long the frequent feedings last for?  Unfortunately my husband works nights but he has a few days off soon.

I know what you mean about not being able to fall into a deep sleep with the little guy next to you! I'm the same way. During growth spurts, a baby may require nursing practically all day/night! Maybe you can try to pump and give him some breastmilk from a bottle so he doesn't fall asleep with a partially full belly? You might be able to squeeze an extra hour or so out of him. My son is 11 weeks and drinking 4-4 1/2 ounces every 4 hours or so when I'm not with him (when I'm home, we nurse). Also, when he goes down for that 1/2 hour, take a load off instead of doing a load of laundry. Just sitting could refresh you, even if it isn't sleep! Good luck!!

anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month.  But if he isnt sucking and just using you as a soother then try getting him used to a soother.  My oldest did the same thing and I worked on getting him used to the soother.   Have you tried a co-sleeper the one that goes right in the adult bed?

I was the same way with my first. I don't have any trouble with co-sleeping (in the rare instance that I do it anymore) with my second. My son doesn't stay latched on for very long and actually uses the boob for a pillow.

Have you tried cluster feeding in the evening? My son would eat every hour from the time he got home (5-ish) until he went to bed at 7:30. I think that really helped him sleep for a longer stretch at night. You could also slip in a dream feed right before you go to bed for the night. These may or may not help with frequent feedings related to a growth spurt but they worked for me in getting my kids to sleep longer at night.

 

I know how you feel as I went through the same thing with both my kids. I took some advice from my good ol' European mama. ;-) ...and I know this answer will cause some upset as it is "against" what the doctors/reference books say, however it worked for me.

My kids were constantly hungry and feeding due to growth spurts, etc. At the age of 6 weeks, I expressed a bit of milk into a baby spoon and added a few flakes of rice pablum. I do mean a few flakes, not a lot, just enough to add a bit of substance to the liquid. I spoon fed by pressing the spoon to the lips and wetting them. Once the spoon was empty, I breast fed. After a good burp, I had a baby who slept a good 3 to 4 hours. I started with a few feedings a day and steadily increased the amount of pablum and number of servings as appropriate and by 4 months started my kids on baby food. Same method, just a taste to start and if things went well, steadily increased the size and number of servings. By 8 months by son was eating finely chopped big people food and my daughter did the same at 6 months. I had to take a hint when she went after a piece of pizza and gummed it. :) My daughter ended up with her dad's super revved up metabolism.

My kids are both in their teens and are healthy and active and within a normal weight range. I'm proud to say that they have made healthy food choices early on - no pop or soda, they choose popcorn over chips, fruit over chocolate and candy...yes, I know this is not normal and it is also not enforced. These items are in the kitchen as their dad consumes them and I do on occasion.

Let me end by saying, I wasn't comfortable with the suggestion when my mom made it to me but I tried it and it was well worth it. She said she did it for me, however I was only 2 weeks old when I had rice pablum and by 2 months had egg yolk dipped in bread.