Are you able to pump and give her a bottle?  If so have DH take a night.  You put ear plugs in so you don't hear the baby crying, and put the monitor on your DH's side of the bed.  Then DH can get up and give her a bottle and try getting her back to sleep. 

I was there...the human pacifier.  Not fun with one child...I'm sure REALLY not fun w/ two.  Hugs to you. 

MLM MANIAC

You are doing better than me! DD is 8 months and still sleeping in the bed with me. Her crib is in my room and I tried getting her to sleep in there.--->Not working! She doesn't take a pacifier. I nurse her to sleep every nap and every night. Lately it has been hard for her to fall asleep at night. I try to put her down around 8PM but she fights it out until about 10PM. She has gotten better at not waking at night. She usually wakes around 6AM to nurse and falls back asleep until 8AM. She will NOT take a nap or sleep at night if I'm not in the room with her. As soon as I walk out she wakes up crying.

I'm not exhausted though. I just feel like I'm wasting time just sitting in the room while she sleeps. I can get things done during this time!

I'm going to quote and paraphrase my sleep guru, Dr. Weissbluth, author of the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.

"Your child may wake to be fed four to six hours after his last feeding.  Some children do not get up then.  Others are actually hungry at this time, and you should promptly respond by feeding."  Your baby may have been sleeping through the night when younger.  But remember, the child under 4 months old was probably going to bed later.  Since your baby is now going to bed earlier, s/he is fed earlier, and therefore may need a night feeding.  "This night feeding, and a second night feeding, may be needed until the baby is about nine months of age."  He then goes into more detail re: babys that sleep seperately and those that cosleep.

"If your baby wakes at night and behaves as if she is hungry, feed her.  If your baby appears to want to play at night, stop going to her.  At night, the question is 'Does my baby need me or want me?'"

"A second waking for feeding may occur around 4:00 or 5:00 A.M.  Some children do not get up at this time, but those children who do awaken are wet, soiled , or hungry and a prompt response is appropriate."  While you meet baby's needs, stay quiet and keep the lights low so it is easier for your baby to fall back to sleep.   Some children don't need to be fed twice but some do.  Others may get up at 2 am, 3 am, or not at all.  "A common mistake is to feed around midnight, 2:00 A.M. and again around 4:00 or 5:00 A.M.  Please do not respond at the 2:00 A.M., time; the baby is not hungry then."

Now my turn.  I remember going through this with my first.  I trusted my gut and used Dr. Weissbluth's recommendations. I'm so glad I did.  His recommendations may not fit well with every family, but it worked for ours.  If you are able to pick up the book or check it out from the library, I can't recommend it enough.  I would loan you mine, but I need it! ;)   Good luck!

MLM  FANATIC

big boy     baby boy   

Isn't this the time frame for a rapid growth spurt? And, consequently, the middle of the night waking will end...? That's my understanding...And also why formula companies market to mothers right about this time. Good luck!

LEISA: MLM Moderator-Div/Single-SpecNeeds-WAHM

Count your Blessings. Find the Joy. Celebrate the Good.

Blog: www.leisahammett.com * Autism Art: www.GraceGoad.com

Proudmama- Thank you for reminding me of the bottle/daddy option.  How would you recommend I increase my milk supply in order to have enough for a bottle?  It seems like if I pump I'd be taking the milk she needs.  Usually when I pump I pump in the car on the way some where and then give that milk to her in a bottle when we arrive.  So, should I just try to pump after she nurses for several days, refrigerate the milk, and then let her dad heat it during the night?

Nkonuma-  Glad to know I'm not the only one up in the night.  :)

Maku-- I REALLY appreciate the quotes.  And I'm glad to read that it can be normal and I'm probably doing the right thing by feeding her when she seems hungry.  I did get and read the entire Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book when I was pregnant, but for some reason I can't find it (probably under the mountain of laundry I've been neglecting for the past 5 months). 

Leisamim-- I got a coupon for some formula in the mail just last week that is supposed to help babies sleep all night... So it may be a common growth spurt time.  In fact, I started weaning my DS when he was this age for the same reason.  I got suckered into all the advertising that formula-fed babies sleep better and decided my milk must not have been good enough for him.  THIS TIME, I'm not falling for it and will continue to nurse.  I guess I should just hang in there, like you said, b/c I know she will eventually sleep all night.

Formerly, Mom2babyboy

Some good advice here but I'm also going to recommend you look at her nap schedule.  45 minutes is not a long enough nap.  She could be having poor sleep during the day which will make her toss and turn at night.. thus waking up and appearing to want to be fed.  I would try to work on getting her on a solid nap schedule at the same time.  Her night wakings just might disappear.  Good luck.

SAHM to DS (6) and DD (4)

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.

HOPELESS MLM ADDICT

Well, first, I agree w/ Mom2MandM.  DS was only napping for 45min-1 hour, and I thought that was all I was going to get w/ him.  One day I was making a lasagna for a friend and it was time for DS to wake and I WAS NOT DONE YET.  I had to let him cry.  He cried for about 15 minutes and FELL BACK ASLEEP for another hour.  So I just started giving him 20 minutes when he woke up before going to him.  And in no time started taking 1.5-2.5 hour naps!  Wooo Hoooo.

When DS was that age, everyday at the first feeding, I pumped the breast DS did not eat from.  I was able to accumulate quite a lot of milk that way.  With DD getting up in the night a couple times, you may not have a lot to pump.  So, just accumulate what you can and store in the fridge (stores for 5-7 days I believe).  When you have enough for a night, let DH take that night.  If you can keep from freezing, that would be good.  It takes FOREVER to warm from frozen.  But I always did like to have a decent stash in the freezer incase of emergency.  Grandparents had to use it a couple of times.

MLM MANIAC

I'm on the same page Mom2babyLs...I just need to get off my bum and get my sleep book out. I'm still cosleeping, but I'm becoming frustrated at night so I believe its time to move to her own room. DD does well in her room during the day for 1-2 naps, but when I've attempted it at night I've failed.

Last night it took over 2 hrs to get her down. She was tired, fall asleep, I'd move to get things done & she'd wake up....sooooooo frustrating to me. DH helped out and took over - works like magic when he rescues me.

Hang in there! It will work itself out soon enough.

Mother to CSJ & CJJ

Teaching swim, dance, and tumbling all year long!

MLM MANIAC

Mom2MandM how do you suggest getting her to sleep longer during the day?  I'd LOVE for her to take a good two hour nap during the day.  It seems like as soon as I lay her down she's waking up again.  I swear I don't even have time to prepare and eat lunch during her naptime.  Occasionally her naps (4-5 a day) will last a full hour, but I can really only count on 45 minutes.

I typically let her hang out an extra 15 minutes after a nap (for my own sanity), but she rarely falls back to sleep.  Oh, she does have stuffed animals in her bed.  Do you think they could be distracting her?  Seems like she immediately wakes up and starts singing and playing.  When I go in to get her she always has a huge smile on her face so I assumed she was ready to get up. 

Formerly, Mom2babyboy

I would say at 5 months she should only be napping 2-3 times a day.  (DS took 3 naps until 10 months)  Once she gets up in the morning give her a good hour of play time.  Then try to get her back down after 1 hour.    Then a nap around 11 or so, and a 3rd if needed around 4 or so.  It's best to watch for times of tiredness instead of the clock though.  Try keeping a journal for a few days.  (I know hard w/ 2 kids!!!)  If I come to the coffee meetup tonight (I will REALLY try)  I will bring THE BOOK.  You can borrow it if you like. 

But our MD said once you get the AM nap established, the rest often fall into place.  And that is what happened w/ us.  Before establishing the AM nap, DS was just catnapping 20 mins here and there while nursing, but he quickly fell into a schedule.

(And whatever M2MM says goes!  Heee Heee)

MLM MANIAC