Please help - 5 month old just wont sleep!

[Jacobsdad]

Hi all

Please help! we have hit a brick wall with our ds sleeping.

Just to give all some background info, we had some problems with ds early on with colic and reflux. These problems didnt seem to disappear at the 3-4 month mark but his reflux has got better. Over the last month he has gone on to only pooing once a week! This according to our GP and Paed is ok for a breast fed baby though I have heard that its not normal for a breast fed baby over 4 months. Along with this is that he is now suffering form terrible wind (from the bottom end) which on occasions wakes him up in the night but also seems to stop him from going to sleep - it seems constant and i guess all it can be described as is a form of colic (whatever the hell thats is anyway!)

Coupled with this the main problem is that even if he isnt having a bout of bad wind, he just wont go to sleep. We have always said that we will not just leave him to cry and one reason i dont belive this will work is because when we put him to sleep at night (or in the day sometimes) he will start to cry and even if you pick him up he continues to cry.

On occasions he will fall aslepp (as he always use to do) on the boob and we are able to put him down and he stays asleep. I dont belive he isnt going to sleep because he his hungry because when we do eventually get him to go (usually because hes exhausted i guess) he will sleep for between 5 and 9 hours.

Ok, I think i'm rambling now (out or desperation probably)so any advice would be very, very much appreciated...

[judemum]

Hi Jacob- don't really have any answers, but it does sound more like he is in pain than anything else. Pain likely to be wind in the bowel IMHO, or possibly that he is in paind from constipation. Obviously you need to talk to your doctor, but I would recommend thinking about baby massage to relieve wind- there are special techniques and rubs to use. Also, my friend had a very constipated baby and he was very unhappy with it and her doctor told her to put a little soap non her little finger and push it very gentley into his anus and waggle it around. I knoe this sounds utterley bazarre and gross but she said he did a huge poo afetrwards and it seemed to open the floodgates so to speak- I'd ask your doctor if he would recommend this. The only other thing I would say is that my DS1 was breastfed and he was a regular poo-er- every day or several times a day, so IMO once a week is not enough and most likley to be the cause of all discomfort. Hope this helps.

[Toady]

Can you go to a osteopath, I took my 10 month old son to one and 6 sessions later he is starting to sleep from 7pm - 7am only waking up twice which is brilliant for him. It cost me £25 per session, had to budget on our food bill but believe me it was well worth it.

It turned that his whole upper chest, rib cage was very tense and making him very uncomfortable. I am a total convert now and think all babies should have a "MOT" as such, shortly after birth.

[lori21]

Have you looked at the book 'the no-cry sleep solution'? I've got a 4 month old and am just starting to try out some of the ideas. It is very positive and supportive and fingers crossed it will work. It is great if you are not keen on letting him cry.

Our health visitor was very keen on the use of baby massage and that sounds like a good idea as well.

I can really sympathise with you - my lo really struggles to go to sleep and will cry even when we are trying to help him go to sleep. I found it was worth persevering with getting him to nap in the day. We use the hoover which appears to hypnotise him! He even cries in the car before going to sleep, in his pram before going to sleep, with us rocking him.... Heartbreaking really. Now we are trying to wean him off the hoover but it was definately worth it to get him to sleep in the first place.

Good luck