Need sleep help

[Want1more]

My 14 month old has been EBF and has refused all bottles and pacifiers, I am a SAHM and it really has never been a problem. However, he has also been a night nurser and at this point I have had my full of night nursing and using me as a pacifier. Recently he will not let me put him down after he falls asleep at the breast, he instantly flips over, stands up and screams. When I go in to rock or hold him he is irrate and often will not go back down - leaving me with a baby that is up till 1am or I just put him in bed with me and let him nurse to sleep and cosleep. It's been over a year and our night nursing has now turned into him switching sides all nigth long - seriously I think we do this dozens of times. I am at wits end. I have no time to myself at night and no time with my husband - we haven't even slept in the same bed for about a year now. I love breastfeeding but I need to drop this nursing and I don't know how. My first son we would give a bottle to in the night or he would let my husband rock him with a pacifier - this one wants no part of that. Any advice, I think our only choice is going to have to be crying it out which breaks my heart but I know after a few rough nights it will be okay and I feel like right now I am just making him a bad sleeper - he won't nap for me either unless in the car or being held. This has just really affected me mentally lately and feel like it causing me depression, I love my son but I have no life lately.

[i.<3.cheesysmiles]

I know exactly how you feel. My son is 19 months and nurses all night. First do you think he could be teething? Or have an ear infection? What you described with the lying down and screaming sounds similar to when my boys have had an ear infection. That was the only symptom.

If they are ok health-wise, you could look into Dr. Jay Gordon's night weaning method. I have not tried it completely, but I know other moms have had success. You can google his name and weaning, and it should come up.

[Ashleen]

That is how my son is and how my daughter was when she was still nursing. I co-sleep/co-slept with them and the switching back and forth thing has always driven me nuts! Fortunately with my daughter I got pregnant and she self weaned when my milk dried up. At that point she started almost sleeping through the night. With my son getting pregnant is not an option so I am hoping he will stop eventually. He is actually getting better than he was at your son's age. Some nights he only wakes up twice (it used to be more like 8 or 9 times), it still takes a while of switching back and forth to get back down but that is still better. So I think he will grow out of it eventually.

Also I second the Dr. Jay Gordon's night weaning method, I have considered trying it a few times, but never have. But I have heard good things.

[Irish-Eyes]

Yup, my 17 month old does it for a couple hours in the morning. Luckily, he sleeps mostly through the night (not counting the time he crawls into my bed) but then I wake sometime in the morning (a good while before dawn) and we go back and forth on the sides.

No advice, I am afraid. My daughter didn't sttn until she was 23 months of age and daddy took over night time routine (in a different room). I couldn't ever look after her at night after that because it automatically meant boob.

[mla]

We tried nightweaning w/the Jay Gordon method. Didnt' work for us. What eventually worked was my husband doing all night time parenting for 10 days straight. The first night, there was a LOT of crying. The second night, there was some crying. The third night, a bit of wimpering. After that? No more nursing at night. My son was 27 months old, though.