Hi - I just joined today, and reading the success stories in the above sticky forum really give me hope - we are in a total mess with our second daughter - she is almost 6 months old, and is waking on average of 4-8 times a night. We used Healthy Sleep Habits with our first - but she was a dream child - would cry a few minutes and then happily go to sleep. With my second, she has struggled with Acid Reflux, which is now under control, but it has lead to horrible sleep habits - eating was the only thing that soothed her for a few months, so now she just wants to nurse (out of habit) all night... she throws fits with my husband tries to sooth her instead of me...(she is exclusively breastfed)
Anyway, I am a wreck from lack of sleep, and it has really taken a toll on my ability to parent my older child (who is an excellent sleeper) - I am so short tempered and cranky all the time - I can barely function - I feel as though I am on the verge of a total breakdown.
So I know extinction is the only thing that is going to work for us - but I am terrified to start trying - Isobel (my youngest) screams bloody murder when we have tried to let her cry it out before - she makes herself vomit and gag - she will cry (full on scream) for over an hour- and I cave. I can't do it! But things are getting so bad - i know I have to.
We have another issue - she is addicted to swaddling - she will not sleep for more than an hour without being swaddled. I guess I have to just go cold turkey on everything - but I am really dreading it.
I guess I wondered if anyone had specific experiences with going cold turkey on swaddling - and also is 6 months too young to do the full CIO extinction method - a lot of the stories I have read seem to be with older kids 7 months or older...
Any experience or suggestions with a swaddle-addicted screamer would be appreciated
