The Worst Night

Last night was the worst night I have ever had with Conrad.  Beats times he has been sick, when he was nursing and I was up so much, any of them.

I think it only seems to be the worst night ever because it followed two previous nights of horror and the added stress that Kris is leaving for hunting today so I am on my own with him for a week and if tonight is a night of horror or this continues I don't have that other person to take a turn.  At least tonight the stress will be down because I don't have to be at work tomorrow I can take a nap if I need to, but next week I can't really miss work if I go without sleep, I have a two day training and meetings all day on Thursday.

Conrad is waking up constantly.  He wakes almost every hour and screams like he is in pain, not just whines or whimpers.  Bottles usually calm him and soothe him back to sleep, but I know he doesn't actually need to eat that much, and then it became where he woke up so much he would push the bottle away from being full, but just couldn't settle himself or stay asleep.

We have thought about everything.  Teething, of course he is teething, I mean molars are still working their way out, but I tried giving him Tylenol two nights and it made no difference.  Gas, he has had some constipation, no we are giving him Miralax and his stools have softened up but what if it is making him extra hungry because he is digesting quicker or it is hurting his tummy or something.  The only thing is he has had a little in every bottle and is fine all day long, it is just at night that it is bothering him then.  Allergy, maybe the milk is bothering him, maybe a gluten problem, maybe maybe maybe, but again he is fine in the day and there isn't something we are giving him at night that is any different than during the day.  Overtired, yes I have heard the thought that when a baby doesn't sleep during the day or is over tired they sleep worse and he did end up going to bed just a bit later last night, but not the two nights before and he is napping during the day.  I will be able to get a better handle on that front this weekend when I am with him and he isn't at daycare, but how do you break the cycle of being overtired if he wont sleep?

So we have to try something new right because what we have been doing isn't working.  So when he wouldn't go back down last night and just kept starting to cry again when i would start creeping away from his crib I finally left him and let him cry.  I went into my room closed the door and cried myself as I listened to him scream.  he would settle down and i would think he had finally given up then it would start again.  It was horrible, mostly because what if something is really wrong, what if he is in paid or having a stomach issue or something?  He finally fell asleep and then woke up a half hour later.

Kris ended up taking him to bed with him in the other room.  Yes I had tried that too but he just wasn't settling down with me, he was throwing himself backwards with screams and then sitting up again and crying.  With Kris I guess he got him settled and to sleep until about 6:30 when he woke up to start the day.  Kris and I are dead tired and I have had a two day headache, but Conrad was babbling like nothing happened and I am sure went down for a nap around 8 at daycare because he was so tired from not sleeping all night.

I am tearing up now just writing this because I am so frustrated and don't know what to do.  I feel like I fully have to do the cry it out thing this coming week and see if he will quit this pattern, but I am on my own with Kris gone hunting and I just don't know if I will have the strength and patience.