The Sleep Conundrum

We're not out of the woods, yet.

After four separate nights of 6-hour sleep, 2-hour sleep, 2-hour sleep, the past two nights were back to the old lack-of-pattern, pattern.

Cayden went down at 9:25 p.m., then was up at 1 a.m. (3.5 hours), 3:15 a.m. (1.75 hours), 4:55 a.m. (1 hour) and 6:30 a.m. (1 hour). And the last three stretches (if you can call them that) are fidgety and grunty. From 5:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. -- when Cayden spit up all over our bed then rolled in it to get it all over himself; I'm talking milk curds in his eyelashes -- I went from glider to couch, and from couch to bed.

Each time he wakes, he latches on and sucks furiously, as if he hasn't eaten in hours.

And except for those two nights he slept peacefully sans swaddle, he's needed the swaddle since. He sleeps soundly for the first cycle of the night, but for each of the following cycles he rutches around and works his arms out of the Miracle Blanket. I tried the Snuggle Nest this morning at 5:30 a.m., but that was a big fat fail.

I return to work in a week, and I'm really not sure how I'll function if this sleep pattern remains for long.

And Mary the lactation consultant said to expect a whole new set of challenges when the clocks are set back at the beginning of November. All of a sudden 9 p.m. becomes 8 p.m., so he may want to go to bed even earlier, thereby starting the one- to two-hour crap even earlier.

Maybe this is a growth spurt. Maybe we should try the swing in the early morning hours. Maybe I should just bring him to bed with me after he wakes up the first time, so we can nurse and sleep together for the next few hours. Maybe a sleep sack might work.

Maybe I'm desperate for answers that just don't exist.

Really, I'll take any tips anyone has. I have one week left to try to figure this out.