About to Pull My Hair Out!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!

Hold him. He's just a baby and will be all grown up before you know it. He's probably not feeling 100% yet either.

I don't think this is the right time to teach your little guy to "self soothe". He's been through a lot of trauma and upset recently. Allow him to ease back into his "normal" routine. It will get better. Good luck and I'm glad he's feeling better.

Hold him, every minute of every day if that's what he needs right now. He's been through A LOT for such a little guy. He NEEDS your comfort and assurance right now. At night bring him into bed with you so you can get some sleep and he will still have his mommy. This will not last forever, soon enough he'll be up and crawling around.
I would not send him to the sitter at this point. He's still not 100% and needs his mom. Wait until he lets you know that he's back to his "normal" self.

Your baby, is pulling his hair out too.
He is having a hard time.
Pneumonia... is really bad and hard to recover from.
I have had that. And I am a grown up.

At this age as well, it is also a Growth-spurt time and a time where they may start teething.
He needs to nurse, on-demand. Their hunger/intake naturally increases at this age, 24/7, day and night.
As he recovers, his appetite, will usually return too, and full force.

Do not try sleep 'methods' now.
Wrong timing.
Even if he was not sick, instituting sleep methods at growth-spurts, is wrong timing. Because a baby naturally needs more intake, at this age. Hunger is hunger. They won't sleep if hungry.

He needs comforting and feedings.
For the 1st year of life, breastmilk or Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition... NOT solids and not other liquids.

Being sick, his body is probably needing, breastmilk or Formula, Whichever you are using. He has to get his strength and nutrition... back to normalcy.

At this age, there are MANY things going on: changes in motor skills & cognitive changes, teething, growth-spurts, increased hunger, separation-anxiety etc. All occurring at the SAME time.
Plus, your baby is still sick/recovering.

Pneumonia.. .is real hard, to recover from.
Watch out for any illness symptoms, if it recurs. Because relapses, can occur. Still.

Being in the hospital is not easy for anyone, let alone a baby who doesn't fully understand what is going on or why. He didn't understand the things they had to do were to make him better.
He is probably still very frightened by the incident.
Think of it from a baby's point of view. He might have thought he was NEVER going to get out of there. 6 days is a long time, poor little thing.

I think you just need to give him as much comfort as you can and as time goes by, he will feel more and more secure as he feels better and understands that he's home and all is going to be okay. Have someone help you with comforting him if you need a break. Maybe take him to the sitter to see how it goes. It might do him good to see another familiar face and get some cuddles from her too.
The poor little thing has been through a lot.

I was in ICU in December and when I was released to go back to work I about had a panick attack. Seriously. I work at the hospital I was admitted to and just driving up the first morning sent shivers down me and I'm an adult.
Like I said, little kids just don't understand.

I think the safer you make your baby feel, the better off you'll all be. Hopefully he won't have to go back to that scary place.

Hang in there! I know it couldn't have been easy on you either.

Best wishes.

I think you have to give it some time. This was a big ordeal and very disruptive for a little guy who is just figuring out this world and I think it's unrealistic to expect him to snap right back into his previous patterns. If you even disrupt a baby's routine by going away for a weekend it takes a few days for them to settle back own, so with what your poor little on has gone through I'd expect it to take a couple of weeks. Plus given all that I think you should try to be patient and give him the loving he needs for now the poor sweetie - I don't see any advantage to letting him cry it out - imagine how traumatic it was for him in the hospital. He's not even 7 months old - many babies aren't close to sleeping through the night at that age! Good luck to you both, hang in there and hope you all feel better soon!

I agree with the mob. Give him the cuddles. I also think he was probably about due for this. Our daughter was sleeping 8-11 hours straight at 4/5 months. She's eight months now, and for the last couple of months, two night wakings mean it's been a good night! Our older daughter was the same way. The hospital may just have sped that stage along for your guy. Soon he'll be have separation anxiety too--always something new, but they aren't babies for long. Good luck.

I agree with the others that time is probably the best healer here. You might see about hiring someone (like a teenager or something) to come and help out for a couple hours a day... give you a little bit of a rest. (she can hold and try to comfort the baby while you take a nap, do some chores, whatever...) Also... My DD did a pretty good job of sleeping, only woke up once a night or so up until she turned about 5-6 months, and since then has been waking up 2-3 times a night. She is 9 months now, and still waking up twice a night... It's growth spurt time, so the waking up could be just her natural sleep cycle now, and unrelated to the hospital stay...

It may take him a while to get past the hospital stay and over his illness fully. I think you will have to start again on the self soothing in a few weeks (but your approach sounds good). But I understand about needing a break! Have you tried a baby carrier? What about a few hours or a half day instead of a full day with the babysitter. Maybe if you can get at least a short break you will be able to deal with your son's extra needs right now. And it just crossed my mind, if he is congested have you tried having him sleep sitting up or with his head elevated?

I wouldn't worry about it at this point. Hospitals are highly traumatic experiences; he's going to want the safety of Mom and Dad's arms to ensure he's feeling safe and secure. I don't know if you planned to use something like a pacifier but you could try that; it may soothe him. I know how frustrating it is; my little girl was in the hospital for several weeks and ended up with two surgeries at only five months old. After her surgery I couldn't even pick her up for about seven days the pain was too bad. So I babied her big time after getting home. It did get frustrating at times when she wouldn't calm herself down but now she's two and we still are working on the issues that were caused emotionally from all of it.

Be sure he is fed to absolute capacity and then some all day long. Hungry babies don't sleep, and content babies don't wake. Once he's well stuffed (it will take a few days for his body to register increased calories) he'll sleep through. CIO is not so painful once they don't cry long and stay asleep all night because they're full.

I am a nurse. I can tell you it sounds like he is still not 100%. He is better enough to not be hospitalized. Not to mention if they gave him any steroids in his iv or in a breathing treatment, they can make anyone very irritable. I have to agree and say hold him as much as possible. Do you have other family members to give you a break? I say send him to sitter if for nothing more than to get a break. I completely understand. Find someone to let you and your husband have a date night. You need to get away for a little while. Plus he is getting to the age that he realizes when you are not around. My 7mth old has hit this stage and when they are sick its very frustrating.