Extreme Separation Anxiety! It is killing me!

[babyscience]

So Ethan has been showing separation anxiety signs for about 3 weeks now.  It started getting better and he started sleeping more through the night...with an ocassional cry then back to sleep.  We just started daycare with him this week and Oh my gosh it has gotten so bad.  The only good thing is I am getting more hugs out of it.  But at night he will be dead asleep, literally where I can pick him up and move him anywhere and he wont wake up..........anywhere but his crib.  Once I lower him in he wakes up arches his back and claws at me to get.  It has gotten so bad he now sleeps with us.  SO I NO LONGER SLEEP.  He takes up a lot of space in the bed and jerks awake feeling for me to make sure I am still there.  What can I do???  Should I just put him in his crib and let him cry it out?  I am understanding that he is very insecure, which is why I let him in our bed in the first place.  I feel like I have deserted him during the day at a unfamiliar place.
Please Help any tips or suggestions!!  I am very tired!  It is like having a newborn all over again, although he was a better newborn!!

[Darkestlight]

I'd let him cry it out. It's good to learn self-soothing skills for  a child. I will never make a habit of one of my kids sleeping with me, a HORRIBLE habit to break.

[Tanker Chic]

yeah, I think you are going to have to be consistent.  I find with jacob, if he is having one of those nights that he doesn't want to go down when I put him in the crib, it seems like the more I give in to it, the more it drags it out.  Let him cry and fuss for a bit... see how long it goes on. If he doesn't settle down after a while, pick him up and sooth him but then put him back in the crib.  How long you wait to go in there, I would say depends on how hard he is fussing/crying.  Be strong but use good judgement.  Be consistent.  When I put Jacob down, I try not to make a big production out of it.  I give him lots of hugs and kisses before hand, but once I put him in the crib, I quickly give him his paci, touch his face, say I love you and walk out.  When I stick around too long is when he gets up and wanting me to get him out of the crib.  

Try not to let your guilt drive you to make decisions that you know aren't helping the situation.  

best of luck.. I know it is hard.  

[curly_lu]

Well, is not easy to leave your baby at day care, I know!  This will pass is just taking a little to adjust, but remember once he starts making friends everything will change.  Try to encourage him and always talk to him, gives him lots of hugs and kisses.  The only thing about nights that I can tell you is don't be hard on yourself, is not goint to be easy, but something that I used to do with Kaleb was to put a shirt or something that I wore, that had my smell on it, sometimes even a small stuffed animal that I put on my bed while I slept and with that he went to bed, he felt like I was with him all the time at night.

Good Luck, but most of all remember you are his Mommy and you know him better, so you'll know what to do.

Take care.

[babyscience]

So I guess I should just do it.  My limit of him crying is usually 30 mintutes, once he cries longer than that he is done for bedtime, just too worked up.  I have tried the whole going in there after 10 minutes, but then he gets WAY to worked up than if I just left him.  No more Mommy bedtime.  I am so, so tired!  I will try to tough it out.  And just stick to my guns.  But he really is adorable when he sleeps.  Haha....NO I cant think that!
I will try to sleep with his crib stuft animal tonight then stick it in there tomorrow.  If only I had a torso, that felt like me that I could put in there.
Thanks guys, I will let you know how tonight went!

[babyscience]

Last night wasnt too bad.  He of course jumped up when I put him in the crib, put then I laid him back down and put my hand on his chest.  He was crying a bunch but then I calmed him down by telling him a story.  Seemed to work.  He woke up at 1:30 crying...I feel bad because I really cant say how long he was crying for because I fell asleep during it.  I was SOooo tired.  But he was still asleep when I left this morning.  YAY!