Ideas needed please.... 3mo up and down after 2am feed now on bottles still same

[Spandanna]

Hi all

I thought whilst I was still breastfeeding at night, up until last week, that the reason my LO was waking continually after the night feed was because he was windy and/or eventually not being satisfied as my supply was dwindling having stopped all but the night feed(s) so after a few horrendous nights I took the decision to swap to formula at night. For the first 2 nights this was great. He fed at some point between 2 and 3.30am and then slept until 6.30-7ish (this is all after a bedtime feed at 6.30pm).

However, this week he has been waking about 1am at which point I try to settle with the dummy, last night it worked and he slept again until 3am but the night before it didn't work so I fed him. Both nights he burped well and I put him back down sleepy/asleep. Trouble is an hour later he wakes making the sort of grunty crying sound they make when they're windy and from then on every 15mins-half an hour until 6am when he refuses to resettle. The strange thing is I can turn the light on and get him up for the day at this time and as soon as the light is on he's all smiles and happy! Can anyone suggest what me going on at night please because I'm going crazy and am exhausted as basically I'm not sleeping from that night feed onwards.

[weaver]

Hi hun,
there is a Growth Spurt around 3 mos, do you think he's had that? Or could be having it now? 

Otherwise, can we see your daytime routine?  How is he doing with the formula during the day?  is there a possibility that he's having problems with it?  The windiness and grunty crying sounds like he's uncomfortable.  :-/

As for being smiley when the light comes on, well, I suppose that's just distraction!

[Spandanna]

Hi, Thanks for replying....

I'm not sure about the growth spurt because he's new to being exclusively FF I don't know what's normal. At the weekend he slept longer in the day and took a little more at feeds so that could have been it??

He's on four hourly feeds roughly and mostly since being on bottles he feeds once in the night. He seems fine on the formula in the day mostly, but you're right he does sound uncomfortable. To be honest he's been far more grizzly and 'shouty' the last two or three days. I'm wondering if perhaps he could have silent reflux???

Our 'routine' is completely all over the place with regards to sleep because I have two older children that need dropping at nursery/preschool and school. Every morning DS falls asleep in the car seat and often at lunchtime too when I'm running errands frantically before school pick up. He rarely naps in his cot in the week... trouble is he is now waking early during naps even in the car seat or pushchair so often I have to give him the dummy and continue rocking the buggy/carseat to resettle him and this is only possible if I'm not somewhere with sudden noises or distractions. I know he could do with going down earlier for first sleep but I can't as I leave the house at about 8.35 for school run.

 I can give you a couple of examples of EASY for us.... Today looked like this...

(From a 3.30am feed he woke at 4.14am making uncomfortable type grunting noises' couldn't resettle with dummy I had to rock him back to sleep then again at 5, then 5.30 then my husband took over at 6 and managed to keep him settled in his arms until 7am

E - 7am (only took 4oz very slowly and not at all bothered by it)
A
S - 9am (struggled to drop off on school run as probably OT finally dropped ff after drop off on way home)

wake up 9.40 still in car seat, couldn't resettle

E - 10.45
A
S 12.30 in car seat until 1.45

E - 2.30
A
S 4.45 - 5.15

E 6.15
A
S 7.30 by the time he was settled

Yesterday was more like this...
E6.30am
A
S 8.45-10.45 (with a resettle taking half an hour at 9.30, then I woke him at 10.45 so as not to go too long before feed)
E. 10.45
A
S 12.30-1.30
E - 2.35
A
S 5-5.30 (OT had to rock him and even then he was fightin it and grunting and arching back)
E. 6.30
A
S 7.30 after lots of APOPing

Then he woke at 11pm arching and grunting (this almost never happens) and the rest I outlined above for last night)

This needing to picked up is quite new too. Previously I could mostly seetle him in the night by putting his dummy back in and putting a hand on his chest or turning him onto his side and patting his bottom but suddenly the last two nights when he wakes I an just tell by his level of agitation that I will need to pick him up.... I'm certain it's not desperate hunger by the fact he wasn't othered by his bottle at 7am this morning..... Wht do I do?!!!

[weaver]

Arching his back and grunting.  I'm definitely thinking uncomfortable, poor love.  Do you want to move this thread or start a new one on Bottle Feeding or Colic Reflux Crying.  I'm thinking you could ask about the type of formula, maybe try a new one and see if that helps?

[Spandanna]

Thanks I'll try on the reflux/colic boards... thanks again for your help