6 months and still won't sleep through the night

[katie80]

She seems extra fussy; it must be because of the tooth? Maybe I should try some tempra instead?

That's likely... I would try tempra (I think that's acetaminophen?). It sounds like you are in favor of natural remedies, and honestly I am also (to a point), but if she's miserable I would give her the meds.  I remind myself that if I was miserable with a headache or toothache, I would take them myself.  And, when you look at the picture as a whole, if you give meds mostly only for teething in the first two years, while it seems like kind of a lot at the time, it evens out when the teeth are through.  I think I've only had to give them to my 6yr old DD once or twice since she finished teething.  Just my two cents.

The other wakings I tried to get up and shh/pat and tried bouncing on the ball. She would put her head down on me and sleep pretty fast, but as soon as I would lay her down she would wake crying. Tried this for about 30 mins then gave in and nursed her in bed. It's almost like a pacifier for her it seems. I tired to give her an actual pacifier, but she just takes it out and chews on it.

I think that's the essence of a boob prop, it is like a pacifier.  I do think it's hard to get rid of props while they're actively teething as well.  I'd take the shh/pat resettle at 9:30 as a good sign and keep working on the other NWs once the teeth come through.  And, depending on where she is with reflux or not, teething can sometimes cause it to flare, so that may be part of the discomfort/fussiness as well.

(((Hugs))), you're doing great!

[Babyk]

Thanks Katie 

I have been trying to go the whole natural route with her as much as possible. Although I do have some tempra on hand if all else fails.

I've tried doing some research on natural reflux remedies because I've been afraid to get more meds from her dr. Someone had mentioned to me that she could become dependant on them and need them for life. Not sure if there's any truth to that or not, but certainly scared me. So far nothing natural for reflux has helped much so I may soon have to go back to her meds, although it's become more of a silent reflux, less spit up and less hiccups, but I can tell it's still an issue.

I think you're right. I'm not going to push her too much right now to try to get rid of any props while she's already going through the teething, reflux and just about getting ready to crawl (I think!). A lot for her at once.

[katie80]

Hmm, granted I've never had a reflux baby, but what I've learned from here, I've not heard that they're addictive.   I'll ask for a second opinion from one of our reflux mamas.

She does have a lot going on right now... it will settle down again.

[weaver]

Just to mention that we have a whole board devoted to reflux and related issues - it might be a good idea to look around there, and maybe post too, if you feel you'd like to discuss something.

I always favour the natural route myself but reflux seems to be something where babies (and their families) really benefit from the right meds.
Colic, Reflux, & Crying

[creations]

Just popping by to share my thoughts on the reflux.  My DS had silent reflux, it is less obvious from the outside as there isn't a huge volume of milk being sicked up but the pain is just as bad. I wouldn't want my DS on any meds which were not actually necessary either but for me they felt necessary. Once I learned about the long term damage which can be caused by the acid repeatedly coming up and down I felt it absolutely necessary to ensure this didn't happen.  I didn't want him in pain and I didn't want him to have any chance of permanent damage from acid.  Not to mention the huge amount of lost sleep for both baby and parents which can't be good for anyone. Babies do need sleep, so do mummies if they are going to do the best job they possibly can.

I've never ever heard of reflux meds addiction. It may be possible that someone tries a wean and the reflux flares up meaning LO has not yet out grown the reflux and meds are needed for longer or it may be that they attempted a wean in the wrong way which didn't work, I suppose either of these things could make it appear LO is some how stuck on meds, but not for life.  I think my DS was 2yo when I took him off his reflux meds. I actually tried the wrong way (sigh, I didn't know at the time) of reducing the dose, it just caused more discomfort. The next time I cut a whole dose in one go, there was a reflux flare, he took a few days to settle but was fine after.

[*Liz*]

I agree with pp. long term use of medications is rare (98% of infants outgrow by age 2, 90% age one). Of course some of those will not be medicated.

What meds was your DD on originally?

There is an increased 'trend' to try and reduce babies being on PPIs unnecessarily. A lot are started in the colicky months, when reflux is suspected but never proven iyswim?? But a child that has symptoms at 6 months plus is a different matter.

They are certainly not addictive though  .

I assume you have considered food allergy, and tried elevation of the sleeping place with a wedge?

Can you hear the refluxing? I can always hear my DS gasp or gulp before he wakes.

[Babyk]

Thanks, Weaver! I have just recently found the reflux board. Still learning my way around the forum and finding all sorts of great boards that are really helpful 

Creations, you raise a good point about the long term effects of the acid going up and down the esophagus. I never really considered that (I feel pretty silly that I didn't even consider that  ) so many people in my ear advising against medicating and what not. I've never been the "all natural" type person for myself, but I've been open to learning more about those options since having my daughter. But in this case it's becoming more and more apparent that having her on some medication to help her with this issue so that it doesn't end up causing her more pain/discomfort or other issues later on in her life would likely be for the best for her. Thank you for sharing your thoughts

TBH, I feel like I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to make the best choices for her as I know all of us do. I feel extra pressure because for 4 years I was told I would never be able to have children. It took years for me to accept that. The same year I finally had come to terms with it I was blessed with the most wonderful news that I was pregnant. No fertility treatments ever, nothing. I couldn't believe it. So now I feel an immense load of pressure to make sure I'm doing everything as perfect as possible (which I'm finding out quickly is quite impossible  )


Liz, I did consider a food allergy. I had her tested for eggs, milk and oats and the tests came back fine. I wonder about a lactose intolerance though, although I'm not sure how to test for that while BF her as there is still lactose in BM. I tried to give her formula before and she was super upset about it.

She tends to have "wet" burps, not often that she spits up, but her burps sound wet if that makes sense. And sometimes when she's just laying there or sitting there she starts to choke and cough a bit as if something came up in her throat out of nowhere. She constantly tugs at her ears which I've noticed is associated with her gas because every time she does it I can burp her (although she hates being burped).

The dr had her on 15mg of ranitidine. I read on here that some people paired the reflux meds with gas drops. That's something we haven't tried before, but maybe a good idea since her wake ups through the night seem to be associated with trying to pass wind.

[katie80]

Oh hon, lots of (((hugs))). We all want to do what's right for our babies, but you're right, we'll never do everything perfectly. And neither will they! Do your best with the information that you have and have grace with yourself and your LOs. Please try not to wear yourself out being perfect for her (totally speaking from experience here ), she will love you for simply being her mother and loving her well.

I'll let the ladies with knowledge chime in on the reflux stuff, but I do think it's worth looking into.

[ZacsMumme]

Popping over with hugs and to echo the others. I've had two refluxers both been on meds, and no not addictive
I posted on your CRC thread re allergies/intolerances and how they are different, certainly your lo can have reflux pain and digestive discomfort with intolerances, these are not picked up in allergy testing.

[creations]

I can really relate to your wonderful news of being preg after believing you could never be - similar story here
Yes we all want to do the absolute best for our LOs but it's not likely we can get everything perfect, we can only work towards being the best we can be.
My DS was on the wrong does for a good while, his GP was saying he was on the max dose for his age/weight so I didn't follow it up, but DS was in pain. I felt terrible when I discovered he was on roughly a quarter the dose he needed (which the ladies here pointed out to me) and the new dose was immediately agreed by his paediatrician.  Imagine how bad I felt that I hadn't forced the dosage issue sooner so my DS hadn't been in that discomfort.  No matter how much we want to do everything right we can only do what we can do.  There are so many decisions to make as our LOs grow and we just have to do what we think right at the time.

Many hugs. Parenting isn't easy, but so rewarding 

[Babyk]

Sorry I haven't responded. I was able to come online and read your kind comments and support, but didn't get enough time to respond. But thank you to each of you for the support. Means a lot

It's so true, we won't be able to get anything perfect or even close by that means. I'm learning that by making the best decisions that I can for her and doing my absolute best by her that that's all that matters. I will fail at some thing and I won't have the answer for everything, but I'm still trying and that's what she will see. That her Mommy is always there for her. That's what matters most.

ZacsMumme, I'm going to check out what you posted on the other board too

I am so grateful to you all for sharing your experiences and offering some guidance/support. Thanks so much!

[creations]

That her Mommy is always there for her. That's what matters most.

So true

[Babyk]

I have some wonderful news to share!

Last night Kaydance went down at 7:30. She woke briefly at 8:30 and DH settled her to sleep. She woke before I could DF at 9:50, but went right back to sleep in her crib after.

She then woke again at midnight, 1:30, 2:30 and 3. At midnight when she woke I put her in bed with us and nursed as we Co-slept. Same at 2:30. At 3 I knew I had to try something different because we were getting nowhere. I decided to fight through it and trying patting her in her crib for longer than I've ever tried before. It took nearly 45 mins of Patting her in there and fighting the urge to pick her up as she cried and kept rolling over to try to get me to pick her up, but I pushed through it letting her know I was there for her, but it was BT and she needed to sleep and FINALLY she just passed out! She still woke again shortly after 5, BUT this is the first time I've been able to pat her to sleep in her crib so I will take that as a win! !

So happy about my small victory that I wanted to share with you ladies!

[katie80]

Well done, both of you! It definitely takes persistence when you're doing something new, but it's worth it when you all get more sleep!

[*Liz*]

Well done  .

Very frequent comfort feeds can make them reflux more as well, so trying to ensure they just get what they really need is a big step.

My DS2 is bottle fed, and my previous 2 refluxers were both BF. It's really interesting to see the difference in night time behaviour. I still hold him a lot due to wind and reflux, but am far less tempted to feed him since it is a faff. Plus I am more committed to putting him back in his crib (although it is a bedside one so I can lie and pat him easily - or often just lie my arm over him like a cuddle). It does seem to help I think.