Not from hunger Wakings

[margarita]

Hi again!  I am still having trouble with my beautiful baby.  He is waking a couple of times in the night.  Some are definetly from hunger, but after 3am (his last hunger waking), sometimes he wakes two or three times, just almost crying.  All I have to do is patt him, or pick him up and he will fall asleep again (not more than 10min).  Could it be that he doesn't know how to fall asleep again on his own, or what could be the problem?  He sleeps from 7pm to 3am with just a dream feed at 10:30, but after 3, he just gets really weird.

[Katet]

How old is your lo, can you post a rough day routine & also how he falls asleep for naps/bedtime & then we might be able to offer some suggestions as to what is happening & how to change things

[wchopin]

Hi, I am new here  and have a beautiful boy, almost five months and about 16 pounds. He is doing the same thing. Here is a basic schedule and I am wondering how to get him to settle between the hours of four and seven. He is not hungry and only seems to want me to touch his back. He does have a pacifier, but does not wake when it falls out. I know that that is an issue, but he does not seem to really need it. I walk in, I do give him back a pacifier, (my other two kids had them and eventually learned to put it back themselves) speak to him and usuallly adjust him in his crib. He drools a lot and I move him to a dryer spot. I can usually leave, but he seems to wake about an hour later, maybe during the change in sleep cycles. I do know that during naps he wakes 45 minutes after falling asleep and I need to pat him for less than a minute to get him back to sleep. Is that the problem? I am the prop between sleep cycles? If so then why does he sleep so well in the beginning of the night? And how do I get away from that?

Here is our day, usually:


7am wake, bf
7:45 cereal and fruit
9:00 nap
10:30-11:00 wake and bf
12:30 nap
2:00-2:30 wake bf
4:00 bf
5:00 cereal and veg.
We have tried a catnap, but it just does not seem to work out. He does not seem tired then.
5:30-6:30 activity, bath, bf, book
6:30-6:45 bed

somewhere between 11:30 and 12:30 wakes to df, I usually go to bed around ten. I can not seem to stay up any later. I tried to df at ten, but he seemed to wake more often in the night. 

between 3:30 and 4:30 wakes to eat
 
He will wake about three times between that feeding and 7am. He seems hungry when he wakes at three or four. I understand that he should not be, but he will really nurse. I have not timed it though.. He is only bf and will not take a bottle. I know that if he wakes after that feed he is not hungry. He just seems to have a difficult time during those early morning hours. 

Any advice would be great. Logan is baby number three for me, but he Ferberized the other two at about six months and I would like to avoid it this time. He does go down very easily, if I catch his signs right away. That above all else has made this journey worth it.  He is pretty predictable about his naps. 

Thanks,
Wendy

[Katet]

Wendy, the fact he just doesn't seem to need the catnap but sleeps well in the first half of the night says to me he is a "low sleep need baby" So the first thing I would try is to delay his first nap of the day & keep it at 1.5hours max. I read somewhere that the morning time relates to sleep midnight to dawn, so the more awake time he has then, should help the "lack of sleep" from 4 -7am.... worth a try. I know keeping my ds#2 to 1 hour (he's 8mo & only just dropping the catnap) has helped him sleep later in the am & stopped his 5/6am stirrings

[wchopin]

Interesting how that might work. He is always sleepy at about 8:45 or so in the morning and then when he stirs after 45 minutes and I can easily get him back to sleep. I just assume that he needs more of  it...he seems to wake up happy after the morning nap that is that long. If I get him at the 45 minute time he seems cranky and ready to go back to sleep around 11 or so. Today he slept until about 10:40 and when we were grocery shopping he started yawning at about noon.  I am stumped....I thought more sleep during the day the better...I have also tried to keep him awake later than 6:45 and he is a mess. 

He was very gassy as a smaller baby.  Those would be the hours that he would cry from the pain, but now that he is older it seem like he has that more under control.  He still has some gassy nights, but is is cleary an uncomfortable situation, not this waking just for me to move him around. Possibly it is a pacifier issue and I either have to ditch it or get over the wakings. 

Thanks for the response!

-Wendy

[margarita]

   (No subject)
« Sent to: Mydreamcametrue on: February 05, 2006, 02:09:32 AM »     

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Hi Wendy! Thought i would write you a message.  I think it's easier through here

It's amazing how much this two little ones are alike.  I was reading everything you posted and i swear you could've been talking about my son!!!

My doctor told me from about 3 months that we would wait for solids because of his sensitive stomach, so that is one of the only differences we have.  Went through the same crying the first few months, and finally settled with the same milk as yours (Enfamil Nutramigen) He is eating same 4 bottles in the day (usually 6ounces), and two bottles at night, one 4ounces, and at 3am i've been trying to feed him less each day, we are now on 3ounces.  He used to eat 5 ounces each waking.
I also think he is in the habit of waking, so that mom or dad go to him.  Don't want to leave him to cry it out, but seems that's everyone's advice.  Seems easier to work on the feeding wakings than on the habit ones, don't you think??
I have been waiting for the teeth to show up also, he scratches his gums with the diaper, or with his fingers, but no teeth yet (see what i mean about them being alike! )

My routine:

6:00 Wake up
7:00- Bottle 6 oz.
8:00- Nap 45min

11:00 Bottle 6 oz.
1:00 - Nap 1 hour at the most (his naps have been getting shorter and shorter)

4:00- Bottle 6 oz.
5:00 - Catnap (he's way too tired to go through to his bedtime)
6:30/6:45 Bedtime Routine
7:00-  Last 6 oz. Bottle. (he ate 8ounces last night, i was impressed!, still woke up though)

I read that we can change his fomula every three days so  he gets more water than formula.  For ex.  If he's eating 6ounces, change to 5 and ad 1 more ounce of water, and then to 4, etc.. doing it very gradually so that he can deal with it.  I am trying to do that. 

We should definetly keep in touch, if we don't find a solution at least we can release our frustration hehe...Hope to hear from you soon.