BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: mjohnson33 on July 25, 2011, 17:19:49 pm
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I started a new thread off of another I posted....
My DS will be 7 months on Wednesday and I am utterly exhausted and desperate....Let me set the scene...
Up until 4 weeks ago DS slept with me in my bed, I since have put him in his crib in my room. He is a pro at putting himself to sleep 95% of the time. He takes great naps and even goes down at BT most nights perfectly.....he will sleep for 3-4 hours without a peep and then once he wakes the first time, our nights are ruined and I cannot figure out why he is waking. He becomes very restless and tosses and turns until he wakes himself up and then has a horrible time getting back to sleep even with pat/shush. I literaly sit by the crib and pat him and he alseep and as soon as I stop he starts moving again....if he does stay asleep he is back up in an hour doing the same thing. If I let him fuss and cry, it just escalates into hysteria. I am adamant about not picking him up b/c I think that may do more harm than good. He is a belly sleeper but keeps rolling onto his back and I think that causes some of the wakings but its not all the time. I have tried, tylenol and orajel (in case its teething), cereal in the bottle, he gets a bath every night and we are totally consistent with BT routine....Seems the last few nights its gotten worse, he is up for 1-2 hours crying and carrying on. Even if I bring him in bed with me he is still very restless so I dont think that is the problem. Then he seems to settle from 3am-5:30 and starts to stir again. Could this be hunger?? Sometimes if I cave and feed him he does sleep better after the bottle but not always....He is very hard to burp in the middle of the night b/c he usually falls asleep eating and if I dont get a burp he will wake in pain. Saturday night I fed him at 3 am and he decided he wanted to wake up and talk for an hour afterwards.....I still BF but I give him a bottle of formula before bed hoping it will help. Please help me I am so frustrated and tired!!!
Also, on a side note, he has constipation issues.....I give him prune juice twice a day in his bottles (pumped Breastmilk) but he seems to still have issues, could this be part of it??
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Can you post your current EAS for us? I know it was a work in progress. But what is it now?
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Sounds like it could be tummy related troubles. Maybe gas or the formula is too "heavy" for him?? If he has constipation issues it could def. be that he is feeling uncomfortable during the night. Might be that it takes until that point for him to digest the BT feed and then he wriggles and squirms trying to get gas out or something? I'd be inclined to stick to BF only at night, even if you have to nurse once overnight while your EASY gets sorted. It will be easiest to digest and help you rule out tummy troubles as the culprit of the wakings.
Have you been introducing other solids besides cereal during the day? I am wondering if he has some type of intolerance or other food related issue?
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Well I just took him to the Dr today and he has adenovirus whwich is a sore throat and pink eye!!! So I am pretty sure this is the cause of the past few nights but it doesn't explain the other 30! LOL. I am in the process of weaning nursing so I am going to keep the formula feeds as I have been doing this for 3 months now so that isn't the issue. I do feed him fruits in the am and veggies and starch at night. Doesn't matter what kind he eats either so not sure that is it.
Basically he wakes at 7 and has 3 hr A times and naps for 1.5-2 hrs twice a day and is in bed by 7:30 usually.
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If he is independently sleeping otherwise, I would be inclined ot blame discomfort - food or formula related. Sounds like he has a sore tummy. Conspitation can be quite unsettling and is often a symptom of food intolerance, most commonly dairy. Is he on a dariy based formula?
My DS2 has multiple food intolerances and we went the best part of his life up with him in the night 2 hours + but for all sleeps and the first part of the night he would sleep like a log. After ruling out teething and props it came back down to foods and when we brough his diet back a bit to what we knew he could tolerate he sttn for weeks on end. Now when he wakes at night I know that i have gone a little too far with his diet - I am gently increasing the quantities of foods he is intolerant to, so I can find his threshold of tolerance.
Food for thought :P
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Well, he is over the sickness now and he is getting worse!!! It doesnt matter how little or how much day sleep he gets, nights are so bad!!! Last night I put him down at 8:20pm and he started waking up at 11:45pm, I tried putting him in bed with me and he was so restless and obviously tired as his eyes were closed...he just couldnt settle....then after an hour of pat/shsh he started crying so I figured he was hungry, so I fed him 5 oz bottle, he ate it all and then I put him to bed, he was really restless again I had to shake the bed to get him to relax....then he slept from 1:15-3am and I let him be when he woke quite a few times and he put himself back to sleep.
EloysH, Yes, he is on dairy based formula. Since I am starting to wean nursing, he is now on one full bottle during the day(starting today) and the other at night before BT. So, you think I should try some soy based formula?? Dont you think it would have an effect on my breastmilk?? I dont really eat alot of dairy. I have about one serving a day...just thinking out loud. I am willing to try anything here, I am desperate. I also give him a formula feed in the middle of the night between 1-3am. How long after he eats does it start to bother them??
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The best night I had was last week when he was sick, he only woke one time and it was to eat. He had 5h nap time that day and total A time was 9 hours. Do you think he is getting too little sleep during the day?? I am capping his naps at 2H each...and he has 9H A time.
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Eloys has a great deal of experience as she did an extreme elimination diet for her LO and had great success with it. Having gone through something similar and opting for a HAF (Hypoallergenic formula), I would at least suggest you try one, rather than a soy formula. Yes, you will have milk proteins in your bm and if you wish to tackle that as well, Eloys has great knowledge on it. :)
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mmom, you think I should try one that doesnt have soy protein either??
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Soy proteins are too similar to dairy and half dairy intolerant kids have troubles with soy. If you want to test out for milk/soy protein intolerance, do a 2 week trial of a non dariy formula or at least a hypoallergenic formula as Kara suggested (one where the whey protein is hydrolyzed and broken down). It would take two weeks for the proteins to clear his system. You would aldo need to exclude all dariy and soy from his diet. If his sleep and constipation improves significantly, you can look at a long term plan for dairy/soy free.
I can send you some links to read up about it this afternoon, gotta run for now.
xx
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Eloysh, I bought soy formula and he hates it!! Does the other stuff taste any better?? He won't even take a bottle thats 2oz of soy and 4 regular!!!
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I would go right to the HAF and skip the soy all together. It might take a few days of half HAF and half regular to get him to drink it.
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I don't think the HAF tastes any better, but really it is not worth going to soy. The stats show that he is likely to be intolerant to soy, it might be a waste of your time.
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My sister seems to think its just an upset tummy from the formula. So for now, I am going to give him breast milk at BT instead of formula for a few days and see if that helps....I am going to take back the soy formula tomorrow and wait and see what happens. But last night was alot better. Here was his day:
Wake 6:40
E 7:15
solids 8:15
A 3 hours
S 9:40-11:55
E 12
Solids 1:15
A 3 Hours
S 2:55-4:20
E wouldnt take a bottle!!! so I fed him solids at 5:30 then he took milk out of a sippy cup but only about 3oz!! (why did he do this???)
A 3 hours
bath and bottle at 7pm BT at 7:20, went right to sleep.
Is it normal to top him off before BT?? Usually his 3rd feeding of the day is around 4:30/5 then I feed him solids an hour later....then I give him a 4 oz formula bottle. Is that too much??
Woke at 8:45 crying, but he just needed a binky and pat
Then woke at 11:45 fussing so I tried to resettle and he wouldnt just kept getting worked up so I fed him at 12:15am 4 oz. Then he slept until 4 when he needed a binky and pat then slept until 7:30am. I also heard him grunting at 6:30am(he was pooping).....
I think I am going to let his first nap be his long nap and then he can have a shorter 2nd nap....
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So, I finally broke down and called the doctor b/c I believe that this is not a sleep need/issue....he clearly is waking from a belly ache....we have been struggling with contipation since he was 4 months old and since then I have been giving him prune juice in 2 of his bottles each day and most recently I have added miralax in the mix b/c he still isnt having regular bowel movements. The last bottle of the evening almost always has prune juice in it and its also a top off bottle when he has really just eaten a bottle about 1-2 hours before that as well as solids. So she thinks he is too full and the prune juice is messing with him. So she suggested I stop the top off bottle as well as the prune juice. Last night I did stop both and he STTN!!!
He did wake 2-3 times before I went to bed for a binky replug, is this caused by OT?? Here was his schedule yesterday:
wake 7
E 7:20
A 3 hours
S 10-12
E 12:15
A 3 hours
S 3-4:40
Solids at 5:15 then 7 oz bottle at 6pm. We then did bath at 7 and he was in bed and asleep by 7:45. He slept pretty good until 1.5 hours after I put him down, he had rolled over and his arm was stuck in the slats of the crib. Then 50 minutes later he rolled over again from his belly and woke himself up.
He did however wake at 6am this morning. Is there anything I can do to not let this become a habit?? Seems like if he doesnt wake to eat at night he has EWs....
I am so excited, and I hope this is the start to a good sleep pattern.
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Has he always had high sleep needs? I only ask as the mom of a baby with low sleep needs... If I let her sleep more than 3 hours in the daytime, she will sleep less than 10 at night or be extremely restless all night.
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I think that Wednesday night was a huge step forward for us and seems like no matter how little or how much sleep he gets he still have NWs that is why I am positive its a belly ache. Typically he gets 3-4 hours of day sleep. Yesterday he had the same amount of day sleep as Wednesday and had a horrible night last night and the only difference....I fed him a bottle at 10:30pm last night as a DF and couldnt get him to burp after....he woke up 2 hours later in pain needed to burp and then after he burped he was awake and it was murder trying to get him back to sleep. He goes to sleep everynight by himself, why couldnt I get him back to sleep after he woke to burp? He screamed bloody murder for a hour....but his eyes were closed and he was exhausted.....belly ache, I think...how the heck can I get him to burp if its a DF???
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Most babies don't need to burp if it is a true DF as they are sleeping and don't take in much air at all...
Is he just 7 months or closer to 8 months now? I would maybe think about dropping the DF if he has tummy troubles... it could be disrupting his sleep at this age... just a thought.
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He is just over 7 months and I ALMOST never do a DF anymore. But he still wakes in the middle of the night most nights to eat so I thought I would try it. He needed to burp b/c he only slept 2 hours before waking fussing and crying until i picked him up and burped him. But most times when I feed him at night he falls asleep during the feed then I have trouble burping him and that is the difference between a good night and a horrible night.
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If he is falling asleep during the feed, he doesn't need it ;) If it is a rare thing to feed him during the night, I would stop and see what happens... resettle another way.
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I never do an actual DF, I do feed him almost every night from around 1-3am, which he wakes for. He does drink the whole bottle too, I try not to let him fully wake up b/c then he is harder to put back down. I dont do a topoff bottle before BT anymore b/c of his indigestion problems so if he wakes to eat, I feed him. I am trying to tackle the excessive NWs first then I will tackle eliminating the one feed. Do you think I should prop his mattress?
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It wouldn't hurt to try - have you had him checked out for silent reflux?
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He is on medicine for reflux already....and we have been dealing with a huge constipation issue as well but he does go every day with the help of miralax but still seems to struggle everyday.
He normally takes one longer nap than the other, do you think it matters whether its the am or pm nap?
Do you think I should try to shorten his naps?? On Wednesday he took a 2 hr am nap and a 1.5 hr pm nap and STTN.....so I dont think he needs less day sleep....
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That's a grand question! If he had an OT buildup from constant NW, he could have used those long naps to catch up and then since he wasn't hugely OT anymore, slept well at night.
I would think 3 -3.5 hrs during the day is still fine, but I wouldn't expect a 12 hr night with it.
I can sympathize with the constipation battles... we were in the ER twice a couple of weeks ago for the same issue and now have MiraLax as well. If he is struggling to poop even with the MiraLax, have you thought of adjusting his dosage? What does he get now and when?
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How much day sleep should he be getting at 7 months?
He is on 1/2 tsp every afternoon and yes he still struggles to go so I am starting to increase the dose.
I have another question....I just increased his solids to 3 a day last week and I am struggling to get him to drink 3 bottles a day where before he loved them. And they are only 5 oz bottles. Is that normal?
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DD just went to three bottles a day as of today... she gets 8 ozs at wake and just before her PM nap at 215pm and 8.5 ozs at bedtime (about 745). Solids are at 8am, noon, and 5pm.
I found that DD always slacked on her bottles when I added a new meal to her day... give him a bit of time to adjust or cut the solids as he needs at least 20 ozs a day.
My DD has 1 tsp of MiraLax in her first bottle of the day ;)
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How much sleep does your DD get a day/night?
I cut back on the solids a little bit and he seems to be doing better with drinking his bottles. I also added more miralax and I think that is helping too.
Last night was way outta character for him and I want to know what you think. Here was his day
wake 6:30, I just fed him and he went back to sleep 7:15-9:15
A
S 12:30-2:15
E solids + 2oz breastmilk
A
S 5-6 (short nap since it was so late)
E 6
A
bath 8pm and a small bottle
S went to put him down at 9, he was very tired and slept for just a few minutes but kept tossing and turning until he started crying hard, so I just picked him up, he seemed very upset.....I thought maybe his tummy was bothering him so I just brought him back out into the living room for a bit then put him back down and he did the same thing.....so I held him in the bedroom til he was asleep and then brought him out in the living room for a bit. He kept tossing and turning like something was bothering him. I had to continously pat his butt for 20 minutes before he was really asleep. Then I put him in his crib and he he woke at 2am and I fed him and put him in bed with me. He was crazy restless!!! All night just tossing and turning....I dont know what was wrong with him. He seemed out of it all day yesterday like he was really tired for some reason.....any ideas here?? I did give him gas drops too and that didnt seem to help.
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I have been trying this EASY thing for over 3 months now and nothing has worked!! I dont even know why I am trying. I am so frustrated and ready to quit. It doesnt matter anyway b/c he never sleeps good!!!
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My DD sleeps about 3 hrs during the day and 10 -10.5 at night. She does STTN 99% of the time and naps well too. It wasn't always like that though ;)
Don't give up... remember that EAS isn't always in that exact pattern... mine is a EASAEASAES... it's all about the consistency day to day, not the actual letters.
Did he go from 630am until after 2pm without eating? Is something missing?
Does he always go to bed that late? If so, I would strongly suggest that BT be moved to no later than 8pm, preferably 7-730pm. Not many LO's do well with BT that late... a natural baby cycle is 730-730...
Drop the DF if you have intro'd solids and he is doing fairly well with them. I find most times than not, it just disrupts their sleep beyond 5-6 months of age and can make them restless the rest of the night. They are old enough to go all night without eating (except maybe during a GS). I would allow him to wake on his own if he is hungry - and he may not at all.
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The more I look at his sleep needs I think he likes more day sleep and less night...like 3.5-4 hours day sleep and 10-10.5 night, if he were to STTN.
I am really frustrated here b/c I think I might just let him sleep when he is tired instead of trying this crazy up for 3 hours and then nap b/c it isnt working!!! He is very restless at night and I think its from OT. I am going to speak with his doctor about this b/c I think I am going about it all wrong.
He usually goes to bed around 7:30 not 9, but Sunday was a late wake so the day was all thrown off. And I am not concerned about the pattern of EAS but my problem is NOTHING is working. Less sleep, more sleep, CN, no CN, he is still restless and sleeps horrible at night. I have been dealing with this for 3 months and it hasnt gotten any better.
I dont do the DF and really never have. I feed him when he wakes to eat which is just about every night around 2 or 3am no matter what time his last meal is.
My whole goal here is to find out why he is so restless. Something keeps waking him at night and until I fix this I am miserable!
I am sorry that I keep bugging you but you all seem to be the knowledgable people here and can offer me help, but no one has really been able to help.... :(
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hmmm, If you think he prefers more day sleep and less night sleep then go for it. BW isn't about a rigid routine, it's about listening to your baby and figuring out what he/she needs and wants :)
I have a baby who doesn't follow the "rules" too and that's okay. As long as your LO is happy and plays well during the day, they are getting the sleep that they need. Some bubs prefer to get us up early and sleep the day away and no amount of tweaking will change that. It's taken me a few months of messing with DD's sleep to realize that she just gets way OT if I cap her naps too much and she doesn't sleep any better at night regardless.
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After numerous talks with DS pedi we have come to the conclusion that its partly constipation and the other part is a mystery. So she has referred me to a sleep specialist and I have an appointment on MOnday. I am doing everything correct here and she agrees with me, so there is some underlying problem which I agree. So I will let you know what the next step is after Monday.
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I really think it is worth going down the food intolerance route hun :)
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Thanks Eloysh but they aren't convinced that the small amount of formula he was getting would contribute to an allergy. Wouldn't he get worse as I added more formula?
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But he is on solids though? Could be anything in his diet that is not agreeing with him - dairy, wheat, salicylates, egg, presservatives, additives, etc. The BM is a wonderful filter and thus masks intolerances. Many bubs dont show serious discomfort or digestive upset until they are ingesting foods directly. Constipation is a classic symptom, it is the bodies way of saying " hey I'm struggling with something that I am eating here, its very hard to digest". If the nights are still wakeful and not due to props I would say stomach upset, they main place to look is diet. :) This is coming from teo kids with food intolerances and one night waker due to foods ::)
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And the intolerance could be something that you are eating that comes through the breast milk too.
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yes most foods cross through the breastmilk, I had to be dairy wheat soy and salicylate and preservative and additive free when I was breastfeeding to stop Ds2 reacting. ::)
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Well I am all done breastfeeding except for one 3 oz bottle during the day of bm. The last 2 nights he has slept better and I am not really sure why except he is in bed with me after his first NW. I went and saw a sleep specialist because I am tired of all these guessing games. She told me there is nothing wrong with him co-sleeping with me if it gets both of us more sleep. He does start out in his crib then after I feed him he comes in bed with me and hasnt woke until morning for the past 2 nights. She also told me that he is too young to be going 3 hours after he wakes up before his first nap and he should still be taking 3 naps a day if he gets short naps. So I have started putting him down between 2-2.5 hours for his first A time and getting a great AM nap. So, I am not really going to try an push him anymore to try and do a 3 hour A time, that could be part of all the NW's OT. I also have him on Enfamil Gentlease pre-mixed formula to help with his belly issues. He seems to be doing a little better on that than the powdered version. I wish I would have seen this lady a long time ago b/c I feel like i have been trying so many things and nothing has been working b/c I didnt know what was right. I am hoping this is the beginning to some great nights ahead!~! :)
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Excellent update! I also think that there are times when APOP is the best route. I freely admit that I tend to rock DD to sleep most of the time... she settles easily and doesn't wake to be re-rocked at all. She happily drifts off and stays asleep so I see no harm in doing it if she needs it. With teething and developmental things right now, it's AP city here!
Sometimes I think we get too preocupied with trying to stuff our babies into a cookie cutter mold instead of really watching their cues to see what they NEED.
Kudos to you for doing what baby needs. A sign of a great mom :)
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Well, I spoke too soon!! LOL, last night was a disaster and I am not sure what was wrong with him. Maybe OT?? He only had less than 3 hours of day sleep and long A times. He fell asleep eating and then went down fine but woke 2 hours afterwards fussing and crying and when I dont pick him up immediately he freaks out and gets worse and worse. I tried picking him up to see if thats what he wanted and it didnt work. I know he wasnt hungry b/c he just ate 2 hours ago but I tried a bottle b/c I was desperate to stop the screaming.....he would take a few sucks and cry....he ended up finishing the bottle and falling asleep. I burped him and held him for a few minutes and he was asleep, then I went to put him down and he started crying immediately, and I couldnt get him quiet this time without picking him up, taking him in a different room and sssshing so loud in his ear!! Then I let him fall asleep and held him for about 20 minutes and went to put him down again and he started screaming as soon as I put him down. Then I got in bed with him and he finally calmed down. Why would he do this??
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Maybe he needs the extra comfort because he is uncomfortable? Just going off what has happened with DS2 who has mad a lot of sore tummy issues, he tends to be very clingy if he is in discomfort or any sort.
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That sounds like a pain reaction to me hun. Is he a refluxer?
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Thanks Eloysh but they aren't convinced that the small amount of formula he was getting would contribute to an allergy. Wouldn't he get worse as I added more formula?
just going back, yes he should get worse as you add more formula and dairy in the diet (if it is dairy)... and food intolerances have a build up effect, where as allergy is immediate response.
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Sorry just popping in to share our story. I do agree with Eloise that you are probably dealing with a food intolerance. We trialed 6 different formulas with DS, and the first couple of days would be great until his body 'recognized' the milk protein. Our ped told us (just as Eloise said) that it is a commulative affect which is why LO may seem better the first few days after a formula switch. DS has MPSI and silent reflux and has been on a hypoallergenic formula since 3 months.
DSs symptoms were extreme belly aches with gas, constipation and mucousy poops. He would also get a slight rash. It may also be worth trying a different bottle, at the time when things were really bad we were using advent bottles and the nipple would collapse and DS was always very gassy. Our ped recommended Dr Brown's bottles and out of desperation we gave it a try, that along with the HAF and omeprazole seemed to give DS relief.
We are also very careful about solid introduction, DS could not tolerate apples and we always take introductions very slowly. Generally 7 days with slow increases as opposed to only 3. You may also want to revisit your LOs medication dosage, it may be time for an increase.
It really is a guessing game with these poor LOs, but I know that DS can sleep during the night and can self settle so when he has horrible nights I know something is not right. That being said teething has also created weeks on end, which have been just awful. Any chance your LO may be teething?
Good luck with everything!
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Thanks for the comments ladies. jakobsmom, I agree with you, my DS can self settle most times....so I also think if he is crying something is wrong. He does have reflux and he is on famotadine twice a day but I have a hard time keeping his 2nd dose down him, it always seems to come right back up. :( I do use Dr. Browns bottles for the most part but do have some others that I use as well.
He's not really getting worse with the introduction of more formula though, so I am not convinced its an intolerance. I really cannot find a common denominator with his bad nights though, they are kinda out of the blue. But lately he has been waking up about 2-2.5 hours after I initally put him to bed. He starts by just being restless and moving around then he ends up waking himself up. Last night I was able to put him off by about 20 minutes with a binky and pat but then he started getting upset and I had to pick him up. I went ahead and gave him a bottle b/c the last time he had one was 5 hours ago. He drank most of it very fast but when we got down to the last 2 oz, he kept wimpering and letting out little cries.....then I tried to get him burp and couldnt (of course, b/c he was passed out) I held him upright for about 20 minutes and put him in bed and immmediately he started moving about. Looked like he was uncomfortable and making grunting noises. But after 5 or so minutes he fell asleep. And slept really well until 3:55am when he wokeup and just started talking and playing. 30 mins later he was back asleep until 7am this morning. So, for the most part, last night was pretty good. But I still feel like there is an underlying cause for his restlessness and wakeups but like I said, the sleep specialist doesnt believe so.....
Also, last night I thought maybe I would try motrin and teething tablets in case of teeth at BT and same wakeups occurred.....
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It almost sounds like an OT issue to me... I find that DD will have a rough night if she is OT... sometimes it's a buildup over time and not totally obvious to me... could that be it?
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No, not really b/c there is no rhyme or reason to it. He can have a horrible night when he has a perfect day of sleep. Most days for him are great too, its really unheard of for him to have a bad nap day. I notice he is more clingy when he is OT, like he wont let me put him down after I get him to sleep but it doesnt mean he wakes up more often. WE will see how tonight goes b/c he has had a perfect day so far. I have also heard on here that its OT if they wake up the most within the first 3 hours of going to bed.....his is all night long!!! :(
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ugh... Fingers crossed for you hun!
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My DS was always a very very restless night sleeper and very prone to NWings. He had reflux and probably undiagnosed MSPI.
With the benefit of him now being older I can say some of it just 'him'. He often gets very restless at about 10-11pm (3-4hrs sleep) if he is OT. Waking and crying out all night long was pain (and still would be), and the grunting etc was reflux and tummy aches.
I ended up noticing that he was much worse on the nights that he had yoghurts or cheese - and the baseline formula was at that stage confusing me (he was bottle fed from 7 mths). So there was a dairy correlation that I had never found before with the BFing or formula.
Constipation could be part of the issue - and that can be intolerance related as well.
There are 2 ways to approach this really - one is to go searching for the answer to the restlessness - or the other is to accept that he has a delicate tummy because he is still young but will likely grow out of it soon. Most do, and those who really need to come off certain foods for serious medical reasons will likely show more signs. But it is always sad really when things get worse rather than better and things end up being sorted as a toddler instead. But I think waiting for the gut maturity and accepting some tummy aches etc is reasonable as well. I made decisions along these lines with both of my children really. DS to keep on cows milk formula and up the reflux meds instead, and to BF DD despite ongoing issues and an MSPI diet (I didn't want to do a full ED).
Is he teething at all??? My DD was a disaster with her first few teeth ::) ::).
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Thanks Liz!!! I am still thinking the reflux is a bit to blame but my dr said he should be growing out of it by now but when he spits up it still smells like acid....they keep dismissing me. I am thinking about seeking another opinion....they also told me constipation is common at this age and he just has to grow out of it...I dont like that answer either!!!
He might be teething but nothing seems to make it better, which makes me think its not. I tried oragel, tylenol, teething tablets, motrin and gripe water....
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Constipation is very common in kids under the age of 1 or 2. The digestive systems need to mature and many things can cause issues now that will not in the future...
My DD is on Miralax daily for constipation... she never had an issue until about 8 months of age... she stopped eating over a 10 day time frame and we landed in the ER - twice in a week. We are slowly weaning her off of the Miralax, but it takes a couple of months... she has come down from 1 tsp morning and night, down to 1/4 tsp once a day now. There are a few other kids on the 7-9 month board with the same situation.. it's common.
If it still smells like acid when he spits up - I think your momma instinct is correct... reflux generally doesn't subside until closer to a year.
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I agree reflux often does persist until age 1, and I do also agree constipation is common. It is caused by their little guts struggling to handle the new solid foods that are introduced. Essentially it is an 'intolerance' that passes. Our modern weaning guidelines are very relaxed really and we are encouraged to introduce solids far faster than is necessary nutritionally. Medical guidelines are based on how most babies react - so some will clearly be more sensitive.
I think as Mums and parents living in a busy world we also rush to get our LOs onto foods that we eat and routinely have in our kitchens. By that I mean gluten based foods and meats and dairy. This may not be you - but it certainly was me ???. And TBH I did it all over again with my second because by that stage I had a picky toddler to feed as well and I just needed them to eat similar stuff asap yk?? Both of my children went through terrible constipation where they were impacted and screaming and bleeding. Poor babies :'( :'( :'(.
If you think the reflux and acid are not controlled then get help. There really is NO harm in your doctor agreeing to a 2 week trial of more meds to see if that is the issue. That is far kinder than testing etc etc etc. And easier. :'(
BBL - my 15 mth old is taking pennies out of a pot and eating them ::) ::) - and I don't really think that is a sign of good parental supervision :P.
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Please help me, I am really questioning my ability to mother right now. I feel so helpless for my little guy and I dont know what to do. Up until Saturday he was on Enfamil Gentelease ready made formula. He had 2 really good nights Thursday and Friday night. My sitter told me she was concerned with the amount his has been spitting up and the fact that his eczema has flared up. So I did and I had to suggest that he has a milk intolerance and he said maybe switch to soy and see if it helps. So, I bought Prosobee and started it at 1am Saturday mornning. Ever since then he has been gassy and very restless sleeping. His spitting up has decreased with the exception of this morning. But I am wondering if its not an intolerance at all and maybe something totally different. I am so worried about him and I think I am making things worse?? :(
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You are a great mom... a crap mom wouldn't take the time to find a solution ;)
If I remember back, he does have reflux correct? If so, it could very well be that he is teething and it is flaring. I would go back to the Enfamil Gentlease. As a general rule, soy is not recommended with milk protein intolerance - hypoallergenic formula is (Nutramigen). Many kids with milk protein intolerance are also intolerant of soy.
Teething could certainly cause the spitting up and the excema...
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Thanks for the kind words!!
Yes, you are correct Kara he does have reflux. Doctor suggested I try the Nutramigen. Do you think its worth a try or no?? I wonder if he will like it?
I sure wish I had an answer but people have been suggesting teething but I dont see a thing.....he does seem to be biting on things and kinda whiny too.....
Do his issues sound like a MSPI or not really?
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Does he have any teeth at all? They can be on the move for months before the ugly appearance of them...
It could be MSPI, but if the spitting up and such is new, I would doubt that is the issue... Anything weird in his diapers - mucous, blood?
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No teeth yet!!! :) This has been going on for months. He was diagnosed with reflux at around 8 weeks old and he hasnt really had any formula until about 3 months old except for a bottle here and there....He was BF. I recently weaned him from the breast about a month ago.
No weird diapers except for constipation which I give him miralax for now :( He sure has had a rough go. The constipation only started getting worse when I started the one bottle of formula at night and 1 jar of solids a day around 4 months.
Do you think the Nutramigen is worth it?? Or do you think I am wasting my money that it may not be a MSPI?
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Not to contradict Kara, but reflux is often a result of MPSI and many LOs find their reflux is greatly reduced when eliminating those foods from their LOs diets. A HA formula sounds like a good idea. But since you are also BFing, you would have to eliminate milk and soy from your diet as well.
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No worries mmom - but he isn't BF'd at all anymore.
I would try the Nutramigen for a week and see if it makes a difference...
We are also on Miralax so I know all about that stress unfortunately... so hard to see them suffering :(
And teething can go on for months! It did here - started to be quite bad around 7 months and first two teeth came in about 10 days ago ;)
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If he is just FF, I would go to a HAF. Also, be mindful of soy and milk in foods.
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I was told Nutramigen doesnt taste very good either....so I am worried he wont want it....its so hard to know what the right thing to do here....He isnt a fussy baby and seemed ok on the Gentelease just spitting up a ton and constipated and having trouble sleeping with the exception of a few good nights here and there. Not sure if that warrants a MSPI allergy....
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My LO didn't switch to a HAF until he was 11 months. Boy do I wish I tried sooner, as it changed our lives dramatically. It doesn't taste good, but your LO may take to it easier than you think. :)
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It cant hurt to try right? It wont make him worse?? I guess I will give it a try.
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Exactly, it can't be worse, so give it a shot. You could try mixing it with the current formula to ease him to the new flavour... do it over 4 days... 1/4 HAF with 3/4 Gentlease the first day and then 1/2 & 1/2, then 3/4 & 1/4 then the 4th day would be 100% HAF in the bottle... This can help LO's take a new taste without as much refusal...
As for the constipation issues - do you give him water during the day as well? Not really needed when bubs are BF'd but FF babies do need extra water, especially with the addition of solids. What solids are you offering now? Maybe something will jump out as the constipation causer...
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If the constipation is chronic in my mind it warrants a trial of dairy free or hydrolyzed milk protein formula. There are ways to get them to take it. There are certain sweeteners that you can use temporarily, your Dr would be able to advise. And some babies are not so fussy. Imagine if the constipation and restlesses at night disappeared because if it.... I think it it is well worth the trial.
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Well I got the HAF and started it last night. He HATES IT!!! So, I did 1/2 and 1/2 and put a little pear juice in it as well. He has had 2 bottles like that so far. I hope today goes a little better but I did the same for those. Then depending on how that goes, I will slowly increase it again tomorrow.
As for the constipation issues - do you give him water during the day as well? Not really needed when bubs are BF'd but FF babies do need extra water, especially with the addition of solids. What solids are you offering now? Maybe something will jump out as the constipation causer...
I do give him water and sometimes some diluted juice with his solids. I would say he has at least and oz or so with each meal. He pretty much eats any solids other than bananas, carrots and alot of cereal since those tend to be constipating. I also try to be very proactive and choose a good balance of fiber throughout the day.
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Since this topic has veered off path and it appears that food is the issue, I am going to lock this thread. Please help the OP here. http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=216462.msg2305825#msg2305825