BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: darcys mum on August 10, 2011, 04:55:22 am
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Hi,
Just wondering what to do about my little ones night wakings.
He feeds at 7am 11am 3pm and 7pm then again at around 10.30pm before I go to bed. Then he will wake at 12.30, 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am and it's driving me crazy!!! I will usually feed him if it's been at least 4hrs since his last feed but I find that then he isn't interested for the 7am & 11am feeds so I wonder if I should perhaps try to wean him from the night feedings???
But I still can't figure out why he has started to wake so often in the night, it's not from hunger and he settles again fairly quickly but only to wake again an hour or so later?
He used to only wake once for a feed then sleep until start of the day but this has been going on now for the last 4 weeks and I don't know what to do.
He has also been waking after each sleep cycle during his day naps and needing to be resettled and used to be such a good day sleeper as well.
Any suggestions????
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Hi there, I am in the same boat with my 4 month old. Most nights she barely goes 3 hours between feeds but we had a few nights where she was up every 1-2 hours and I'm putting it down to her 17 week 'wonder' week. I think she has a lot going on mentally - have noticed she is much more aware of her surroundings and really stares at things.
I know I need to start weaning some night feeds but I'm not looking forward to all the crying - am scared she will wake DS. But, will need to be done and am thinking of trying PU/PD.
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I haven't heard of 'wonder week' what is it? My little man is 17weeks next Wednesday....it has been going on for about 4 weeks now though. I have noticed a real change in him as well, he is so much more talkative and interested in everything that is going on around him, has been able to grab things with both hands and has found his feet and is now OBSESSED with them and must grab one with each hand at every chance he gets!! Is your daughter also waking early from her naps during the day? How many times a day would you feed her?
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I'm there with you ladies - we are down to 6 hrs in between feedings at night - did 8.5 at one point. She is on a 4 hr easy as well. She does wake frequently at night but only to be re-plugged - weaning paci most like as of tonight. Do you use a dummy? Read and heard many times it helps wonders to extend naps and help STTN.
So I'm really no help and wondering myself what's going on.....maybe really just a normal thing at this age - they are developing super fast now.
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Hi Sandra,
Reading different posts I think we are having a lot of the same problems!! We do use a dummy and it has been suggested (and I already suspected) that it could be the reason for all the wakings as he just wants his dummy put back in. It was ok, used to be just once or twice a night and he would sleep from say 10 -3 or sometimes even 4 and a couple of times he even slept through till 6am. I took this as meaning that he didn't need his night feeds anymore so for a couple of weeks I started not feeding and just giving his dummy if he woke and that is when all our problems started, and have still been waking up every hour or at best 2 hrs all night long despite having been doing a night feed again for the last 4 weeks! He is also waking up after 45mins now from his day naps and used to sleep 2-21/2 hours before I would wake him because a feed was due!! I think he has probably become too dependent on his dummy now and we will have to get rid of it, last night after a long day I said to my husband 'thats it this weekend the dummy is going in the bin' only to back down at the thought of it half an hour later and said I will give him two more weeks and see if I can get him to improve!! I don't know about you but I am soo tired and mentally drained from it all and trying to figure out how to 'fix' it!!
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darcys mum - I'm going through a cold turkey wean as I write. I am doing a little crying - Im mixing BW and Baby wise together. She has been crying for almost an hour by now, of course with me calming her down in between. It breaks my heart and I hope its going to work as they all say and my baby will be a new independent baby within a week. Im doing 2 things at once - a) weaning dummy and b) implementing a very strict 4hr routine with looong naps.....we have been a a 4 hr easy but with a lot of ups and downs and things not really working well our way. Our Pediatrician today told us to let her cry for just a few min. - go back in calm her leave again and so on...so its not really a cry out. just a few min. one.....she actually just stopped crying for a minute....wow one hour later. I hope thats it for now and the will prob. restart once she once her dummy re-plugged which is going to be in a couple hours....I have been debating on weaning her paci for a good 7 weeks and I postponed all the time because I was scared to do it. I still am but now I started and there is no going back.....
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Having similar problems over here ladies so (((hugs)))
A uses the paci to fall asleep but now she takes 45 minute naps and will rarely be resettled to extend them. She used to be so easy to put down and now that's changing. I'm having a hard time sticking to 4 hour EASY with such short naps. How are you all handling that?
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Good Luck!! Hopefully you will be telling me of your success story next week and give me the courage to do the same!!
I have today started swaddling him with one of his arms out and also have given him a little bunny to sleep with that smells like me, he slept for 2hrs this morning!! I have just put him down for his afternoon nap so we will see how that goes....I'm hoping to get him out of the swaddle first, gradually one arm at a time and get him onto the bunny and then hope that he will be able to start soothing himself with that or his hands once he wakes, if that works then I don't mind him having the dummy just to go to sleep at the start, but we will see.....if that doesn't work at least when we wean the dummy he will have his hands to find
Fingers crossed for us both !!
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Hi Dana,
I know what you mean, I have been going in and re plugging the dummy and getting him back to sleep each time until it is closer to when his feed is due, if it's still too early and he won't go back to sleep I just get him up and try to distract him until feed time! But then it can be hard to keep him up without getting OT until his next nap should be and then the routine gets thrown out for the rest of the day!! I feel better knowing at least that there seems to be a few people having the same trouble so maybe it is not something that I am doing wrong! :) It's hard not to keep looking for the answers though, my husband just keeps telling me to roll with the punches and he will come good, but I feel I have to keep trying different things to help him out....
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Hi Ladies,
DD was older than 4 months when I started 4hrly EASY. I'd the same problem of night waking every2 hrs. we were swaddling and using dummy. When we were planning our attack on NW's DH and I decided we would get rid of the dummy as most of her wakings were due to replugging needs. We used PU/PD and I must say DH was great at this. I encouraged him to read bw SAYP. We started at the naps and by that night she had the hang of things and by night two she STTN.
We had two problem
#1 on 3 hr routine her feed were too close together and she was only snacking by day because she was hungry but also very interested in everything going on. so she'd eat enough to do her. Then at night its dark and all she know is hunger and is catchin up on the days calories. I had the same problem as Darcy's mom. She then wasn't hungry for 7 and 11 and the cycle continued.
#2 is that on 4hrs you have to start pushing their A times too. Just by 5-10 mins. It possible your Lo has lower sleep needs or is just ready for more awake time. If you push them you may notice the nap is more consistant and lo can do a better A time for next one. Then for BT LO is tired enough but not OT to sleep more soundly.
I do recommend PU/PD. I personally saw the bennefit of making sure you have the two weeks or more (especially is new to easy) to set babys interal clock and have them enjoying their routine. Plus fighting at night means you need to sleep when they do. Read the PU/PD chapter at least 3 times and talk it out with who will help you to make sure you both understand it.
(((((HUGS))))) to you all. We've all been there. You'll get through it and you WILL STTN :)
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Hi Mom O,
Did you stop giving her the night feeds when she woke? Or just waited for her to sleep through?
My little man had been sleeping ok from 7pm BT till 10.30 dreamfeed.
But yesterday he had a good morning nap of 2hrs and afternoon nap of 11/2 (first time in weeks!!(excitement shortlived!))
I went for a walk in the afternoon to be home at 5 for his catnap and he fell asleep 10mins before we got home and woke up at the end of the driveway so I popped him in his swing hoping he might have a bit more but no luck, so we did early BT 6.30. He had last feed at 6.15.
He woke at 7.30 then four more times until 8.45 so I fed him and it was a pretty long feed (EBF so hard to know exact volume). He then woke at 11.15 for another feed, again was pretty long. Woke at 12.30, 1.30,2.00 BF again fairly long, then 3.00,4.00,5.00BF as he would not take the dummy and was screaming and had a decent feed again, then woke at 7am but was not interested in feeding.
I don't think he is low needs as he is clearly tired, eyes are red with dark circles and goes out like a light just not for long enough! He is doing 2hrs A but that is definately his limit for now as he gets tired and cranky towards the end.
Because these wakings are so frequent, could it be something else wrong or is it the dummy? He has always had it and only used to wake once and was almost making it through the night before this started!!
He woke at
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Most likely the dummy that wakes him and his calories aren't up the day so he probably is hungry. Have you started stretching out feeds yet?
Of course he is tired. Just like you he hasn't had a block of restorative sleep. Try pumping an hour after feeds for 7 and 11 (maybe rest of the day if you think it is low). You need to up the calories in te day. Once your happy with that you can start to wean the NW/NFs.
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24h into my project - as far as NW goes- slept for the first time in her life through the night! I was amazed and could not believe it. She did not as usually wake up 10 times for her paci and she did not wake up for her 4.30 am feed....she made it all the way from her DF @ 11.00 to 6.30 AM - it is amazing!!
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Sandra, thats great!! Did you sleep as well or keep awake waiting for her?!! I have a few other things to try this week then if still no good I'm going to do the same, hopefully with the same success as you!
Mom O, his feeds are 4hrs apart, do you mean stretch them further than that? And when would you give him the expressed milk?
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I woke up a couple times to check on her...second night was great too. No NW at all. So far weaning the paci is going great!
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Sandra. That is wonderful. What did you change?
Darcy's mom. Top up your baby with EBM through the day. after you feed. It's alot of bottles or use syringe if its a small amount. But it's worth it. this will increase your supply and his day time calories. YKWIM??
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I'm sorry but what does YKWIM mean? I've seen it a few times on here but can't figure it out!!
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You Know What I Mean!!!! Thing is you didn't!!! Ha ha ha ha.
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Mom-o - all I did was wean the paci - I mean we are still in the process - I just did a 1 hr sshh /pat with bad crying and finally the blow dryer got her to fall asleep within a second - gotta love that white noise. She did never sleep through the night - needed the dummy re-plugged multiple times at night and woke around 4 for a feeding. Past 2 nights she STTN until 6.00 am or past. 0 NW. Its a dream...so far at least
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So a couple of times when Darcy was waking up after the 45min mark went in and he was crying with the dummy still in his mouth?! So I think that is not what was waking him up, we have had some great success this weekend by not swaddling him anymore and letting him sleep on his tummy when he rolls over he seems to prefer it and sort of snuggles against the mattress, though I do find myself checking him every 10mins to make sure he is still ok!, but I guess if he is strong enough to do it he should be o.k!! . He has been having longer naps, the first night he woke up 2 times (one was for a feed) and last night went down for BT at 7pm woke once at 9.30, he had wiggled up out of the blankets and had his head against the cot rails! Then woke at 11pm for feed (I was so tired that I went to bed and thought I'll just feed him when/if he wakes) I then put him into a sleeping bag so he would stay warm and hopefully slow down any wiggle worming and he slept through to 7am!!! Oh how good a good nights sleep feels!! Hopefully he will continue on this way!
Mom O- I haven't tried the expressing yet, but have been feeding in a dark plain room without distractions and really being insistent on him having a full feed and it seems to be doing the trick so far, taking both breasts at each feed where he would only take one and then bend his neck around trying to see what was around him!
Things still going well for you Sandra?
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set back day :( NW at 4 - wouldn't go back to bad until 6.30 - all day ended up being a mess w/ feeding and naps. Lots of crying sshh/pat did not help, vacuum hairdryer, pu/pd did it all today....hoping for a good night.