BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: nona on April 28, 2012, 00:15:36 am
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hey i have an almost 10 week old. I totally expect to have NWs; however frequently she is so hard to get back to sleep. i have her on a loose 3 hour easy. Her cues are easy to read during the day. She tends to be fussy off/on in the evening and can be hard to get to sleep for the night. I swaddle/nurse/use pacifier and hold her for comfort.
for instance last night she slept from about 930-145am. She sleeps in a bassinet in our room. I wake when she is grunting bc she is hungry. She rarely cries unless I try to ignore her :-\ hoping she will settle herself. Anyway, last night I nursed from 145-2am and usually she falls asleep at the breast (sometimes I do to) but when I put her back down in her bassinet she starts "nooodle-ing" and grunt/want a pacifier/hard to settle. Then she keeps spitting it out the paci when she falls asleep wakes up looking for it and crying and I of course put it back. Last night this took at least 30 minutes. If i don't give it to her, she will start crying and then i'm not sure what to do? ssh-pat? occasionally she goes back down w/o problems. (daytime sleep this is not an issue). she tends to wake quite frequently after this initial NW until its time to get up - usually every 2-2.5 hours. I will try to stretch out feedings to 3 hours with a pacifier - usually only works for 30 minutes.
So do i ditch the pacifier? i don't remember what i did with my DS more than 5 years ago! Not sure what i'm asking but ideally id like to nurse her and then put her down back to sleep no problems. am i asking too much right now?
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Are you burping her? Are you engorged before that feeding? If so, she could be taking in some air that's making her a bit uncomfortable and a quick burp would help.
Are you feeding her in the dark without talking/interacting with her? Anything that wakes her up even a little bit more than required is going to cause issues with her going back to sleep.
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No not burping and not engorged either...
Yes feeding in dark, no talking ( unless I'm beyond frustrated and start begging her and God to go back to sleep!), no diaper changes, etc.
Dh gave her bottles last night (BM) @ 1230 & 430 but gave them while she was still in bassinet. I just fed her again. He didn't even pick her up!
(he just said he had hard time getting her to settle to sleep)
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My first thought is wind too...or gas :-\ do you think it would be worth trying to get a burp up before PD again?
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Oh to clarify with dh, once she was asleep and woke from hunger he gave her a bottle and she went back to sleep no problem. He just gave the bottle while she was still in her bassinet. He thought it wld be less disruptive and it was.
I just can't imagine her taking a lot of air bc she is calm not frantic but I can try.
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Heather, do you have a strong let down? Both my kids have been very peaceful nursers in the MOTN, but my letdown is pretty strong. At that age and still now with G (don't ask why I'm still feeding in the night ::)), I definitely needed to get a burp out before laying them back down.
I don't think you need to ditch the pacifier at this age. She's pretty young to have become dependent on it I'd try a burp and then some shh-pat if needed. I found that once G got used to shh/pat for settling, I could easily use it in the MOTN to stretch out feeds.
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I haven't tried shh-pat much. My ds got annoyed by it.
I guess I have a strong let down but frankly she doesn't nurse that long in the motn!
Last night she slept from 8-1am(yay!) nursed and went down no problem (all less than 15 min). Woke again at 420. Nursed, fell asleep on me but when put her down took me about an hour to get her asleep. She was tooting and had BM. I ended up changing her after 45 min and holding her and she went to sleep at 530ush. I usually do not change diaper bc put a ton of diaper cream on her Then woke at 630. I nursed her lying down and we woke up after 8am. Tonight I'll try burping b4 I put her down again.
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I haven't tried shh-pat much. My ds got annoyed by it.
Have you tried a variation? Z hated the shhing and patting on back but loved the patting on the bottom and then a little bit of shhing just to calm him, or singing ie twinkle twinkle. SOme LOs like their foreheads stroked etc.
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Yes I have done/do all those things.
I didn't get my long early stretch tonight. She was hard to settle into sleep and slept from 830-1230. I guess she went down fine bc I don't remember but she woke 2 hrs later and I gave her paci hoping she'd go back to sleep but didn't work. So nursed her at 3am and just got her down at 330 with lots of replugging but I did try burping b4 putting her back down and she spit up all over.
Kinda rambling...it's late 330am! Don't get if she can last 3 hr in day why not the same at night but guess that's another topic. Oh Dear God, now here is my 5.5 yo please let these kids sleep until 730am!!
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And here is my 5 yo again!!! I think I might cry!!
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Argh!! (((Hugs))), Heather. It's so hard when they both wake up!
I guess I have a strong let down but frankly she doesn't nurse that long in the motn!
Neither did C and she often took so much that when I propped he up she spit a whole bunch back out. But, then she'd fall back to sleep and sleep peacefully from there. If I didn't burp her she'd wriggle around and have a hard time getting back.
My guess is that surely if she can last 3 hr in the day, she can at night too. Have you tried doing every 2.5 hr near the end of the day or a DF, so she does a longer stretch when you're in bed too? Just a thought...
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I cluster at night 4p, 6p and then around 8p
I did a df with my ds and hated it. I'd rather go to bed earlier. I didn't think it helped. However I was thinking of pumping and letting dh do it but not sure I can pump everyday.
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Hmmm... I wouldn't bother with the DF then. It sounds like you're doing all the right things, Heather. Hopefully it's just a passing phase, then.
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Yea me too! Today was a mess. 2 shorter than normal naps, really fussy on/ off since 4pm (OT and OS I'm sure) , missed a cluster feed bc I finally got her to sleep. Have a headaches...ok wish me luck gonna put her down for the night!
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Good luck, my dear. :-* :-*
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Ugh she slept a good 4-5 hours and here I am struggling to get her settled for an hour after nursing. I did try burping - no burp. She is gassy and had a BM (which are rather smelly these days). I did not change her diaper (lots of diaper cream) but she def wants paci- cries when falls out. I put her on my chest to sleep.
So think problem is gas. Oh my let down is pretty forceful. I could really feel it tonight. Not sure how to solve gas problem. Hopefully just a phase and will pass ASAP...
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Yeah, she does sound gassy and uncomfortable, which is probably why she keeps rooting around for the paci as well. I don't really have any experience with that, burps always worked here, sorry. It sounds like there may be something to it though, if she's gassy, has smellier BMs, and you've got a forceful letdown. Maybe she's getting too much foremilk and not enough hind milk in the MOTN? (((Hugs))), also hoping it passes quick for you or you get something figured out.
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Yea same thing happened at her next NW & I changed her diaper b4 nursing. I just ended up letting her sleep on my chest again. This has just been an issue lately. Tempted to put her on her tummy. I may put her in her room tonight. I have a glider in her room. Thinking it might be comforting to rock her after nursing. (plus nursing in bed is starting to kill my back).
This morning when we started the day she took a good feed and wasnt gassy though...
Ok just talked to a friend who is a LC. I had ice cream night b4 last and choc milk last night. I might limit dairy to see if it helps with gas. Don't think it is the whole problem but who knows? Her poops are yellow & seedy. I may try her in the swing too for part of the night. My friend told me a trick to get her to burp. She is hard to burp!
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Sounds like you've got a good plan and some helpful tips. FWIW, I'd rather hold her on my chest than put her on her tummy. Our paper just did a big article on SIDS recently, and the risks are just so not worth it to me. :( Hope you get a decent night tonight.
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DS was pretty hard to burp. We found having him facing away from us with pressure on his tummy from the side of the hand across his belly just slightly above his hips worked better than anything (other than having the midwife in the hospital burp him - she was amazing!). Have you tried raising one end of the bed so her head is above her bottom? That helped DS - air escaped upwards rather than getting trapped further down and causing all the wind pain in the gut.
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She doesn't really like being on her tummy.
Her head is elevated.
She usually burps on her own w/o me doing anything. So yesterday I was so frustrated bc she was not napping well. So figured tonight was going to be awful. Well she slept from 845-430! She just nursed (not long and burped). She did have gas b4 she started crying though (heard a toot) @430. She went down no problem (fx). Anyway can't explain it but I did start double sided nursing her this afternoon (last 3-4 feeds) and i had no ice cream for dessert...
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She could just be settling in to being more awake during the day and realising there's a world around her ;) Maybe she read your posts and thought you needed a break :P
Either way, glad you got a good night. I think the dairy thing takes longer than that to make a difference, but hey, if it worked, I'd keep it up and see if it works again! :)
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Yea me too lol seriously doubt it's dairy It bothers my dh though but he eats it anyway. She was way less gassy tonight thankfully.
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Your supply may just be settling too... hope she has turned the corner for you :)
Is it the lactose or the protein that bothers your DH? The proteins get all bent out of shape when the milk is processed, so they're hard to break down and the enzyme that breaks down lactose is actually produced and delivered in milk but being a protein, it gets denatured during processing too so it can't do its job.
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Lactose
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Sounds like maybe she is ready for some more A time since she didn't fall apart last night. I started nursing both mine double sided around 3 mo, so I think that's pretty normal as well. Hoping she starts settling quicker for you!
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You make lactose and lactase as part of your milk, so likely that's not the issue for her but it could be so definitely get it checked out if you think its possible.
Fingers crossed she settles quicker for you soon :)
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I dont think dh has a legit issue - I think he just eats too much at once!!
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BAHAHA!
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things going much better these last 2 days. yesterday she slept a really nice stretch after being hard to settle. she was in bed by 845 or so but prob not deeply sleeping until 10. she wasn't very sleepy when i put her down. that said, she slept from 10until after 4. i nursed her and then she went back to sleep quickly and slept until 7.
i think i mentioned this but i started feeding her from both sides 2 days ago.
so who knows what will happen tonight but i feel pretty good after 2 decent nights sleep. I need to go to bed earlier tonight!
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Great, Heather! Happy to hear it. :)
And...I need to go to bed earlier tonight!
I've been telling myself this for months! :P
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It's hard huh?
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Yes, because it's the one time of day I can actually get stuff done and have some real me time. Occasionally my kids will nap at the same time, but even then I'm lucky to get an hour.