NW & Teething Woes at 6 months

[echohush]

So we are having a whole host of issues.  Just a bit of background, our DS got on EASY mostly from 7 weeks. We did more formal sleep training with PU/PD at 4 months when the 45 min naps started to cause lots of problems for us.  He breastfed mostly from me but sometimes from a bottle (not by me). He has never really been able to make it to a 4 hr easy without the top up strategy and even then his feeds look more like a 3-3.5 hr schedule. At the advice of the lactation consultant she suggested increasing hte amount he is eating during the day, so honestly sometimes he is eating every 2 hrs. More on that below. Sometimes he will go 4 hrs between feeds but that is only when he miraculously takes a 2 hr nap.  He did that twice recently which was really exciting. I hope this means he is moving towards dropping the cat nap.  We are on 2 hr awake time, sometimes 2 hrs 15 min but that is hard still and I get a hyper baby if I am too late.

He has been very slow to take to solids, horrible digestive issues, and does not yet sit unsupported.  Two weeks ago he started teething and our EASY has pretty much fallen apart and now we have a lot of AP issues. He is also waking all through the night and the only thing that will settle him is nursing. Even before this DH has not able to settle him and this means I don't get a break. DS was never a comfort nurser and somehow during this period he has become one.

The EASY right now, if you can call it one.  This was today and I am starting from the first night waking from last night.

E 12am (NW)
E  2am (NW)
E 5am (NW) put back to sleep because he was so tired
S 5:15 to 7:10
E 7:10 (up for the day here)
S 9:10 to 10:50
E 11:10
S 12:45 (was really really tired) to 2:45
E 3 (bottle from au pair 6 oz)
E 5
Bath at 5:15
S and BT 5:30
Woke again 7 and then 8- wanted to nurse both times

Thanks for any advice and/or survival tips!

[newkidontheblock]

Are you medicating at all, hun? I have heard that it is normal for them to wake more while teething. You might have to give meds before bedtime and then again before you go to bed maybe?

[echohush]

Thanks. We've been trying that will little luck. I also don't like medicating too much.  He is just waking up earlier and earlier too :-(

Here is the EASY from today- I am including the NW times. Any advice would be helpful.

E NW (1am)
E 5am - normally I'd put back but he was wide awake! - up for the day but very tired
S 6:35 - 8:20
E 8:30 w/ small bite of solids at 9:30
S - nap failed at 10:20 eventually slept 11 to 11:40 (restless)
E 12 and then 1
S 1:45 to 3
E 3:45
Bath at 5:15
E 5:30
Hard time settling for bed eventually went down at 6:30 doing a soft PU/PD

We are 2 hrs in to bed time and he normally wakes around 9. I've been feeding then but am confused if I should try to hold him off.

Thanks!

[newkidontheblock]

Okay, that is quite messy. We don't have any teeth yet but this is my fear when the time comes

Speaking as someone who is teething at the moment (my wisdom tooth is coming in) please do medicate before bed. I think once a day when they are actually in pain is fine. Are the teeth cutting yet?

I do think that the main issue here could be discomfort. It is not likely that he would be hungry after an hour of eating - the main reasons for waking soon after bedtime are OT or discomfort, and both are likely playing a role here. It is great that you are keeping the day short and capping it at 12-12.5 hours but just curious as to whether he normally tacks on the hours to his night because I know that there are some bubs who do 12 hours irregardless, which may also explain why he is wide awake and ready to go at 5am. Could you share your routine before this all started? It might make things a bit clearer.

[echohush]

Sure! I will try medicating before bed.  I can see the teeth under the gums- 2 top and 2 bottom right but not cutting yet. The top ones are very puffy and look a bit red. Not sure which will come in first.  His sister had very very slow teeth so I'm bracing for the long haul on this.

Here is the best I can do on the EASY prior.  I had gotten into a top up routine on advice from the BF'ing board but I am not sure now whether implementing so many top ups helped or led to snacking problems at this point. As of now I have removed the top up and the au pair is giving 5-6 oz bottles. If he eats 4 or more she doesn't reoffer.  When I breast feed, I'm only offering a "top up" when he only takes one side.  Here is where he was  on March 25.

I think his A time is on the lower end for his age and also we are slow on the implementation of the solids but I don't want to rush the latter as I can already see food sensitivities with his skin etc.

E (2:30) NW
E 6:00 and up for the day
S 8 to 10
E 10:10  top up at 11:15
S 12 to 1:45
E 2:00
E top up at 3
S cat nap 4-4:40
E 6 and bed time
E 10:30 (we never implemented a DF because he usually wakes around this time)

I have to say last night was the best night in a long time. He woke at 10:45 for a feed and then slept to 4:45 am.  I also got him back to bed until 6:30.

[newkidontheblock]

we are slow on the implementation of the solids but I don't want to rush the latter as I can already see food sensitivities with his skin etc.

I wouldn't worry about this. Solids before one are just for fun & exploration:) I went super slow too as I was so worried about her not having enough milk. We only did breakfast for ages.

I will think a bit and write more later but my first thought was that you are probably in the 3-2 transition. I think you are right about A times needing to be increased. Going for an EBT instead of a CN is a good move. But there can be a lot of accumulated OT during this phase, which can lead to NWs soon after BT. With us, DD would sleep off just fine and then need multiple resettles. It took around 2 weeks to get over the OT.
All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

There is also a major growth spurt at 6 months. Do you think that's it? He might just be hungrier than usual. It was around this time that I realised I had to change feeding routine - I was also doing the top up feeds half an hour before naps. Instead I started giving DD porridge - oats, fruit + 2 oz milk -- this way it was light on her tummy and I was getting more milk into her too. I still nurse twice in the second A time but I leave a 3 hour gap to bed. It is possible instead of feeding more often, spacing feeds out would lead to him eating more. The best solution to tackle NWs due to hunger are to increase calories during the day - so bigger feeds, adding milk to solids, solids like yoghurt, pudding..all good.

I hope it is just a growth spurt, which is passing & you get more nights like yesterday. Sorry if I wasn't too much help

[echohush]

This is actually really helpful but if you have any more thoughts I'm all ears.  Today was a good day, although very grumpy in the evenings. I did medicate so I hope it goes better. He took about 40 min to settle for bed time.

I thought we had a growth spurt three weeks ago but maybe this is another??  I will think on that. He jumped from 7 to 9 feeds at that time. I did a yield and it looks like I'm producing over 42 oz a day now. He is a big boy (in 9-12 clothes already) and I do get worried about keeping up for him so I don't want to withhold.

[newkidontheblock]

He jumped from 7 to 9 feeds at that time. I did a yield and it looks like I'm producing over 42 oz a day now. He is a big boy (in 9-12 clothes already) and I do get worried about keeping up for him so I don't want to withhold.

Coming from someone who was proudly fitting in 10 feeds in a day until I realised it was not helping one bit, I really do feel spacing feeds is the way to go. I don't think you need to worry about your supply keeping up. As long as he nurses well, your body will produce exactly what he needs:) And he would get a ton more than the pump does anyway. I also saw it as 'withholding' and had similar concerns as you. I thought that there was no way DD could go so long between feeds but you know, it didn't bother her one bit:S It was just habit and not hunger at all. And my supply is also fine.

I haven't been able to think of any more ideas. But you can start with these and we can keep brainstorming:)

[echohush]

Thanks! We are still in a bit of turmoil here but we have finally successfully spaced feeds. I agree with you that he is fine!

I also have been able to on most nights drop one of those night feeds.  Now approaching 7 months he's really struggling with naps and is having a terrible and fitful bed time.  I may post to another board because this really isn't night wakings but if you have any idea why he would be screaming for 2 hrs each night at BT for 3 days in a row I'd be grateful.  Tonight I got to him very early, so not overtired, and I also medicated 1 hr before bedtime. It's really concerning. I did 1 hr of PU/PD only to end up rocking an exhausted baby to sleep. Normally PU/PD works on him in just a few minutes.

[newkidontheblock]

What did the day look like? UT maybe? Let's hope the days routine sheds some light