Help! Problem with night wakings + DF

[Mielle]

You're not alone...We've introduced the DF a few days ago (at 10:30pm) but now our 4+ months DD still wakes up twice- around 2am and then again around 5am. We've tried not feeding her the first night she woke up at 2am and gave up after 1 hour of screams  We've also tried to get her back to sleep at 5am after feeding her at 2am but she wont have it and seems genuinely hungry!

But then now shes taking 1 extra feeding so why is still waking up twice? Does she need these extra calories/feeding? Not sure if we should drop the DF altogether...or stick with it, or just try harder NOT to feed her at 2 and/or at 5am.

Desperate for advice...
Thanks,
Mielle

[Colin Macs Mom]

Hi Mielle,

I split your post off the thread that you originally posted on to make sure that you'd get more attention to your question. 

How much does she take at the night feeds? What was happening before you reintroduced the DF?

[Mielle]

Thanks Jessica!

I breastfeed her around 6pm, and sometimes she takes quite a while...around 45 mintues and sometimes even more...DF at 10:30pm during which she takes maybe 3-4oz (with formula), then she wakes up around 2am and I breastfeed for about 35 mins, and again at 5am for about 30-35 mins.

Before the DF, I would feed her around 6-7pm and she would go down at 7-8pm and wake up around 1-1:30am (5 hours sleep)  and again between 4-5am. I guess I expected for her 1:30am feed to either drop, or for her to wake up a few hours later for it.  Seems like everything is changing these days...she used to go down for her night sleep right after breastfeeding, but now she wakes up right after feeding and I need to actually put her to sleep so have been trying pu/pd. Exciting times 

Mielle 

[Colin Macs Mom]

Sometimes the DF actually disturbs a LO's sleep cycles and biorhythms, and results in MORE wakings. It did for us, so we never did a DF after I figured out that's what was happening. If you think that's a possibility, cluster feeding in the evening is a good alternative.

Can you post your full daily routine? That might help pinpoint something.

What does she have going on developmentally? Is she rolling yet?

[Mielle]

Ok, so our routine is fairly new...and while I manage to stretch out her feedings to 4 hours (usually), her day naps are still a mess and not nearly as long as they should be. Thats what I'm trying to work on at the moment- her sleep! But so far mixed results, probably due to accidental parenting  For instance today, we were out and she didnt sleep in the stroler after the 11am feed. But when we got back home, she fell right asleep after the 2pm feed and managed to sleep for 1.5 hours. I'm trying to get her into the habit of taking longer naps and at structured times, but when I know she's hardly slept all day I try to take what I can get.

7am- E
7:30/8am-A
9am- S
10:45-11:00am- E
12:30-1pm S
2pm-2:15-E
2:45pm -A
4:30pm cat-nap

5:45pm- bath
6pm-E
7pm-bedtime...
10:30pm - Dreamfeed
2-2:30am- E
5-5:30am-E

3 weeks ago she rolled from her tummy to back for the first time and has done it a few times since. I think she will soon roll from back to tummy.

Thanks...

[Colin Macs Mom]

The rolling milestone is just brutal on sleep, for sure. I bet that's at least a little bit of your problem. Just make sure she gets lots of time during the day to work on it so she gets the urge out of her system and isn't waking at night to do it.

So you already know the naps are definitely needing some work - what have you tried to extend?