Beyond frustrated....

[Kate A]

DD2 is 6 months.  She is breastfed on a 4 hr schedule with both sides.  Takes morning nap of 2.0 hrs and 1.5 hr afternoon nap.  Bedtime is between 6:30 - 7 pm.  Falls asleep very quickly for all naps and bedtime. A times around 2 hrs except before bed, around 2.5, 3 hrs. has a lovey, has a paci.

Nightwakings are KILLING me.  For 10 days its the same pattern.  Bed at 7, wake between 10:00-10:30.  STarts off a small mantra cry and escalates into screaming.  Picking up makes it worse.  Settled back to sleep after 40 minutes.  DH got it down to 9 minutes last night, but tonight, she is screaming and I cannot deal with it.  AFter this waking at 10, she is up at 12 and I usually feed her at this point hoping for a sleep through until morning.  Then she usually wakes at 3:30 and is up until about 5.  Then up for the day around 7. 

I'm not kidding when I say that this EXACT pattern has been happening for 10 days.  Almost to the minute.

She has recently been unswaddled (2 weeks ago), sleeps in a gro-bag and often wants to suck her thumb through the fabric of the gro bag.  Takes a paci.  She just started solid food and she may or may not be teething...(that is always a big mystery).

I'm only feeding her once at night and have stopped those feedings since to help eliminate wakings.  I don't mind one feed a night, that I can deal with.

She is also rolling and likes to sleep on her tummy, but doesn't like to wake on her tummy.

I know the paci may be the problem, but I really don't want to get rid of it.  What other type of soothing device will I use.  I have another dd, 23 months.  I need to be on for her during the day.  I am SOOOO tired.

Has anyone else had this?  PU/PD does NOT work.  Me standing there works but it takes over an hour at 3 a.m.  Not my favorite thing to do.  She hates sitting a rocking and laying in my arms makes her think she is going to nurse.  During NW she is screaming not just mantra.

Is this just something I'm going to have to work through and live with.  I have to let her cry if this is the case.  I am SO tired.

[Layla]

Hi Kate

Is she taking a catnap at all? Can you tell me what her daytime schedule looks like?

[Kate A]

She is not taking a catnap.  I have found that if she naps after 4:30 for 30 minutes or more, she will not go to sleep until much later in the evening.  So I try to get her afternoon nap to extend to that time.

her daytime routine is working itself out.  For two or 3 days it looks like this

7 wake - bf
8 solids
9 nap
11 bf
1.30 nap
3.00 bf
(on these days I try to get in a car nap)
6:30 bf
7 bed

today it looks like this
6:45 wake
8:45 nap
9:30 wake
10:00 bf
11:30 nap (still sleeping, it's almost 1)
1:30 bf
3:30,4 nap for 30 minutes or so
4:30 bf
7 bf & bed.

So the time between bedtime looks a little long in both.

Last night was a bit better, 10:00 wake and screamed for an hour.  Nothing consoled her except sucking on her sleeve. (maybe I need to cut a small piece of fabric for her to suck on?)  Then stir at 12, then up at 2, bf, slept until 6:45. (this was amazing - longest stretch in weeks)

She has had a alternating daytime schedule for a while.  I think she is in transition to 2 naps and 4 hr schedule.  But even before when it was crazy during the day she was sleeping.

Do you think I need to extend morning A time to 2.5 hrs?  Or is this a transition we just need to work through until 2 naps? 

Thanks for the help

[Layla]

Do you think I need to extend morning A time to 2.5 hrs?  Or is this a transition we just need to work through until 2 naps? 

Kate, thats exactly what I was thinking. When they drop the catnap, you really need to push A times to longer that 2hrs so that the last A time is not so long (which it is at the moment & I believe she is overtired). So I would aim for something like this:

7am - wakes & feed
9.30-11.30 - morning nap
BF upon wakening
2.30-4pm - afternoon nap
BF upon wakening
7pm - BF & bedtime

[Kate A]

I'll try that.  Today she had a 45 minute nap that lasted until 3:30. there is absolutely no way she will go until 6:30 or 7 without sleeping.  i think I"ll try for a car nap. 

So 2.5 hrs.  How do I work past the morning?  I feel like that is the hardest time to extend.  She is so cranky. 

Thanks for the reply.  Much appreciated.

[Layla]

Morning A time is usually the shortest... so I wouldn't do all .5hrs at once. Try 15mins every 3-4 days.... extend your windown routine so she is not too overtired to sleep. You want her tired but not overtired. Then lay her down & do the same for the afternoon A time.... add about 15mins or so every 3-4 days. In the meantime you either try for a 30min catnap or you really need to bring her bedtime up to 6-6.30pm to help her with not getting so overtired by bedtime.

Let me know how you go over the next few days

Layla

[Kate A]

Thanks Layla...I really appreciate it.  I'll work on doing 2 hrs 15 minutes tomorrow.  I did a catnap tonight and it took the edge off.  She slept in the sling so it wasn't too deep.  Now the rest of the night is one giant question mark.

I'll let you know

[gianna]

You sound like a page right out of my book.  I'm sorry to say but I'm glad I'm not alone.  The only real difference is she is not on solids and she only sleeps for 30 minutes for her naps.  I have to work to get her to sleep 1-1.5 for her naps---sh/pat, pace/lovey and pu/pd.
My DD is 5 months She usually wakes anytime between 6:45 and 7:30.  She usually only lasts about 1.5 before she is ready for her next nap. I know this is because she isn't sleeping enough during her naps.  She sleeps through the night only waking because she can't find her paci or that she has rolled over and awoke on her belly.  I usually go in roll her over, give her paci and lovey and she goes back to bed.  The problem is that she does this about once an hour.  It's very tiring.  I've resorted to sleeping on her floor.  I've also noticed at around 1-2:30 time frame she is extremely cranky. Usually, this is gas related.  I'm doing pu/pd about 3x but this is over an hour time period.
I do have good news last night she took a late nap from 4- 5:45 and i put her down at 8.  She  needed her paci at 9:30 but then not again until 3:30.  I've found she gets hungry between 4-5 am.  So i fer her at 5. She slept until 6:55 I gave her the paci and didn't get up until 7:30.  This I can deal with.  I hope tonight goes as well.
I guess my concerns are not napping unassisted for more than a half hour and will this paci run ever stop.

[katriona]

big {hugs} to you kate. i'll be sending sleepy lily vibes tonight 

[Kate A]

thanks katy.

gianna - my first was like that.  I thought that #2 would be easier, not so much.

Layla - we have made sure the late A time is shorter and that seems to help.  I extended morning to 2.5 hrs and she took a 1.5 hr nap.  The rest of the naps were Cr@p!  35 min, 45 min.  So this is a work in progress.  NW have been minimal (4 or so a night with small amount of resettling time needed

got to run, the other one is waking