Short and many naps. Reflux or Just Accidental Parenting?

[Gina Ann]

Hi there-
Looking for some advise..My son has always slept fairly well since birth..pu him down and fell alsep sometimes by himself other times if held for a short period of time..and most places..grandparents house in the center of the bed etc..very mobile. Usually napped for about 1- sometimes 3 hrs at a time.Then around 6 weeks it was like a switch went off and all of the sudden he started taking very short naps 30-40 minutes if i was lucky. I thought it was a growth spurt but we are still struggling at 8 weeks! I have him on EASY and at the same time he was dx w/reflux which seems to be under control with prevacid. He has a wedge in his crib to elevate his head and I hold him upright for 30 min after feedings (nursing). He doesn't seem to be in pain and when he wakes ffrom his naps he falls alseep shortly in my arms..so I put him back down then he gets up and by the end of the day we are both exhausted because he never sleeps for more than that 20-40 nap. At night- he sleeps btwn 3-5 hrs at a time..Since he is so tired luckily night starts usually around 730-800 after his bath which he loves!!I have been readding the boards here but am just getting myself confused..when he wakes from his nap should I calm him then put him down? Then what when he wakes?? How long should this go on for?He's swaddled, has a darkened room and has white noise? I'm so confused why we started out well and now seem to be getting worse?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!Thanks!
My son has been sleeping

[donna_issabella]

Hi there,

Welcome to the boards!! I am pleased to hear his reflux is under control. Many of us, reflux babies and not, know those short naps all too well!

As his reflux is well controlled, and the naps sound so short, I think the problem is most likely that your routine needs to be tweaked and you might need some help with extending naps.

I am going to pop you over to the appropriate board, where you will have a bit more help!

Good luck, and hope you enjoy it here!
xx
DI

PS: It will be very helpful if you could post a typical day's routine for us. Include his amount of A time, and how long he sleeps.

[adrianamelie]

HI

I have the same problem!!!. My daughter has reflux since 4 weeks old ( she is 13 wekks now) and she was held all the time because she couldn't sleep anywhere the only way was to hold her also because she cried and screamig all the time. She is also on Prevacid, she doesn't have any pain but she still has the reflux, she is terrible slepping during the day, same thing naps of 20 to 30 min. I also don't know if is accidental parenting ( because the first 10 weeks she was held all the time) or the reflux, I've tried to train her to sleep on her own but that's impossible, I have to fight every time she is sleepy in order to get her to sleep, even holding her after 30 min she wakes up. The only thing that is working now for me is a baby carrier named cuddlywrap, that I put her there and with little fight she sleeps 2-3 hrs and at least I can do something around the house, but I fear that after she grows out her reflux she will be soooo spoiled that sleeping on her own will be the next issue. At night she sleeps on her bouncer that seems to be working fine but I have to shhh her to sleep and hold her like an hour because if not she wakes up after 30 min or less. I'm also going I little crazy...Thankfully she is sleeping well at night. I hope you find something that can help you

[Gina Ann]

Wow!Sounds so similar!I think I have him up too long but when he gives me the tired cues he is usually in the 30 minutes post feeding so I cannot put him down right away. Have you tried tagament (sp?)? My friend used it and said it worked great for her son and I was wondering if that could make the difference. He also has had an ear infection which I was not aware of but he's almost done with the meds on that and seems to b acting fine. I wish there was some way to hire somone to help us through this stuff-like the Supernanny or something.

[donna_issabella]

Tagamet is the trade name of Cimetadine. It is a drug in the same family as Ranitidine.

Gina, I used to put Henry down for his naps even if it was in the 30 minutes of having to hold upright. I raised the head end of his cot. I just felt why dd he have to reflux and be overtired, IYKWIM.

Please post your routine. I will help the sleep experts a bit more.

[adrianamelie]

Hello there!...I haven't tried Tagamet but if it is of the same family as Zantac no luck...It didn't do anything. I think it is so difficult with a refluxy baby to keep a routine to go to sleep (we were a wreck for two months until the pain got under control).....The feel so uncomfortable that they can't fall sleep on their own even if they don't have any pain, imagine trying to fall asleep with food coming up from your stomach, I couldn't either!!!, I even tried CIO..I know is horrible!!! And the reflux got worse...What I'm doing it's if she hasn't sleep at all day I put her in the baby carrier so she can get 2 to 3 hours of sleep. Today I'm going to the ostheopath to see if that can help..I let you know.. I'm on a 3 EASY to see if keeping a fix routine she will learn but so far same sleeping problems. I was going to buy the MIracle Blanket to swaddle her and see if that would Help but it says it is until 4 months and she is 3 already. Maybe you can try to swaddle and see if it works, my daughter loves to be like confined because if she moves just a little it doesn't wake her up. Also much of the waking is due to gas she is so hard to burp.

[Maeve]

Then around 6 weeks it was like a switch went off and all of the sudden he started taking very short naps 30-40 minutes if i was lucky.

This is so familiar. Our DS did the same thing at age 2 months exactly, so suddenly that I remember the exact date. I never got EASY to work after that, I just did whatever I could to get him to sleep. And when he seemed better, but still was not eating or sleeping well, I didn't know whether it was relfux or AP (this was for  8 months). Because I wasn't sure, I did nothing, but just as suddenly it stopped. Then I knew it was just reflux, and luckily the AP didn't seem to have afected him.
My instinct is that since he was previously a good sleeper, if you have any trouble 'getting back on track' it might be that he still has a problem with reflux, if only to a degree.

[Gina Ann]

I tried the hand on the chest and sitting by the crib on friday for the 60 minutes and he slept for 2 hrs!!!But after when I tried today and left after the 30 minutes he only slept for an additional 15 so I hope this doesn't become a crutch. When he wakes as long as I hold my hand on his chest and pretend I'm sleeping..hahah..he goes back to sleep.
Anyone know what CIO is? My mother in law talks to a homeopathic specialist and he suggested castrol oil which I think is horrible..and I thought was just for gastro issues. has anyone hurd of it for reflux.