3 1/2 month old teething baby wakes up EVERY HOUR and won't sleep in crib!

[mayapapaya]

My 16 week old baby girl was sleeping pretty well, going down easily on her own at night, waking up every 4-5 hours to feed. She recently started teething and since then has been waking up every hour ALL NIGHT, sometimes even after 30 or 40 minutes. The only thing that seems to soothe her is the breast. She refuses the paci (though she used to love it and still uses it during the day when she wants to suckle but isn't hungry) and gets extremely insulted whe I offer it to her during the night, which turns into a pretty intense tentrum (to the point where she vomits) until I give her the breast. So now she is totally associating breast-sleep, which isn't helping me at all during the day. On top of that, she won't settle in her crib anymore, which was never a problem before, and will go back to sleep only if I am right next to her holding her.

So after 4 sleepless nights, I reached my limit and took her into my bed. I am breastfeeding her every hour all night, it is ridiculous. I don't know what to do. I want to be there for her and allow her to be more "dependant" during this vulnerable time if that is what she needs, though at the same time I don't want this to last forever! I've tried sh/pat, pacifier, even walking with her when I was desperate, but the crying really only stops the minute I give her the breast. I'm giving her homeopathy and have some stronger meds at hand if needed... though she doesn't seem to be in excruciating pain (since she stops crying if she gets the breast), just very uncomfortable and very very needy.

Anybody has had a similar experience? Any suggestions?? I'm quite desperate.

Thank you for your help!

maya

[rob1lu2]

HI Maya,

It would be interesting to see what EASY she is on. This happened to me with my girls around the same time and basically they were 4 months old but they were still on the 3.5 EASY.

Also, pretty early for her to be teething, although it's not impossible. I would check that EASY routine first and see if that's the cause.

Let us know!
Lu

[mavericknmommy]

I am also having the same problem but my little guy is 6 months.  he will sleep the first part of the night from about 10-2 then is up 3, 430, 515, 6, 630 then im just flat out frustrated and have brought him into our bed as well.  Its been about 4 nights for us as well! So i feel your pain! Hopefully things get better! any advice i'd be willing to hear as well.

hope you get some sleep girl
Kris

[summersusu]

My DS has his first tooth at 4 months old so I feel your pain.  We use teething tablets which seem to help.  Do you think the hunger is a growth spurt?  What does your EASY look like?

[mayapapaya]

Thanks for your answers and support! Lu, my little girl is on a 4-hour EASY. Summersusu, I doubt that is is a growth spurt, because she doesn't seem to be eating more during the day.

I really feel teething (and she had a cold too) made her very vulnerable and my only answer at the time has been to allow her to brake away from the routine a bit and get more cuddles when she needed them (I let her fall asleep on the breast - as it was the only way she would fall asleep), but now she won't go back to the good habits and demands the breast whenever she wakes up and needs to go back to sleep. I'm really discouraged. I just tried to have her take a nap (without the breast) for 30 minutes and her cries escalated into a huge tentrum and she vomitted... which immediately made me feel like such an awful , coldhearted mother, and I just burst into tears and gave her the breast. Now she is sleeping. I don't know what to do... It is emotionally too draining to endure her desperate cries as I try to have her fall asleep without the breast. But at the same time I don't want this to become the new way we fall asleep. And I definitely don't want her to keep waking up every hour of the night.

This is a little nightmare... I love her so much, I want to do what is best for her.