Our DD is 7.5 months and on a 4 hour EASY. We started PU/PD last week to correct some AP props (paci/rocking) and things are going well for us, considering how she used to sleep (more like NOT sleep)!
She's usually down for BT by 7:30 with some protest, but no more than 15 minutes of shh pat in the crib to get her to a settling cry, and then she's pretty much out. Same for naps at daycare, she gets about 3 hours during the day and that amount has been improving dramatically since we started ST.
The problem usually starts for us anywhere between 11pm and 3am, generally on the earlier side of that timeframe. She wakes and we let her fuss a bit until it's clear she's up and needs our help (shh pat or PU/PD) to resettle. From that point we are TOTALLY lost and cannot seem to get her back to sleep no matter what!
Her cries at this point are much different than her sleepy nap and BT cries which transition easily into mantra cries, and then sleep. The NW cry is a deep guttural yell, over and over, which is very loud and unsettling, even for us. It takes so much effort for her to cry out like this repeatedly that she will often have to cough, which again upsets any settling that might have taken place. This is not a frantic or pain cry either, it's a breed of it's own!
My DH and I are so clueless on what to do at this point in the night when she wakes with this and would appreciate any insight or advice from the BW community! I've listed some things below that we've taken into account in trying to solve this issue:
HUNGER:
Solids (veggies) for dinner, around 5:30, and diluted juice
She is nursed before bed and given a 4-6oz bottle of formula around 7 pm
If given a bottle during this NW, we make sure she is settled when it is given to her so she doesn't associate screaming her head off with eating
If she does eat, it doesn't "solve" the problem, she's still quite unsettled afterward
INTOLERANCE/MEDICAL ISSUES:
No reflux
No known allergies (tolerates solids well)
Formula is lactose sensitive, just in case
Gas drops given with BT feed
No constipation signs or dirty diapers at night
ENVIRONMENT/TECHNIQUE
Room is practically pitch black
Cool temperature and white noise
PU only when hysterical and gentle reassurance
Shhing by the cribside, tummy rubs or holding her legs down gently when she flails
Lovey-trying to get her to take to something other than our fingers!
We are at a loss as to why this one NW is so awful for our whole family! We believe she's beyod OT at this point, but maybe her mind is playing tricks on her because its just gotten a good chunk of rest? Incidentally, she has been getting up a bit earlier than she should (5:30) but I've attributed this to the fact that she was so unsettled only hours before that she's not transitioning through the sleep cycles she should after we eventually get her back down.
Please help!
