Desperate- 7month old

[Bubbles8987]

My LO has silent reflux which is controlled by omeprazole (max dose for weight). He has 4 teeth and 1 more is currently coming through. He has been on solids since 5months and is bottle fed hungry baby formula.
During the night he wakes every hour. I am desperate for some sleep. He has never been a good sleeper but had started to sleep through the night at about 6 months. This lasted a couple of weeks.
After bath he is fed a bottle during which he generally falls asleep. When he wakens at night he is screaming,a lot of time his eyes still closed and refuses to settle until I lift him. He takes a dummy too.
At day time when I put him down for nap he screams and screams with me trying  pu/pd but once I take him in my arms he shuts his eyes and is fast asleep then I can put him in cot and he sleeps. Routine is below. I NEED to know how to make him sleep at night!!

7.30am wake  and bottle 7oz
E 8.30am solids
A
S 10.15am usually about 1hr
E 11.30am bottle 7oz
E 1pm solids
A
S 2pm usually 1hr 30 to 2 hr
E 3.30pm bottle 7oz
E 5pm solids
A
6.30pm porridge before bed
Bath and bed with bottle 7oz
He generally sleeps til about 10-11pm without waking then it starts every hour or so. He doesn't seem hungry when he wakens if I offer bottle he takes it but isnt too keen.
I have given him ibuprofen for teething, teething gels and teething granules!
Please help!!

[katie80]

Hi there, (((hugs))) for all your NWs, that sounds so tiring.

First of all, PUPD is generally not recommended for a LO with reflux. It can aggravate the reflux and hinder the self-soothing process. So, in your quest to settle at nap time and for a NW, I'd use shh-pat or some variation (can be rubbing the back, stroking the forehead, singing or humming) to settle. Does he ever go to sleep independently or do you end up holding him to sleep each time?

Secondly, reflux can definitely flare up while a LO is teething. It definitely sounds like he might be In some pain at those NWs, since his eyes are closed, he's screaming, and then settles when you pick him up. Does he sleep on an incline to help with the reflux?

What types of things are you feeding him for solids? It could be that they are causing some tummy troubles, which are also hindering the NWs. I'm curious about the porridge before bed. Is there a reason for that? Typically, you wouldn't want to feed solid food so close to BT, as LO can still be working on digesting it when they go to sleep. And porridge is oats, right? Those aren't the easiest to digest to begin with. It might be worth dropping that for a week or so to see if it helps.

As for your routine, it looks pretty good for 7 mo. I can't tell for sure when BT is, I'm guessing about 7:30 pm? You might try to push that morning nap out to 10:30 am, or 3 hr A time and then do the pm one starting at 2:30 pm, just so the day is a bit more even. But, I don't think the routine is the main cause of NWs.

For right now, while the tooth is coming through, I'd stop the PUPD at nap time. Either just hold him to sleep and lay him down, as he does good naps or try to settle him with shh-pat instead. For the NWs, I'm not sure how much you can do without ruling out some of those things that might be causing him discomfort. Is co-sleeping an option at all? It's not what we generally recommend at BW, but if it helps you get through this tough period and then you can work on getting him to self-settle once he's not hurting, it may be worth it for you to get some sleep. I would set up a mattress in his room though, so you wouldn't have to break the habit of him sleeping in your bed. What do you think?

[Bubbles8987]

Thank u so much for ur reply. Last night was absolutely awful,he had good naps yesterday, bed at 7pm and I didn't let him fall asleep on bottle. Put him in cot and he self settled. Slept from 7-10pm and woke up and did not sleep again until 5am. Slept for 2 hrs up at 7am and has had 2 40min naps today. He must be exhausted.
When he cried last nite I tried rubbing him etc but he wanted held. I held him until I was sure he was fast asleep but once in cot he didn't sleep longer than 10mins.
He hasn't been taking any solids today and I'm not pushing him. Just giving a little more formula.
Will scrap the porridge before bed,not sure why we got into this routine.
He is sleeping on reflux wedge but I'm convinced his reflux could be bothering him. Have made an appointment for Monday to insist we are referred to specialist.
I have avoided giving him dairy as I was concerned he had an intolerance so solids are pretty much fruit and veg with odd bit of meat.
Thanks again for reply,think for my sanity I will have to consider co sleeping  as I also have a 2 year old to deal with!!

[katie80]

(((Hugs))) hon, it really does sound like he's in pain. I would not do any sleep training until you are sure that's under control. For now, do whatever you can to get some sleep into him. 

Good for you for advocating so well for him. I don't know a lot about reflux, but I do know that often a milk allergy coincides with it, so that will definitely be something to discuss with the doctor. You may want to visit this board: http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=13.0. The lovely ladies there will be very helpful and encouraging for you.

Loads more (((hugs))), hope you can get a nap in this weekend!

[ZacsMumme]

Hugs Hun, I would definitely head to the dr, something is up
Have you tried pain meds for the teething pain ATM? - does it help?
your doing the right thing, just do what you can to help him sleep for now. Can you try to PDfor more aps, or try for a car nap if he only does 40 mins at a time?

What formula is he having? - unless its dairy free then offering him no dairy in solids won't mean he is dairy free

If you can get some support please take it, you must be exhausted

[my3girlsjde]

Big hugs hun, you sound pretty tired and he does too

When was the last time the meds were adjusted for weight? Teething and growth spurts can trigger reflux flares, and in the case of a growth spurt, the meds *might* need to be readjusted for weight.

Agree with the other ladies here about the dairy as well as getting in to the Dr. Something definitely sounds up.