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Would really really appreciate some help. Have read lots and used this website for my DD1 5 years ago but between exhaustion and doubts I have lots of questions I would love some help with.
I think there a few issues but have started here with the night wakings. Sorry I know its so long. Thanks for reading!
DD2 is 20 weeks today. She is EBF and has never slept through the night yet.
I didnt manage to BF my other 2 children beyond the first few weeks so I am delighted to be still going strong this time and really enjoying it :-) It's been hard work though doing every single night since she was born so I would so love a bit of sleep!
She has suffered a LOT with wind at night and I believe this was the cause of her multiple wakings up until recently. I had over supply plus OALD both of which have mainly settled now. I thought this was the cause. However she was always clicking when feeding. Discovered she had both lip and tongue tie, both were released only 3 weeks ago. Finally in the last few days the clicking has almost stopped and she seems to have a lot less wind at night. She used to wake up passing loads of wind a few times a night.
She now has 1-2 feeds a night. I often think if it wasn't for wind or something else disturbing her she wouldn't wake to feed as she never seems that hungry or at least not at first. She wakes numerous times outside these feeds.
Day time she has just started going 3 hours between most feeds with maybe 1-2 2hour gaps.
Last few nights she has woken every 30mins to an hour almost all night and I fed her around 2 and 5. Her feeds are always at different times even when its just one, so can be 3 and not feed again until morning or 4.30 or 2 and 5 etc.
Besides a handful of nights since she was born she has always had a number of wakings, unsettled, not hungry, outside of feeds, definitely 5+
At the moment I am also having a lot of trouble with her naps and struggling with constant 30 min naps. She used to do longer naps but not in recent weeks.
When she is rested she is a very content baby who will sit for ages, content and looking around her. She is VERY attached to me and if tired or unsettled likes to only be with me but once happy she will go to anyone.
With 2 other school age children I find the 3 school runs (2 different pick up times) also really mess with her sleep etc.
New this week is I have as of today started offering her both breasts for a feed as my supply has regulated and she seems to be getting frustrated and maybe still hungry one the usual one side. Hoping this might help tonight....
The other issue is the dummy. She is using one more and more and really now at night the only thing that will settle her is popping it back in. She is in a cot right up beside my side of the bed so I just put my hand out and put it back in. I feel I may be too quick in doing this and worried in the last few nights in particular it has become a prop. I have tried today especially to put her down without it I have always ended up giving in and giving it to her. It has only meant that she has taken longer to go to sleep and so adding to the OT I think. With the dummy going to sleep is not an issue at BT or naps.
Today no school so we were home all day and this is what the EASY looked like
6.51 Wake (but this was just another one of her night wakings, 20 mins after the last, but as I was exhausted and DH had been sleeping in another room he took her up at this point to give me some sleep. We do this every morning anytime from 7, the time when I feel ok with calling him, sometimes she makes it to 7.15 or even later and if not immediately hungry I hand over, sometimes I finish a feed around 6.30 and wait with her awake to call him at 7 etc)
7.40-8.10 Sleep (she fell asleep under the cot mobile whilst he was doing jobs)
8.30 Feed (she didnt look for it for the first 20mins after she woke up)
9.55-10.25 Sleep (I went in all ready to try to extend her nap and just at the crucial moment my other 2 children started fighting and screaming the place down and when I got back in she was awake. Tried for 20 mins to get her back but no good and only let to having to feed her as she seemed to want it by then)
10.45 Feed
A
12.00-13.30 Sleep (this time I did manage to extend her nap but had to hold her arms gently for nearly 30 mins to do so and then she woke again 30 mins after that)
A
14.05 Feed
A
15.25-15.50 (went in at the 20 min mark ready to extend, noticed her lovey was covering her face, moved it, she woke straight up and no going back, as above after trying to settle her ended up feeding her)
16.25 Feed
A
17.00-17.45 - Sleep - usual catnap
A
19.20 Feed
20.05 - Sleep - Lost nearly 15 mins trying to settle her without the dummy, until I gave in and gave it to her.
She used never wake before 1am but recently she is waking 1-2 times before 11pm as well.
I realised 3 days ago that even if she feeds at 7pm I can put her down at 8pm when she is tired as before this I would end up feeding her at 8 or getting her to go a bit later to nearer the 2 hour feeding mark as I thought she would need to be fed before bed. This definitely made her OT before bed. I never fed to sleep except when she falls asleep during the night at end of feed. Normal BT when I use the dummy I can put her down awake and she goes off no problems.
Am I trying to do too much with the nap lengthening and trying no dummy as well?
Her EASY looks different every single day! I loved a routine with my other 2 but with the BF this time I just cant seem to get her into one.
I will read her sleep cues fairly well I think though only this week keeping a closer eye on the normal A time for this age having read it again.
Realise I'm in the process of changing a lot, ? too much, and should wait to see how these things go, but I suppose I wanted reassurance on what I am doing!
Thanks again for reading, any advice welcome. Hope I've explained it ok! So desperate for some sleep and a break!
