Dream feeding for 5 month old with reflux?

[Sharwellstudio]

I have posted before!  I am the one with the TOUCHY little boy with reflux. We did nap training using shh pat and the occasional pick up to reset. I am really pleased at his SS for falling asleep for bedtime and naps IN HIS OWN CRIB!  Just this week he has needed almost no intervention from me. Yay!

We haven't night trained yet and I have a few questions before we start. LO is swaddled, uses a pacifier and is sleeping in his crib with a wedge for elevating the head and is surrounded by a towel roll for his sides and under his bum. He is medicated with ranitidine (recently increased the dose to match his weight) and I am sure it helps but I still don't know if he is getting enough.

We are dealing with habitual wake ups and also waking due to gas pain and what seems like some reflux discomfort. There are times he refuses to self settle and screams. Nursing either helps hunger or pain. I can tell he is uncomfortable when he tries to get to his left side or I pump his legs and he gets gas out. I feel bad not feeding him if he'll take it when I offer (sometimes he won't).

Pattern: bedtime he goes down fine. Needs some shh pat most of the time. Settled quickly if I do it right. He habitually wakes between 20 and 60 minutes. Has done it since he was 7 weeks old when sleep went to hell. Each night he wakes and needs the paci replaced and some help to get back to sleep. I don't feed him at this time. Never have. I have tried W2S the past 3 nights and have pushed the waking out to 90 min or so each night. NOT HELPFUL. Then wakes around 10 or 11. I nurse him. Ona good night he settles and then sleeps til 2 or 3. I nurse again. On bad nights he is up every 30 min to an hour an a half. Sometimes he can't get comfy and it takes him an hour or more to get back to sleep. Mostly with my help. He wakes in the 5:00 hour no matter what. Even if I feed him at 4:30. He might think it is morning time and it usually takes me a long while to get him back to sleep.

Dream feeds!  Can I do a dream feed around 10  ( a typical wake up time)?  What do I do if he wakes BEFORE? Like at 9:45 or something?

What do I do for the 2:00 time?  Do I need to add another feed at 12?  And not feed again until morning?  Is the point not to allow him to dictate when he eats? 

Thank you for your help!  I am running on very little sleep currently and want to make some changes tonight.

[lily_layne]

I don't have personal experience with reflux but from what I've heard on here, frequent wakings at that age is likely discomfort. It might be worth having his dosage looked at again.

The waking up shortly after BT is often OT. Can you post your daily routine?

You can try a dreamfeed at 10 or just feed him if he wakes then to see if it helps. 2-3 night feeds is still within the normal range at this age so I would feed him if you think he's hungry.

[Sharwellstudio]

OT as in chronically OT or just for that day? The only times he hasn't woken shortly after BT is when it takes a really long time (lik resulting in e 3+ hours of A time) and a lot of struggle to put him down for the night.
I will post a few days' schedules and see what you think. Any experience with W2S? I am forgoing it tonight and opting for the WU shortly after BT to the angry waking at 1.5 hours.
With reflux I understand the benefit of the pacifier and am ok with having to replug it when necessary. I am also ok waking up to feed him 2-3x but those other waking are so hard!  And if he's in pain or discomfort I want to do what I can to fix it. I raised the wedge even more so maybe that will help tonight.
I'll post tomorrow. Thank you.

[lily_layne]

A look at your routine will help. Thanks.

My DD was much the same with the wakings post-BT and only not waking when it took a very long time for her to settle. I think on those nights, she just got so OT she crashed.

Is your DS closer to 5 months or to 6 months?

[lauradj]

I do have a baby with reflux and it really does sound like your LO's discomfort is not managed.  Is he lying on his left side?  That made a big difference for us as well.  The motto for parents of reflux babies is "Do whatever it takes to get them to sleep."  It's not a huge comfort, I know but it is the reality.  I would pop back to his doctor if you can and just let them know what you're seeing.  My LO's reflux was not horrific but it prevented him from gaining weight and so his paediatrician was very diligent on keeping the dose correct (not that he ever had huge weight increases to deal with  )

[Sharwellstudio]

He has been tending to arch and get to his left side when I put him down. So I rolled a towel to prop him behind his back. He doesn't stay like that the whole night. Should I make him?  How far over on his side?  Slightly tipped ok or should he stay all the way?

I elevated the wedge more and I think it is helping. We still have more than a few night wakings and I often have to pick up to settle him. The paci coming out and him not being able to replace it on his own (swaddled) is some of the problem.

He will be 6 months on April 18. So closer to 5 months than 6.

Wake up 6:30
E: 7:00 x20 min
A: 2hrs 12 min
S: 8:42-9:12, waited to go in, spit out paci,go in, replace paci, shh, 9:23-10:16
E: 10:50 x 13 min
A: 2hrs 17min
S:12:33-1:43
E: 2:00 x 18 min
A:2hrs 17 min
S:4:00-4:26
E: 4:35 x15 min and 6:25 x18 min
A: 2 hrs 30 min
S: BT 6:56-7:32 (35 min)
S:7:36-8:31 (55min), DH tried to calm him while I slept. Did not go well!  I do all sleep stuff with this kid so Dada at night was probably a big surprise for LO. I woke up and calmed him.
S: 9:25-10:02(37min) DH offered a bottle but he wouldn't take it
S:10:29-11:24(68min), DH picked him up then shh to sleep in the crib
S: 11:29-2:42 (3 hrs 13 min), nursed him x 20min
S: 2:44-4:22 (1:28), nursed x 11min
S; 4:39-6:05 (1:26) wake up for the day
Too many wake ups!!!! And last night wasn't a terrible night. It has been worse.

[lauradj]

We would place him on his left side, slightly angled back and he was wedged between a towel roll so he wouldn't fall to his front.

[lily_layne]

Your naps look ok. I'm thinking that the last A time may be a touch long. Have you tried a slightly earlier BT (15-30 minutes). I think that may help with the early night wake ups but I still think some of the NWs may be reflux related because he's getting a decent amount of day time sleep.

[Sharwellstudio]

Yeah he is sometimes hard to settle for bedtime. Earlier (less A time) has been tougher to get him down. More crying that way. Last night it was 2:40 min because he needed so much assistance to calm. It is like he isn't ready. And yesterday our naps were stellar: 1:44, 55 min, 1:16 (I woke him at 4:30 to shoot for the 7pm BT) with A times of 2,2:15,2:15 and 2:40. It was a good day with a rotten night. 3 wake ups to start the night, 8:00,9:00 and 10:00ish. Then a 2.5 hour stretch before I fed him. He has been trying to get to his tummy so tonight we may go without the swaddle and try to put him down on the wedge on his stomach. Anyone try this?

[lily_layne]

Anyone try this?

I haven't tried the wedge but both of mine were tummy sleeping by that age. I know tummy sleeping isn't recommended but I read the risks and I decided it was an acceptable  risk for me.

An 1h15 minute nap is pretty restorative so he may need a touch more A before bed with a longer nap like that.

[N_Mom_S]

He has been tending to arch and get to his left side when I put him down. So I rolled a towel to prop him behind his back. He doesn't stay like that the whole night. Should I make him?  How far over on his side?  Slightly tipped ok or should he stay all the way?

I elevated the wedge more and I think it is helping. We still have more than a few night wakings and I often have to pick up to settle him. The paci coming out and him not being able to replace it on his own (swaddled) is some of the problem.

He will be 6 months on April 18. So closer to 5 months than 6.

Wake up 6:30
E: 7:00 x20 min
A: 2hrs 12 min
S: 8:42-9:12, waited to go in, spit out paci,go in, replace paci, shh, 9:23-10:16
E: 10:50 x 13 min
A: 2hrs 17min
S:12:33-1:43
E: 2:00 x 18 min
A:2hrs 17 min
S:4:00-4:26
E: 4:35 x15 min and 6:25 x18 min
A: 2 hrs 30 min
S: BT 6:56-7:32 (35 min)
S:7:36-8:31 (55min), DH tried to calm him while I slept. Did not go well!  I do all sleep stuff with this kid so Dada at night was probably a big surprise for LO. I woke up and calmed him.
S: 9:25-10:02(37min) DH offered a bottle but he wouldn't take it
S:10:29-11:24(68min), DH picked him up then shh to sleep in the crib
S: 11:29-2:42 (3 hrs 13 min), nursed him x 20min
S: 2:44-4:22 (1:28), nursed x 11min
S; 4:39-6:05 (1:26) wake up for the day
Too many wake ups!!!! And last night wasn't a terrible night. It has been worse.

Those night wakings look a lot like my son's, who also has reflux. Did it get any better on his tummy? And how do you guys put the towel roll, under the sheet? I had it like that until he started to move a lot in the crib, then it was worthless. And I had the crib more elevated but sometimes he was waking up sideways or upside down! So we have very little inclination now, I don't know if that may be part of the problem.