Having sleep problems at 8 weeks

[donna_issabella]

Hi there Ladies,

I have an almost 8 week old boy who came home and put himself on a 4 hour EASY. Even when I tried to wake him earlier, he just would stay asleep. awake one hour at a push, sleep 3 hours. you could set your clock by him!!!

He used to have 3 x 3 hour sleep in the day 7-10, 11-14, 15-18, but his has all gone pear shaped the last few days.

He initially had his best sleep after his bath, but the past 7-10 days he sleeps less than the 3 hours to his next feed, and many times wake up VERY grumpy!!!!! Then we struggle to settle him for 11/12.

I am a little lost, as it seems he is changing his routine on a daily basis now, and i am unable to read his cues.

He sleeps well from 7 - 10 am, so much so that i feel obliged to go and wake him to feed. And yesterday and today he slept miserably from 11, waking at 12 30, today guzzling 4 ounces of EBM - having had 3.5 oz at 10am!!! I don't mind feeding him if he is hungry, but i am not sure why he didn't just drink more at 10!!!

I was exclusively BF until about 2-3 weeks ago, when we started 10pm bottle, EBM with gaviscon, as he has terrible reflux which seemed to have been more problematic at night. It has become worse the past week, so much so that i end up putting Gaviscon in each EBM bottle now. Paranoid about the amount he feeds, so EBM and measuring helps.

Sorry for rambling, just helps to give background I feel.

My questions:
1) is it OK to wake, or should i let him sleep until he wakes up?
2) even when he wakes up by himself, he is already yawning..... HELP, is this normal?
3) the past few days he has been struggling to go to bed, despite my putting him in his crib at the start of stage 3, bearing in mind 2 weeks ago i would pop him in and he would fall asleep like clockwork. Any ideas about why that would be changing? and he cries alot more when i swaddle him! used to grump only, now cry 5 minutes   
4) should i try to change his routine? Currently it feels to me as if all 4 hours are generally the same, so would he really realise the difference between night and day? Only diff is that i don't try to A with him at 10 pm and 2 am!
5) i feel it is useless trying to wake him earlier because like today, he only fed 3.5 oz, only to be fed again 2.5 hours later..... Any ideas?


so many questions, concerns and worries. New mommy, can you tell?
Please help me!
DI

[donna_issabella]

Problems getting worse.

Refused to go to bed after bath, or rather to fall asleep.
Then fed at 9 30 and struggled to fall asleep - managed only after 11 30!?!?!?!

Then woke up at 2 30 and fed, and now STILL not sleeping.

I feel he hates his cot by now. must feel like i am sentencing him to Siberia.

Does anyone have any suggestions, as i am getting to the end of my tether here.

TIA

[VeroniqueD]

Hi Tia

Things will get better...I will try and help with your questions- im sure others will have suggestions as well.

1. Yes wake him up (I would get him on the three hour routine) Sit him up and see if he keeps his little eyes open, if not try entertaining him a little bit but not to the point of overstimulation
2. When my little one was this young she yawned all the time
3. His schedule may need to be adjusted
4. yes change his routine
5. How much does your baby weigh? Was he a premiee? he should be able to handle eating every three hours if he was able to handle every four hours before....

In your last post it sounded like he slept all day and when night time came he was just not tired. By waking him and sticking to the rountine it will help to adjust his schedule - he might just need activity time during the day and hopefully he will sleep better during the night.

Are you doing a dream feed? Oh and i would continue swaddling. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!!

[donna_issabella]

Hi there,

Third night in a row that he isnt interested in sleeping more than 45 minutes after his bath. He is tired, as soon as the dummy goes into his mouth, his eyes droop, or when i just hold him and make the room dark, he is gone, but in the crib he wakes up after a few minutes and is GRUMPY!!!

Probaby he is sleeping too much in the day, and it is self perpetuating, as i feel, he isnt sleeping now, so he needs to catch up somewhere and somehow. i am afraid to cut his sleep short in the day, and then he becomes SO wired it is impossible to settle him.

It has now been i hour and he isnt settling....

Last night he didnt even sleep his stint from 2 - 5 am, which was frustrating, so made me too lenient to let him sleep today. but bearing in mind a week ago he was sleeping 3 x 3 and then at night, i dont know what  went wrong.........


I am keeping a dairy for the next few days to see exactly what is cooking.

Just say a little prayer for me, my sanity, and my DH, as he is trying to help, but it is like the blind leading the blind....

[VeroniqueD]

I will say a little prayer.  You will be fine, just adjust his schedule and remind yourself that it will take him some time, don't expect to much because he is so young - you are heading in the right direction. The diary is a great idea!! Since he does not sleep more then 45 minutes, it seems like he is having trouble going back to sleep after he wakes up from that first sleep cycle. I always swaddled my little one, he could be jolting himself awake. I would do SShh/patt to try and get him back to sleep - hopefully it works out for you. let us know!!!

[donna_issabella]

My LO is swaddled too, so he doesn't jolt awake. I also thought he might wake up after the first sleep cycle, therefor timing it tonight. he wasn't interested in being Shh/pat back to sleep, just cried alot :-(

Thanks for the prayer. I need it.

[danlynclark]

Di
I just thought of a couple things after I read this.  Is Henry's crib propped up?  Or is he sleeping at an angle?  I wonder if, as you said, his reflux is so bad at night, that hes uncomfortable or in pain and that is what is waking him.  I wonder if you could watch him sleep and see what happens when he wakes.  Is it a jolt...is it discomfort..etc.

Just some more ideas for you
Good luck
Lyn

[donna_issabella]

Hi Lyn,

Crib propped up, got Jojo wedge yesterday, but he slides down SOOO much that he ends up horisontally in the bed. and always on his left side, even if i lay him down on his right.

hopefully the paed will help today with meds other than the gaviscon, and then we can do things easierly.

He sleeps in the same place - his crib - day and night. He used to go to bed for naps etc so easily, but is more and more whiney, which makes me thinks also that he might be in pain. I forgot his gaviscon yesterday in two of his bottles, and might have contributed ALOT to the prob last night, but then again it is now 4 nights running...

Hopefully things will get better. Perhaps i should just not try to change too many things at the same time.

Thanks for the advice Lyn, SOOOO much appreciated.

Love
DI

[JennŠ]

Try rolling a blanket up and putting it under the sheet where his tush goes.  It acts like a bumper to help with the sliding.  Agree, it sounds like he needs a different med.  Also, are things worse since adding the formula?  If so, maybe that is not the right one for him.  Just a thought, as lots of 'fluxers try several of them.  FAQ of this forum has a sticky on sleep and reflux.  Some helpful info there.   

[danlynclark]

Di
I hope the ped gives Henry some meds.  Daniel is going to try something new aswell since I am so tired of him crunching into a ball and moaning when hes trying to fall asleep.

Good luck hon
Lyn

[donna_issabella]

HI all,

Jenn, H still on breastmilk, just cutting out all diary now and seems perhaps to help.  Paed today prescribed Zantac and Domperidone, and we will see how things go. I feel very optimistic!!!

Thanks for all the suggestions and kindness!! MUCH appreciated!

DI