5 month old NW making me crazy...can't get him back to sleep

[jlsmith]

My 5 month old DS has been having NW for about 6 weeks, I've gone through everything to excuse away the wakingbut now I'm just exhausted and don't think I can handle one more night like last night. I'll try to make this short. He was, for the first 3 months, waking about every 3-4 hours to eat. I didn't worry about it for the frist 3 months because he was so little. He would eat, and eat good, and then go peacefully back to sleep. He started NW righ before he was 4 months old, I looked through the BW and decided that since his naps had alo changed to 45 min ones that he may need to move to a 4 hour easy. Once I switched him he did great for about a week. Naps were longer and he was only waking once to eat other than the DF. After the first week he was up again about every 2-21/2 hours. I thought maybe it was a growth spurt so I tried feeding him when he woke up but after 2 nights of doing that he wasn't sleeping any longer. I thought mabe it was becuase he started rolling over, we started unswaddleing him. The first 3-4 days of unswaddling went a lot better than I thought. He didn't sleep any better but he also didn't sleep any worse. I thought maybe he was getting teeth but I don't see any popping through. What makes matters worse is that when he wakes I can't get him back to sleep. I did PUPD when the NW started but since he is unswaddled now it doesn't seem to work. I tried it for an hour last night and finally gave up and gave him to my husband. He goes to sleep on his own with a blanket, no paci, he sometimes cries but never for more than ten minutes. I go in and reassure him that I'm there instead of PUPD and it never takes too long. I feel like I'm doing everything that I'm supposed to. I don't have him attached to any props, he doesn't nurse to sleep, I don't rock him to sleep, and I don't automatically feed him when he wakes up. I always give him 5 mintes to fuss a little and try to go back to sleep on his own, I don't want to rush in too soon. Last night I put him down at 7:15... he woke at 9pm went back to sleep within 5 minutes, 10pm went back to sleep within five minutes at 10:30 tried PUPD until 11:30 my husband said he crashed out a few minutes after I went to bed (only because my husband puthim in his carseat) at 1:45 he woke up... I knew he would be hungry around 2 so I fed him hoping he would sleep until 6... he was up at 4, 4:45, and 5:45. At 4 I watched him roll himself almost over on his tummy so I just helped him, went slept until 4:45 in which his cried for only a few minutes and went back to sleep. at 5:45 I figured I might as well get up with him since I have a 2 1/2 year old that I didn't want waking up. Naps are still a little shorter than I would like but atleast he takes more than 30 minute naps. Can anyone help?

6:30 BF
8:45 Nap usually sleeps about 1:30
10:30 BF
12:45Nap sometimes 1:15-1:30
2:30 BF
4:45 Nap between 30-45 minutes
we do dinner/bathtime
6:30BF
7:00 To bed

I was doing a DF at 11pm but his was still waking a 2-3 to eat. I tried holding him off but I was just awake all night so we took away the DF and left the 2 am feeding. he still is waking up at about 11 though.. oh I feel like I've worked so hard to have him on a schedule but I am having no success at this at all

[newmum27]

Hi,

Just a few questions to consider?

1. Are there teeth on the way? Swollen gums etc? Sometimes the teeth move around in the gums long before you see any teeth.

2. Has he learned a new skill lately? rolling over for example and is waking to practice.

3. Is he getting too much/too little naps during the day? At around 5-6 months they usually need less nap time during the day.

4. Is he a really big baby? maybe he's hungry and you should look at perhaps early weaning.

5. Have you made it fun/interesting to wake up during the night? could be waking just to see you and be close to you.

6. Has something new happened in the house lately? maybe a visitor or gone back to work.

7. Is it possible that he is ill or recovering from an illness? maybe a slight cold.


Just some things to consider. I have been where you are now and I know that it is no fun at all. You get the point where you think you are going insane when you've tried so many different things. All I can say is keep trying it may sort itself out soon.

Ruth.

[Ben's mom]

I am in the same boat.  My ds is 17 wks and we have moved to 4 hour EASY.  At one point, he would wake to eat and then go back to sleep until morning.  Now he wakes 4-5 times a night.  It takes a while of shh/pat to get him back to sleep.  He isn't crying but fussy and unable to settle himself.  I am just dying.  I am a fulltime working mom that can barely function at this point.  I think the first waking (1:15) is a habitual wake. I will watch one more night and make sure then I will wake to sleep (scary).  I feed him at the next waking and he takes a full bottle (6-7oz)  He is a whopping 17.6 lbs.  Wow!!!  But, he will wake again about 2 2-1/2 hours later.  I don't think it is hunger  but who knows.  I have adjusted and readjusted the schedule and nothing has worked. I increased his daytime feed and still no help. He is recovering from a cold but seems to feel fine.  I don't know. I do know that I dout and regret half my decisions after the fact.  So frustrating.

[jlsmith]

thanks for responding newmum and asking some good questions... let me see if I can answer them for you. First of all last night I did do the dream feed but he still woke at 1:45 and when back to sleep on his own until 2:45...I tried everything to get him to go back to bed without having to nurse but by 4:30 I was so frustrated that I nurse only to have him sleep until 5:30, by then I was so exhausted that I just put him in his swing and he slept until 8.

The gums have been swollen for about 2 weeks but not red and nothing popping out, he's just started rolling over in ALL directions and just this weekend started sitting up on his own,( but he was lseepelss before all of thiese new activites aswell) I've tried both giving him more sleep and less sleep during the day to see if it helps but he still wakes the same amount. He is a REALLY big baby. 20 puonds. What is weaning? Do you mean at night? or stop bf altogether? I breastfeed and have tried not nursing him in the middle of the night but after 1:30 of being up with him it was all I could do. Nothing else has changed, no sickness and no vacations.

[newmum27]

Hi again,

Thanks for answering those questions...to me it sounds like you've hit a rough patch with your LO rolling and sitting and possibly teething. As your LO is a big baby, weaning is when you start feeding solids to your baby as well as BF/Bottle. It could be that because he is so big that the BF is no longer enough to keep him going and he needs more than just the BF. Weaning is usually started at 6 months, but some mums start earlier as their babies seem to need it. Check out the thread in feeding solid food and look at the FAQs and the thread about "how to tell if your baby is ready for solids". In the mean time....just keep at it...my LO was in the same situation for almost a month and a half and then overnight it all changed for the better. Guess you might just have to ride it out.

Ruth