Frequently night wakings at 5 months

[CuddleBaby]

Since I have someone to work this through with now, I keep thinking about things I must change. Some nap issues may be tied to night waking. She's woken, as she usually does, after 45 min for both long naps today, and the only way I know to get her back to sleep is to go in, swaddle and pat. I might have to do PUPD, but not much. I don't usually wait until she's crying before I go in...I try to get in there before she's fully awake. It only takes a few minutes. This is exactly what I do in the middle of the night, too.

So, am I rushing in? Does she depend on me to get back to sleep, both for naps and at night? Should I wait until she's crying? Once we drop the swaddle, how do I get her to go to sleep without reswaddling? That's what I always have done. Do I do PUPD until she's asleep or the nap is over?

I wish I had found this forum sooner, back when I was extending naps and doing PUPD. I really had no idea the swaddle could be a prop, or that I might be becoming a prop. I feel like I'm going to be starting all over again. Extending naps was painful enough. I don't know if I can go through it again. 

[lilac83]

The good thing about this though, even if the swaddle has become a prop, you're not starting from scratch. She's got the basics of a good routine and knows how to fall asleep on her own. So, doing any training the second time around, shouldn't take nearly as long.

Could you post what her routine looked like today with the two 45min naps? A 45min nap can mean either UT or OT, so seeing how the day panned out should help bring something to light.

It does sound like you're going in to her a bit too quickly. However, first let's get her weaned off the swaddle and then it will be easier to help her learn to self settle when she wakes. I fear that if you start too much at once she's just going to get OT and then it will be near impossible for her to settle herself. How does that sound?

[CuddleBaby]

The 45 min naps weren't really 45 mins. I did get her to go back to sleep (by swaddling and patting) so she took the regular 1.5 naps, just with a wake up in the middle. This has been my routine since extending naps. My MIL was still in, playing with her and keeping her up, so she was OT for both naps that day. She had gotten up at 6:15 and didn't go down for naps until 9 and 1.

Yesterday, after MIL left, I put her down for both long naps when she was ready, rather than waiting, and she slept through both. The evening catnap, I swaddled just her bottom half, laid her in her crib and picked up her room while she fussed with occasional cries. I patted her once when her cries got louder, and after a bit more fussing, went to sleep on her own. That was nice.

Last night, however, was the night from Hades. Previous nights have been better. I had been leaving her arms out, but with mittens on, and she's slept OK until 3:30 or so. She's learned to pull off her mittens with her teeth, though, so last night I left them off as I had during catnap. I was putting her to bed at 6:40, and she didn't go to sleep until 8. She screamed and screamed. She was awake every hour after that. I tried just to let her fuss during the night (not CIO, just whiny with a few cries in between), but she never would go to  sleep without me going to her. What a night. My DH is trying to invent all sorts of ways to keep her swaddled (double swaddling, swaddle then bag, etc), but I think that's just going to prolong the problem.

Unfortunately, my DH has never been really supportive of THE BOOK, as we call it. After trying to put her to bed for 40 min last night, I was starving so my DH took over, something I never do, because I know changing people can be stimulating. Of course, she started crying louder and louder, and when I finally checked in he was jiggling her up and down! I booted him out of there and she immediately settled down. He's still convinced this morning that jiggling her was what settled her down. Of course, I know she settled down because I went in there and rescued her from him. So, I'm sure she was OT all night.

Obviously I can't depend on my DH to help me wean from swaddle. Now that MIL is gone, I can fully commit to it. She's asleep for first long nap now, arms out, no mittens. I hope you're right and it will only take three days. I'm going to go take a nap now, too!
Thanks.   

[lilac83]

Sorry to hear about that rough night! Waking every hour is usually the sign of a prop issue or discomfort.

That's great that she's taking a long nap with arms out! She just needs to find a way to self sooth instead of relying on the swaddle. Now is a good time to try to introduce a lovey if you haven't already.

[CuddleBaby]

Last night was better. She ate at 1 and didn't wake again until 4:15, then was up an down until she got up at 6:30. I do have a lovey for her, but every now and then she gets it over her face and can't figure out how to get it off, so I may wait a few more weeks on that. Thanks for you help. I think we're getting there. Would like to figure out why she's still waking at 4:15, but I'll address that once I get this weaning completed with the swaddle.

[lilac83]

That's great that she's getting the hang of sleeping without the swaddle!

[CuddleBaby]

Lilac83, no need to respond. Just thought I'd write a quick note in case someone is reading this for HOPE. Last night was way better. I think we're weaned of the swaddle. Woke up at 2 and ate too much, though, and I had to get up several times to burp her because she was groaning and inching around in the bed. She must have slept well, though, because she only slept through half her nap this morning before having a dirty diaper, and I just got her up. For the next three hours it was like someone had given her a happy pill. I couldn't believe it. I don't know where my tired, grumpy baby went. She's went down for her 1 nap and is sleeping through now. Thanks for your help. We're getting there.

[CuddleBaby]

Yesterday she was short about 1.5 hours of daytime sleeping, and she still woke at 12 (ate), 2, 4:15-5:30 multiple times, and slept from 5:30-7 (after my DH swaddled her). She took a 5 min cat nap yesterday. I'm feeling like this isn't related to daytime sleep at this point. May still be swaddling, as my DH takes over in early morning and tends to swaddle by 5:30. May try W2S for a few nights and see how it goes.