Night Wakings - Can't figure out why?!?

[Otownmama]

My LO is turning 6 mos this week and for the past two weeks we've been going through a miserable period of night wakings. She started STTN at 7 wks (10-6ish) and then at ~4 mos we introduced a DF and started moving up her bedtime. She was adapting to a 730 bedtime and a sleepsack (we had to wean the swaddle cause she was rolling) and we got her to the point that she was sleeping from 7-DF and then through till 630ish with consistency. Then 1.5 wks ago she started to go through some teething and got very congested. After 3 nts of congestion which woke her up, she has now been waking every night and I can't figure out why. I'm telling myself it's developmental and to ride it out, but am concerned that I'm becoming part of the problem...

Here is her EASY:
7am wake and BF
920 start wind down
930 -1030 - nap (this nap varies from about 50 mins to 1hr10 and only with intervention on my part...but that's another story)
1030 - BF (I'm still really on 3.5 hr EASY because of pretty short naps)
1245 - start wind down
100 -210+ - nap (seeing some progress extending this nap, or her managing to extend it herself, but max is 1.5 hrs)
210 (or wake) - BF
430ish - try for catnap, will take it if afternoon nap was short, sometimes resort to car ride or walk
500 - usually sneak in a short feed, thinking I'm tanking her up a bit, especially if she doesn't have a catnap
615 - bath and BF
645-7 - bed
1015 - DF

A few things: she is regularly waking in anticipation of her DF, which makes me think her body clock has formed this habit. It doesn't seem to be a problem now because I'm going to feed her, but not sure how that will go when we work on weaning the DF. Secondly, we have made a few attempts with cereal, but aren't doing solids per se yet because she wasn't as interested as I thought she might be. Also, the worst of the teething seems to be temporarily behind us, in that she doesn't seem to be waking in pain. But when she does wake, it isn't just stirring and she re-settles, it usually involves full-on crying and I have to go in. She is settling reasonably well w/o feeding most of the time, but most nights I end up feeding her at least once - early morning usually (330-5ish) - and she takes a full feeding at that time. I had thought there might be a growth spurt happening since it was random waking where she would take a full feeding. Finally, her A time has jumped again just recently and we're at 2.5 hrs now - if I try to put her down early, she fusses, but normally she settles quite well. I know her daytime sleep is on the low side, but we've had to work really hard to get her to this point with at least one decent nap in a day.

Questions: should I focus on getting more food into her during the day so she doesn't wake up? How do I do that? Is me going into her room and settling her every time she wakes going to make the problem worse? It usually requires a paci, but I don't think that's a prop really, she can sleep without it and spits it out w/o waking. Is there something about her EASY that I should be working on?

Thanks for any help or advice!
Sarah

[bovi]

hi there, NWs really s***!

My DS has slept through till 6 mo and like for your lo he started NWs just one or 2 weeks before 6 mo. I was so not able to do PPD so I fed him. and that became a problem as we still have NWs and I was still feeding him at night just 2 weeks ago (he is 1 year 1 week old)

with my next lo sure enough I will not restart feeding at night!
Firstly I d suggest you to go and check out the feeding solid food boards to see how to go about that.

 also I think it is more or less unavoidable to have those NWs after 6 mo, it is a bit of everything, some nights it can be hunger , some nights it is teething the other nights it is developmental or the introduction of new food etc.. but all are very tiring for everyone.
If you take one advice, divide the handling NWs with DH (one or two days shifts). We did not and I regret that I always fed him b/c I could not have a good night sleep for half a year and I feel so tired. even if your decision is that you feed until he is stable on solids I d go for the shift solution. DH can also give him the bottle. Dont take this all on your shoulders!

Is me going into her room and settling her every time she wakes going to make the problem worse?

if it is always you it is going to be a problem for you. for lo he needs somebody to settle him, but you can try and count till 60 before you go in (he might go back to sleep himself) but a full cry needs immediate settling of course

xxx

Viktoria

[Otownmama]

A bit more info to bump this because I'd love some help! Last night we had another rough go. It started with congestion and by the time I'd helped her with that and changed her, she had hiccups. It was over an hour before she was back asleep...but she did sleep through till 730 from then.

PP mentioned that I'm always the one to go in at night - unfortunately DH is injured and on crutches. He can help a bit, but usually he makes more noise leaving her room and wakes her again, so I do most of the night settling. I'm trying to keep from feeding her regularly and certainly don't feed her more than once in a night after the DF.