Author Topic: Waking during dreamfeed  (Read 1087 times)

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Offline Lolly

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Waking during dreamfeed
« on: November 04, 2009, 11:02:15 am »
I'm not sure if this is the right board so please move if necessary!

DD has started waking during or just before her dreamfeed it has happened for a few nights in the last week. Some nights she goes back to sleep after the feed but others she has stayed awake for 1 hour+.  2 nights ago she was awake for 30 mins and only took 1oz resettled with her dummy and bunny. Last night she took 3oz and woke during the feed and was awake for over 1 hour until we swaddled her arms and she drifted off. Both these nights she has then slept through until 6.30 when DH/DS wake. She normally wakes any time from 2-5am for another feed so I am delighted with the sleep til 6.30!

DD is 5.5 months and a refluxer which at the moment is treated with an AR formula. She is on a 4 hour routine and small amounts of solids as the pead recommended to help the reflux. Her first morning bottle is very hit and miss both timing wise and amount wise but she then feeds at 12, 4 some solids at 5 and bed bottle at 7. Her bedtime routine is bath with brother and Daddy, massage with her creams (mild eczema) PJs then bottle with mummy and straight in cot. Naps can also be hit and miss as I have to do pre-school runs with DS and we are out 1 or 2 mornings. Some days she has 2 or 3 20 min cat naps in the morning, some days 1-2 hour naps. She has a good 2 hour nap virtually every afternoon. She has refused the afternoon cat nap for weeks now. Her "normal" day is like this:

6.30  Wake (last 2 days feed beacuse not had night feed but only took 3oz)
7.30  Eat - 3-5oz (with earlier bottle few tsps solids or solids about 8.30)
8-9.15 -  bath, take DS to pre-school
9.15 - 10.45 *A - 2.75 hours*  Sleep (usually falls asleep in car seat and I can transfer her to cot without her waking)

11.45/12  Bottle (anything from 3-6oz)
12.30  solids (few tsps veg)
1-1.30 *A - 2.5/2.75*  sleep (in cot with dummy and bunny puts herself to sleep after a bit of chatting, may need to re-plug dummy)
3.30/3.45  wake

4 bottle (usually around 5oz)
5 solids (usually rice & fruit)
6.30 bath/massage/pjs
7 Bottle + sleep *A - 3.24 - 3.5 hours* (generally 6oz) falls asleep by end of bottle, has dummy straight in cot.

We then don't hear a peep out of her. She has been waking for a night feed and usually goes straight back down but we do have the odd night when she wakes and will stay awake for 1-2 hours playing and chatting quite happily (and loudly ::) in her cot. She does start to grump by about 1.5 hour mark so we swaddle and do a bit of APOP to get her back to sleep.

She is very active and alert and doesn't show clear sleepy signs, she seems to cope with quite long A times well. She does have odd 45 min naps but I swaddle her arms and she goes back and usually then needs waking.

Her formula intake is on the low side - 25oz average per day but sometimes less and some days up to 30oz. She is on the 91st centile has plenty of wet nappies so is getting plenty. She does get a bit constipated but goes with the reflux. On days when she takes very little milk she doesn't get solids so she is hungry for the next bottle.

Sorry for the long post! What do you think, is it worth starting to drop the dreamfeed early and see when/if  she then wakes. She could do with the oz from the dreamfeed somedays but then she will only take 1 or 2oz  and probably 5oz max (occasionally). Would W2S work here?

Thank you!

Laura


Offline Tweakster

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Re: Waking during dreamfeed
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2009, 00:22:54 am »
Hi there Laura, when did you start the new formula?  Does it coincide?  I found when we started thickening with rice cereal for Finn he dropped his night feed altogether.  Then shortly after he dropped to 3 bottles.  He takes about 20 - 24 oz per day and is also a big kid - 95 percentile.  He's not even eating solids - not for my lack of trying though lol.

Taking such a small amount I would say leave the DF and see what happens.  It's possible that she is now at the point that it is disturbing her sleep.
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Offline Lolly

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Re: Waking during dreamfeed
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2009, 08:29:38 am »
She's been on the Enfamil since she was 10 weeks. Her reflux is bad at the moment as she is teething so I am starting to wonder if that's part of it even though she doesn't seem in pain or discomfort when she wakes.

Last night she woke at DF time bacause she was gagging/choking so reflux woke her then and she refused any milk at all. Yesterdays milk intake was a whopping 17oz ::) and a tiny amount of solids. She fussed in her cot for a while, Daddy picked her up she had a massive burp then went straight to sleep and slept til 5.45 when she was actually hungry and took 6oz.

She is having a crainial osteopathy session this morning so I'll see how that goes and what happens tonight. I think dropping the DF may be the thing to do.

Thank you!

Laura


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Re: Waking during dreamfeed
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2009, 13:36:29 pm »
Hi there, no worries.  I have had days where Finn only took 10 oz for a whole day...paed told me to stop worrying about the number.  LO's are self-regulating for the most part :-)  Keeping your eye on the wet nappies etc. is the way to go.  Also if you feel the reflux isn't controlled well anymore you can revisit that.  Is she on meds or just thickened formula?

Teething is a major bummer.  Come on Hannah let's get those teeth on :-)
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Offline Lolly

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Re: Waking during dreamfeed
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2009, 13:43:21 pm »
She is just on thickened formula at the moment. We have a pead visit at the beginning of Dec, but if she doesn't improve over the next week I will be ringing and getting an earlier appointment - won't be the first time ;). Mind you I know what they will say - she's gaining weight well and  generally sleeping ok so carry on as you are >:(

Laura