Author Topic: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!  (Read 2585 times)

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Offline Devorah99

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My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« on: February 05, 2010, 15:23:42 pm »
My daughter is almost 5 months old and wakes up at 5 AM. She used to wake more often before i started giving her at least two ounces of formula for her dream feed. So at least now it's 5 AM when she won't go back to sleep. She does wake up sometimes before that but I ShSh her back to sleep and give her the pacifier which fell out of her mouth. I've tried feeding her more during the day but it doesn't work. She is a big "spitter upper" and just spits up a lot, especially if I nurse her when she's full. She takes 3 naps a day (first two are about 2 hours - as long as I can get her back to sleep if/when she wakes up in middle - and the last is about 45 minutes) and I don't have to do much to get her to nap. I just swaddle her and sometimes she is sleeping within in 90 seconds. I would say she's on the 4 hour EASY: Eats every 4 hours, first two naps for two hours, bed at 7:30 after her bath. I give her the dream feed, hopefully before 11 (I nurse her until she stops nursing, then I give her a two ounce bottle of formula). I even tried pumping milk during the day after my feeds and giving it to her but that's extremely annoying and before I know she's due for her nap again because I spent so much time getting her to feed. She cries a lot during the feeds because she has to burp and then usually spits up a lot when she burps. Whenever I breastfeed, I always feed on both sides (She even cries if she starts nursing on one side and decides she doesn't want that side first!). If I pump after a feed, I barely get an ounce afterward from both sides combined.

Here's a scene from last night: Bed time at 7:30, she woke up a few times after since she lost of pacifier. i pumped milk about got an ounce and half and fed that to her at 10:30 and since it was my first time pumping milk for the dream feed, i gave her two bottles of 2 ounce formula. She woke up at about 2:30 since she lost her pacifier but went back to sleep right away when I gave it to her. She then woke up at 5 AM and was NOT going back to sleep. I tried to pick up her but she was just arching her back and crying. She would not go back to sleep on her stomach or her back. She calmed down for 30 seconds when i was shshpatting her but starting crying again. several times of that. I just caved in and fed her, and boy did she eat!!

After she eats, I usually put her on her back to play with toys on a mat.(sometimes her stomach - or else she'll spit up and play with her spit up so i usually give her a little tummy time right after she wakes up from her nap then feed her) or I put her in a swing or bouncer, or in the mornings, in her crib with the mobile on until I'm ready to start my day.

She has never slept from 7:30-7 (with the dream feed) there's always at least two wakings at night and she used to take her full feeding at 4:30 before I gave her the formula. Sometimes she would wake up every hour! I know she is not teething yet.

Another thing: I used to put her to sleep on her stomach because she slept so much better that way but she would just spit up too much so we started putting her on her back with a very light blanket near her cheek and she cuddles into the blanket and instantly closes her eyes if she's tired. She is swaddled when she naps and sleeps and occasionally gets out of the swaddle. (My husband discovered that trick when he wrapped my scarf around her face (not over her face) in the carriage and she was instantly calm!)

I hope I gave enough information to help you help me!

Thanks.

Offline Tweakster

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Re: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2010, 14:17:25 pm »
Hi there I don't have experience with BFing as Finn was bottle-fed but some of the things you are describing sound a bit like reflux.  Have you ever suspected she has reflux? 

Also if she is waking because of the paci, it could mean it has become a prop.  Especially if you have to replug.

Could you post your whole routine complete with A times. 
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Offline brenda2

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Re: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2010, 23:47:49 pm »
she may have reflux  but if she's only waking the once at 5 am and is hungry then pain from the reflux is probably not what's waking her IMO.  reflux los often do need to eat more frequently and take less because if you feed them too much they spit up more which you have noticed. 

if she is ebf it is not uncommon for los to need a df plus one night feed at this age. it sound like she is hungry at this time when she wakes in the early morning.  i would feed her when she wakes and put her back down for more sleep.  if  you feed her does she go back to sleep?  only 1 nw at this age is not really a problem that you have to "fix".

both my los were ebf and dd1 was taking a df plus one nightfeed at this age until started sttn with the df at 7 mo and dd2 was waking lots and eating all night at this age until started sttn no feeds at 7.5 mo (after a big sleep training push).
   

   


Offline Devorah99

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Re: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2010, 01:18:05 am »
Hi, thanks for responding. I am new to this forum so I had a little trouble understanding the shorthand. So from my understanding, you think she has reflux which i am sure she does based on the amount that she spits up. However, it's not GERD, it does not burn her, she just cries until she burps, oftentimes followed with a huge spit up. SO it makes sense that she doesn't have the much food in her throughout the day because she spits up a lot and after i feed her and she spits up a few times after i burp her, i stop cuz i figure her stomach is full (i heard this from someone and it seems to be true)

Her Activity is toys on a mat, the swing, the bouncer and sometimes the mobile when she is in her crib.

Once she eats at night (5 AM), she does go back to sleep and then wakes up at about 8:45 and is ready to eat a little bit after (I actually don't always know when she wakes up because she sometimes plays with herself as long as i put her on her back and only cries or starts fussing when she's bored or needs to get fed)

It happens to be that last night, i did not give her the 2 ounce bottle and she woke up at 2 AM and i fed her and then she woke up again at 5 AM. I only fed her at 5:30 but for some reason she was ready to party and did between 5-6AM. and she lost her pacifier many times between 2 and 5 AM. But then woke up for the day at 8:50 AM.

So you are saying that to wake up at 5 AM and eat a full feeding is what a regular 5 month old does?

Offline brenda2

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Re: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2010, 02:24:38 am »
Once she eats at night (5 AM), she does go back to sleep and then wakes up at about 8:45 and is ready to eat a little bit after (I actually don't always know when she wakes up because she sometimes plays with herself as long as i put her on her back and only cries or starts fussing when she's bored or needs to get fed)

this is great, i would continue feeding her at 5 am or whenever she wakes in the night as long as she goes back to sleep after.  if she has times when she is awake and partying it may be a sign she is ready for more A time.

So you are saying that to wake up at 5 AM and eat a full feeding is what a regular 5 month old does?

yes.  totally normal, especially if she is spitting up some during the day - this is what my lo was like.  spat up loads but it didn't seem to bother her and thus we are not on any meds.  it did slow down a bit when we started solids and though she still spits up it is less now.


and she lost her pacifier many times between 2 and 5 AM.

if she is waking for the paci then it may be time to consider weaning it. it can become a prop around this age.


   

   


Offline Devorah99

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Re: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2010, 05:06:13 am »
Regarding weaning the pacifier, I don't think that will work... she has a very strong sucking reflex and licks and sucks everything in site (her hands, my hands, blanket, my shoulder, my clothes...). She took a pacifier from day 1 in the hospital! Ever since she was a tiny baby, she would cry and the second i gave her the pacifier, she would "melt" into me and settle down or fall asleep. Sometimes, she would wake up at night, looking wide awake and the second I gave her the pacifier, she would cuddle into the blanket and fall right back asleep! Perhaps if i stop swaddling her she will find her fingers and use those to self soothe...

Another question, in the sleep whisperer book, the author has a typical day start at 7 and end at 7:30 with a DF at 10-11 PM. So most babies sleep from 11 til 7 without eating? Starting from what age?

Offline brenda2

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Re: My almost 5 month old takes a full feeding at 5 AM. Help!
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2010, 15:50:47 pm »
Another question, in the sleep whisperer book, the author has a typical day start at 7 and end at 7:30 with a DF at 10-11 PM. So most babies sleep from 11 til 7 without eating? Starting from what age?

every baby is different with regards to this.  some as early as 4 mo, and others not until 7 or 8 mo.  some babies don't do well with a df so they would just take a night feed and some have a night feed until they are a year old and this is still normal.  i got a "feel"  for when my los really didn't need the night feeds and then went ahead and weaned them (dd1 at 7 mo went from df to 7 am and dd2 at 8 mo went 12 hours as wasn't doing df).  like they weren't taking a full feed, wouldn't then take a full feed when they woke in the morning and were refusing feeds during the day because they were taking so many calories at night.  when these kinds of things start to happen you can wean the night feed if she doesn't do it on her own.  with your situation i think  she is too young to wean it and if she takes a feed goes right back to sleep and then still wants a feed in the morning i think she genuinely is hungry.


Perhaps if i stop swaddling her she will find her fingers and use those to self soothe...

this is what i did with dd1 and she sucks her thumb which is great as she can do it herself and it is not a prop.  i put one arm out and placed her on that side so she could manouever her thumb into her mouth.