NWs and EW!

[eml2512]

Dd is 6.5 months old and we thought she was getting better with her NW but in the last 2 weeks it's gotten really bad again. She's never been STTN but it used to be 2 or 3 times with a dummy reinsert. About 2 weeks ago she got really bad and just wouldn't sleep at night. After 4 straight nights, we realised it was teething. But she hasn't gotten back on track. BTW the tooth went back in, so it's not over!

Over the last couple of days, she's now gotten into waking at 6 am. She's not hungry or OT because she wakes chirping like a bird. I don't know why or what to do about it. She doesn't nap lots, 2.5 hours and is exhatrue when she goes to bed at 7 ish (depends on when she woke up from nap last) and how tired she seems.

Any ideas on what's going on? 

[Tweakster]

But she hasn't gotten back on track. BTW the tooth went back in, so it's not over!

This could be your issue.  She's actually still teething.  And most often they come in 2's or 4's even.  Are you medicating for the teething?

Could you post what your day looks like.

Also, if she's waking for the dummy and you have to replug it's a prop.

[eml2512]

This is a rough guide to yesterday. As you can see the EASY is way off track:

Wake – 6 am
Milk – 7 am
Solid – 7.30 am
Activity – 8 am
Sleep – 9 am (had been trying since 8.40 am)
Wake – 9.30 am
Activity – 9.30 am
Sleep – 10.15 am
Wake – 10.45 am
Milk – 11.10 am
solids – 12 pm
Sleep (in pram) – 1.30 pm
Activity – 2 pm
Milk – 2.40 pm
Activity – 3 pm
Sleep (in pram) – 5.30 pm
Activity – 6 pm
Feed – 7.15 pm
Sleep – 8 pm


We do give her meds when she seems in pain: gel, nelsons powder (homeopathic remedy with camomile in it) or infant paracetemol. BTW we are reluctant to take the dummy away right now because she has only been using it for a few weeks. She had been using me as a dummy previously, with really long final feeds and would take an age and a fight to get her down for sleep, each time.

[Tweakster]

Hi there, at 6.5 mths the average A time is 2 hr 45 - 3 hrs and they are on the way to dropping the CN.  It looks like she's a bit of a catnapper so ideally you want to consolidate her sleep.  I wonder if that first nap is more UT than OT?  Have you tried pushing out the morning A time a bit?  I would also think that after a short nap, even 30 mins, that she would still be able to stay awake longer than 45 mins...so I wouldn't put her back down for a nap so soon.  She's probably closer to 1.5 hrs before needing to try for a nap again.  But if she's teething that may be cut back.

Bedtime is pretty late for a catnapper who gets up early.  I would aim to stick to no more than a 13 hour day.

If you are comfortable with replugging her dummy then keep it.  But it might be a good idea to work with her and showing her how to do it herself.  But it sounds like you are making progress from the feed to sleep so great job :-)

[eml2512]

Thanks for coming back to me. I tried to improve her EASY for her age yesterday, and there was some improvement in the day but not at night. Here was a rough guide to yesterday:

Wake 7.45 am (She had had a very bad night and only slept properly late in the night, so woke up late as a result)
Milk - 7.50 am
Solids - 8.10 am
Activity - 8.30 am
Sleep (in pram) - 10.20 am (1.5 hrs)
Wake - 11.50 am (took her to dr’s appointment so had to wait for feed)
Milk - 12.30 pm
Activity - 12.45 pm
Sleep (in pram) - 2.50 pm (30 mins)
Wake - 3.20 pm (in pram)
Milk - 4.30 pm
Activity (including bed time routine) - 4.45 pm
Milk - 6.30 pm
Sleep - 6.45 pm

She woke this morning at 6.40 am after having another very wakeful night. Not necessarily fretful, more like she wanted to play.

Any thoughts on how I can improve this?

[Tweakster]

Hi there, her naps are all in the pram?  Is it moving while she's napping?

[eml2512]

They're not normally all in the pram, that was just that day. But when she's in the pram, it is moving.

[Tweakster]

HI there, to be honest it can be hard to sleep train when out and about.  Naps in the pram are not as restorative as crib naps so it could be that she's getting a little OT when she's napping out and about.

HOw have the past few days been?

[eml2512]

TBH, things haven't gotten any better. We went to our health visitor who suggested that she's hungry, so we upped her solid feeds to give her supper as well and we are now supplementing her 7 pm bf with a bottle. Last night she took 200ml (7oz) formula at 12.50 and woke 3 times with a dummy reinsertion. Then since 5 has been very wakeful. I tried giving her water, then gave up and gave her a small bf. That sent her back to sleep for about 30 minutes. Now in the last 20 minutes, I have given her gel, teething granules and water and nothing is calming her.

I have tried varying the naps. I have extended her morning A time to 3 hours and that has improved her morning nap to 1.5 hours. But there are often things that need to be done (for example grocery shopping, when she has fallen asleep on the journey, much too early) or I have been going to my mother/baby support group (to keep my sanity) so the afternoon nap is often divided up. I have tried putting her to bed earlier or later. But she still seems to wake up at 5 or 6. I can't figure out what is wrong.

[Tweakster]

Hi there, it's not unprecedented for them to have growth spurts at different times, I have not heard of one at 7 mths but babies really don't follow any rules.  Do you think she's hungry like your HV said?  Because 7 oz seems like a decent amount in the night...