3 mo wakes every hour

[Brodster'sMommy]

DD is 3 mo and her sleep is killing me I don't know what to do anymore. Her first stretch of night sleep is great - usually 6-8 hours. Then she is up every hour or two after that and I have tried everything I can think of to get her back to sleep. Her day routine goes much like this:

A: 6:30am
S: 8-8:45
E: 9:30
S: 11-11:45
E: 12pm
S: 1:30-2:30 or somethimes even 4
E: 3:30
S: 5-5:45
E: 5:45
E: 7
S: 7:30
NW: 1am (feed)
NW: 3am (paci)
NW: 4am (feed) 
NW: 5am (paci)
NW: 6:30 (feed)

you can see that I get very little sleep after her first night wake. When I feed her during the night, I can barely get her to take full feeds. She's very sleepy but even if I wake her up, she's not interested in eating. Her first full feed is at 6:30am when she takes both sides. I just recently started giving the paci to extend things a bit but she's waking up just the same. I used to feed her every two hours instead. I rarely use the paci during the day. It's reserved for OT emergencies. So some days I won't use it for naps at all. I have dealt with her 45 min naps and decided to just deal with them so I don't try to extend them - I don't have thE time with a toddler (20 mo).

What could be the reason for all these NW? Please help!

[empowered mama]

hi there - I wonder if she is somewhat dependent on the paci/nursing as a prop?  Have you tried shh/pat instead to settle her?  It sounds that she in fact may not really be hungry, so perhaps she is sucking for comfort?

Your A times look good for her age.....my guess for the 45 min naps would be developmental issues.  However, I would suggest shortening the 2nd A time after a short nap to prevent your LO from getting OT.  It might also help you get a longer nap thereafter...

HTH

[Brodster'sMommy]

That's a good suggestion about feeding to sleep becoming a prop.... hmmm....

Well, last night, She woke at 3:15am for her first NW so I fed her. She took both sides. She went right back to sleep. Woke up at 4am. I gave her the paci. She went back to sleep. Woke at 4:30 crying. I fed her because she seemed genuinelly hungry and she was! Took a full feeding from both sides. Back to sleep and up at 5:30. I fed her bc she looked hungry and she again took a full feeding from both sides. HUH??? Today she is eating normal so I doubt that had anything to do with a growth spurt, right?

I will try shh/patting her back to sleep tonight and see how it goes.

[empowered mama]

I suppose there is a chance it could be a growth spurt.  However I remember when my LO would seem to take these full feeds at night and he would just suck away forever.  Looking back though, I now know that he was nursing as a prop and would suck for long times, even though he wasn't genuinely hungry.

You know your LO best though, so go with your gut.  Stay posted!

[Brodster'sMommy]

I'm off to bed, but had a quick question. How long do I shh/patt for at night before giving in to feed her?

[empowered mama]

Well, the idea with the BW method is that you do all or nothing when it comes to sleep training.  In other words, you decide if you are ready to wean the paci and nursing to sleep as a prop and then do shh/pat for all wakings for as long as it takes.  Otherwise, your LO may get confused if you do shh/pat sometimes, and other times give in and use a prop.  The idea is to get them used to a new way of falling asleep. 

It is certainly hard work, but will pay off if you can stick with it.  You may find some additional help on the PU/PD boards.

Good luck!