5:30 is too early to start the day!

[newmum872]

Hello!  I really need some help with inconsistent NWs and EWs.  My LO is 5.5 months now.  She has recently experienced jetlag followed by a cold and just hasn’t gotten back to her normal night times (i.e. waking once per night for a feed and straight back to sleep). 

Our days: We aim for an 8 to 8 routine.  She is taking three naps per day with the early afternoon one usually being a good long one (1.5 hours to 2 hours) and the last one being more like a catnap depending on how the others have went.  She is awake for over 2 hours at a time.  I tend to watch closely for her signs and she usually goes down really easily for naps (in less than a minute I would say) and she is put in her cot awake following a short wind down.  We do have an issue with swaddling and the use of the dummy as a prop.  If she breaks out of the swaddle she pulls the dummy out then cries.  This is more of an issue going to sleep at night when she is not swaddled since she breaks out of it and I don’t want all of the loose bedding around her for the night.  She does wake a couple of times in the first two hours of being put to bed.  I have been planning on weaning the dummy and swaddle together and have just been waiting to get the nights back on track.

Our nights: She is waking up to three times per night but the real issue is that for some of these wakings she seems to think that it is time to get up for the day and can be awake for up to 2 hours!  When this happens she wakes up happy and will chat away to herself in her bed.  This ends up having a big knock on effect on her day particularly if she wakes up around 5:30 and is then ready for a ‘nap’ at around 7:30 or so (she ends up taking 4 naps on these days to make up the sleep).  I try to put the dummy in, which is a big sleep cue for her, with little success.  I have also tried bringing her into bed next to me (not ideal I know) with varying success.  Since she is awake and happy I can’t really do sh/pat or pu/pd.  She just smiles at me when I approach.  She does wake up crying in the night as well and this crying seems to be more intense then it has been in the past.  I am not sure what this means?!   I always try the dummy first and if she continues crying I take this to mean that she needs a feed.  I am concerned that she is not getting enough night time sleep (and neither am I) because of all of the periods of being awake (9 hours or less I would guess!?).  We have a well established bedtime routine and she always goes to sleep at about 8.

Other complicating factors include possible teething, the fact that I plan to start solids in the next couple of weeks and that she needs to be moved out of her co-sleeper cot into a regular cot asap because she is too big for her current one.  So much change!

So I am wondering if anyone has any ideas about how sort out these NWs and EWs?  Should I keep going with the dummy and swaddle until I have the nights sorted or get rid of them now (plus into new cot) so that I can do pu/pd when needed?

[newmum872]

Thanks for your reply Jane.  Each day has been quite different depending on the night but today looked like this:

She woke a number of times in the night and I ended up feeding her twice at around 2 then around 6.  I think she was awake for a longer period of time before the 6am feed.
Woke up for day at 7:45
E 8:30 (not that hungry because of feed at about 6:00 so topped up at 9:30)
S 10:10-10:55
E 12:45
S 1:30-2:45
E 4:00
S 4:25- 5:45
E 8:00
S 8:15 (kept waking for dummy replugging as a result of escaping arms until 9:45)
We will see how the night goes....
I no longer dream feed because it was disturbing her unless she wakes up before 12.  She is bf and not yet on solids.  She is just getting to the point of feeding every 4 hours and therefore having only 4 feeds per day.  Some days we are closer to a 3.5 hour routine and so she gets 5 feeds with two closer together in the evenings.

Any help would be much appreciated!

[clairebear79]

Hi newmum872

Sorry I have no advice but I feel your pain!!!!  DS is 5 months & also waking at 5-5.30am every day.  He wakes happy & coos & gurgles to himself for a while.  We leave him to see if he will resettle & if he doesn't then we put his dummy in & see if that does the trick.  Sadly, this doesnt often work & I am TIRED!!!!!!!

This morning he woke at 5 (BM), changed & back to bed, but didnt seem to settle then by 6.15 he was hungry so fed him then put him back in bed, still no sleep & started to cry!  Got him up & he was happy as larry til 7.45 when I had to put him back to bed.  He's just woken uo at 9.20am.
 
He is on solids & is teething at the moment but not sure if its teeth or a routine issue.  So following along to see if anyone has any ideas?!!

[newmum872]

Hi Jane,

No she definitely can't settle without the dummy.  I think the teething has been bothering her on and off for a week or so and I think that may explain why she was unsettled after just putting her down last night.  I have used teething gel which seemed to help.  I suppose that could be causing the time when she wakes and cries more intensely.  I have heard about the 6 month growth spurt but I don't think she has been eating more yet.  The sleep issue has been going on for a number of weeks as well. 

Last night actually went pretty well.  She slept straight through until 5:15.  I then fed her.  She was then happily awake until about 6:15!?  (Only 1 hour awake is not too bad for her at the moment)  I left her babbling to herself in her cot, offering her the dummy occasionally.  Does that seem like the right response?  Do these long NWs mean she is not tired enough, too tired??  Waking up for big stretches of time couldn't been related to teething or grow spurt could it?  How does my routine seem? 
After that early wake up this morning we both had a bit of a lie in (yay!) and I had to wake her at 8:45.

Clairebear79 thanks for your post!  Your lo does sound similar at the moment!  Maybe it is a bit of a developmental thing at this age?!  There is certainly a lot going on for them.  Let's hope we can both get to the bottom of it.

[newmum872]

Hi Jane,

Thanks for the advice.  I am no longer doing a df unless she wakes/stirs around that time because it seemed to be disturbing her sleep.  It is good to hear that we seem to be on the right track with our routine.  Yes I have been thinking that the swaddle and dummy need to be addressed!!  How many night feeds are reasonable at this age?