dream feed questionActivity

[cindymadcam]

Hi all - so my lo is 4.5 months old - but more like 3.5 corrected for prematurity.  She had a rough first 3 months of life but is now doing exceptionally well.  She is eating well and in a fairly good routine. 
Wakes 7/7:30
Eats 6 oz bottle
Activity for about 1.5 hrs
Sleeps 9/9:30 for 1.5-2 hrs
eats another 6 oz
Activity for another 1.5 hours
sleeps 1.5-2 hrs
eats 6 oz
activity
now here things get a little off - sometimes she will take a cat nap for 30-40 min - but sometimes not for various reasons.
evening activities - usually driving around to drop off/pick up the older girls
eats around 7/7:30 again 6 oz
off to bed
eats 4-6 oz at 11:30 as a dream feed

Now - I tried feeding at around 9 as well but she would only take 2-3 oz and it didn't seem to  change the rest of the night much.  So main issues is that she is still waking at night - usually not eating - just fusses for between 5 and 30 min on and off and then goes back to sleep until 7/7:30.  It is not habitual as it is different times each night - I don't think she is hungry as usually when I try to feed her she just gets more upset - when she is hungry it is a different fussing and she will take 3-4 oz.  Any ideas to eliminate this night waking??  She did sleep through 2-3 times - and many times she just wakes enough to wake me - fusses a few minutes and goes back to sleep - other times she does fuss longer - last night it was about 30 min on and off and then she went back to sleep.  Gotta cut this short as she is starting to fuss - almost bedtime!!

[Bex09]

Hi there, is this NW at totally random times or does it tend to happen before or after midnight? If your DD is just fussing and not actually crying a proper 'I need you now' cry have you tried leaving her to it? If so does she resettle or start to cry?

[cindymadcam]

Happens after midnight - anytime from 2:30-6 - usually only once.  I have tried leaving her - sometimes I just Shh her from my bed (she is in a cot beside my bed for now) and she goes back to sleep - sometimes it escalates into a full cry - until I pat and Shh her and then she settles. Sometimes she settles right away and sometimes fusses, settles, fusses more, settles, fusses more, settles - repeatedly for up to 30/40 minutes.  Last night was pretty good - slept through to almost 6:30 but could not settle back down so we were up only a little bit early for the day.  I am hoping it will just get better and better until she is sleeping through - just trying to hurry the process along I guess - I miss getting a full night's sleep - I had forgotten how nice that was...

[Bex09]

To be honest hun, looking at her adjusted age she is still only really young so the fact that she is only having one NW is not unusual at all. It sounds like things may get better on there own as she matures too.

So if she takes the DF and then you feed her if she wakes after say 3am does she take a feed then and resettle? It seems that she is just starting to learn to be able to sort herself out without your help now when she NW. Maybe you could try shush/pat for less time or do it lighter until you are hardly touching her at all.