Long night waking/early waking- not for feed

[ellen109]

My LO is 6 months old next week (26 weeks now), EBF and a short napper with no dream feed.  We are on a 4 hour EASY (E-6:30, 10:30, 2:30, 5, 7) (S-9am, 1pm and 4pm- all 40 min or lately 30, Bedtime is 7:30pm)

About 2 weeks ago he was still waking up once a night for a feed, going back to sleep and then having an early waking at 5:30am.  One night I went in and gave him a pacifier when he woke up instead of feeding and he went back to sleep.  Next 2 nights, totally slept through that feed and STTN for the first times ever. 

Since then, he wakes up between 3:30 and 5 and is up for at least 1-2 hours.  Not tired, not acting hungry and not really very sleepy.  Cries after a while in the crib then stays somewhat calm if we come hold him.  He just isn't tired at all.  Then he wakes up around 6am and is up for the day, but takes short 30 min OT naps no matter what his A time.  (i'd had him between 2.5 to 3 hours a week or so ago, but now he is just a big mess with these middle of the night wake ups)

I haven't been feeding him as I don't want to get him used to eating again if he doesn't need it.  Why else could he be waking?  He had lengthened his naps a week ago, but then suddenly stopped and went back to the 40 min ones, which are now 30 min.

Any ideas?  So tired!!!

[ZacsMumme]

Any teeth coming? - do you feel it is discomfort?

Do you think you could be in a develppmental leap?
http://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/wonder-week-26/
http://www.thewonderweeks.com/index.php/about-the-wonder-weeks/your-babys-10-leaps/mental-leap-5

6 months was a bit nutty for us, we had a GS (which may be your STTN for those few nights) then crazy naps and EW with this developmental leap, then to top it all off an increased A time after it all....

Things settled down after about 2 weeks but I wonder if this is what you are experiencing, what do you think?

[ellen109]

Yes, that is what I think it could be.  Think, hope, pray and beg to all things in the universe that that is what it is.    I have the wonder weeks book and he did start to get a little fussy right on schedule and now seems to be peaking when the book says he will, but I wasn't sure if all of our issues could be caused by that.  Did your sleep issues just go away after the leap was over and you had your happy baby back?  He has been a chronic short napper so the long naps for a week were so exciting for me.. and then they just vanished and left me with chaos.

It does make me feel a bit better to know that the EW can come with a developmental leap.  I haven't been able to figure those out at all.  He wakes up whether he is OT, UT or anywhere in between.  And we are probably nearing the end of the 2nd week of it, so I'll let you know if it just goes away.  Did yours just stop and start waking up at a normal time again?  I swear it feels like all these issues will never end.

No teeth yet and he doesn't appear to be in pain.  While I don't know how he is going to respond to teething pain, I feel like there would be more crying in general.  If we got him up and about at 3:30am, he'd be fine with that.  Tired and probably crabby in a half hour, but happy to be up.

Last night he was up at 5:30am screaming like I've never heard before, except when we were trying to get him to bed last night.  But he also was more OT yesterday than I've ever seen.  just 3 30 minute naps and woke up from all of them crying.  I also feel like he is getting a bit more upset about being left in the crib these days when he used to be fine with it and just go to sleep.  I tried shh pat last night and early this morning but the crying was just over the top.  He is tending to want to fall asleep in our arms, which i'm trying to avoid where possible.

So do you think I should go back to feeding him at night?  I worry about doing it after he just got used to not eating.  But I don't have a dream feed and I don't want him starving if he needs to eat.  I just don't want to restart the habit and confuse him.  In the past when he was hungry he used to cry even when held until we fed him.  So there was no doubt it was hunger.  Now he is mostly fine as long as he is held. 

This baby never ceases to confuse me.  Funny, I thought I had issues before with 40 minute naps.  Ugh!

[ZacsMumme]

I think at this age, the long naps for most LOs do start to become more frequent. The short naps are in part developmental. However, after WW you can be left with a bit of OT etc and need to adjust your routine.

I would go with your gut on feeding, I always fed if I wasnt sure.

What is your EASY ATM?

[ellen109]

my EASY ATM isn't always reliable cause of varying wake up times and sleep durations, but here is what is fairly reliable: 

(note: we stopped solids about 2 weeks ago (after about a week of solids) because of loose poop and some constipation from rice cereal.)

Awake: 5:30am
E: 6:30am
A
S: 8:00am/8:30am if I can get him there, used to be 40 min, now is sometimes 30 and today was an hour when I put him down at 8.
A
E 10:30am
A
S: 1pm (basically 2.5-3 hours after he wakes up from last nap)
A
E 2:30pm
A
S about 2.5 hours after he wakes up from last nap.  he usually can't make it to 3 hours and i prefer he take the 3rd nap before 5 or he has BT issues
E 5pm
E and BT routine: 7pm
Asleep by 8pm maybe earlier but not lately, especially with DST

Used to eat anywhere from 12-3am, but then one night I offered the pacifier instead and he went to sleep.  Next two nights he STTN, then all hell broke loose again.  But he doesn't seem hungry, unless suddenly his hungry cues are different.  But he was always VERY clear before.  He would never take a pacifier when he was hungry, would actually get angry at you for offering.   For hunger he was inconsolable, until you fed him.

Is it possible he is just used to being awake for a period of time in the middle of the night when he used to eat?  Or when they finally start STTN do they not wake up at all?  But I guess last night he slept til 5:30, so I guess it can't be that much of a habitual waking.

I did shhhpat for his second nap today.  Sadly it doesn't work very well for him so he mostly just cried, but I really need to get him back into the habit of falling asleep in the crib more just to make sure he hasn't developed any bad habits through all this.  I was right there with some shhing, but it doesn't help much.  Maybe just ensures he doesn't feel abandoned I guess.