16 Weeks SO MANY night wakings!!! Help!

[Hadley's Mom]

Hi everyone! I've posted a couple times before and then things get better for a couple of days then it completely changes.

DD is 16 weeks old and this has been going on off and on since about 8 weeks!! I find myself searching for reasons and just when I think we get past the issue something new pops up. (First I thought the 2 month shots, then 12 week GS, now...)

DD goes down and usually sleeps fairly well for the first 5 hours, then gets a NF and starts waking up every hour after that. Last night she went down at 9, slept till 1 then woke at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 (we fed her again at this time as she wouldn't fall back to sleep right away) and then again at 8 until she finally got up for the day at 9. When she wakes up normally all we have to do is replug with the paci and she is right back asleep.

She naps pretty well throughotu the day. She can go 4 hours in between feeds during the day but we really average about 3.5. She is exclusively FF and on Zantac for reflux. We just increased her dose to account for weight changes.

EASY is as follows

Awake at 9:00 AM
E 9:30
S 10:45-11
E 12:30 or 1
S 2:45
E 3:30 or 4
S Somewhere between 5:00 and 6
E: 7
Bedtime routine starts around 8:30 - Bath, swaddle, bottle
Asleep by 9 for the night

She takes between 4 and 7 ounces per feed depending on her mood. 

We have adjusted her bedtime between 7, 8, and 9. The changes make a difference for 1 or 2 nights then it is back to the same.

I have adjusted her A time between 1h30 mins and 2 hrs. Anything less than 1h30 mins and it just takes her so long to fall asleep she ends up being awake that long anyhow.

What else could it be?!

[Shiv52]

When I read about wakenings my first thought was reflux.  How long ago did you increase the dose? 

[Hadley's Mom]

We increased her dose about a week ago. Do you think it is possible that the Zantac isn't doing enough and we need to switch meds altogether?

I am really suspecting a reflux flare up because her hiccups have increased and she seems a bit crankier than usual lately.

[Shiv52]

It seems like it to me.  Often zantac really isn't enough to manage reflux and LOs need a PPI.  I've no direct experience though so I'll get some experienced eyes over here for you.    If she is still having symptoms  after the increase it doesn't seem to be doing what it needs to be doing. 

Over night are you just feeding the once?

[Hadley's Mom]

You're right, the increase should have made a difference. I am trying to get an appointment with her doctor in the next week or so so I will definitely bring it up with him. Last time I went in with the intention of switching meds she started sleeping and behaving wonderfully the week up until the appointment so we figured it was doing enough, then she went right back to the multiple NW the next night (isn't that always the way!)

Normally we just do one NF, unless she won't resettle I offer her a second. I also dropped the dream feed about 3 weeks ago because it seemed to just interrupt her sleep even more (if that's even possible!)

[Shiv52]

then she went right back to the multiple NW the next night (isn't that always the way!)

Always!  Like how mine are the picture of health the second I take them to the doctors despite being really poorly an hour before!

If she take between 4-7oz, what is her daily intake?  One NF isn't uncommon but often babies will have a DF also so I wonder are some of those other NWs hunger and thats another reason she is only settling for an hour then waking again as she's hungry?   

Is her crib inclined? 

[Shiv52]

What weight is your LO and what dose of zantac is she currently on? 

[Hadley's Mom]

Her crib is inclined, and we keep her upright a little bit after feedings, etc.

Her normal feeding amount is 7 oz per bottle, but depending on her mood sometimes she won't take more than 4 so normally she takes between 35-40 oz a day including her NF. I've tried giving her multiple NF as well wondering if she is truly hungry. She usually starts the NW exactly one hour after her first NF so last night she had her last bottle at 8, was down at 9 (fell asleep independently) and woke for her feed at 2. Then every hour after that she was up, and we fed her again at 6:30 but that only got us an hour and a half interval instead of an hour before she woke again.

On her GOOD nights, she'll go down at 9, sleep to 4 or 5, have her NF and then wake again at 9 AM. She's done that up to 4 nights in a row every couple of weeks so I know she can do it! It's my little glimmer of hope every night.

She weighs about 14 lbs so just over 6 kg (I am never sure about the kg-lb conversion) and she gets 2 doses of 2 ml of zantac at 75mg per 5 ml a day.

Yesterday she was extremely cranky! I haven't had a day like that with her since before we got her on medication at all. Luckily we have an appointment on Tuesday and hopefully he will get us on something else.

[Hadley's Mom]

Now that I said her normal feed are 7 oz per bottle she completely changes!

Yesterday she wouldn't take more than 5 oz at a time, and then took a full 6 oz for her NF.

All things considered she did better last night than the nights before, we had people over and she got a later BT but she was asleep at 9:30, woke up fussing at 11 but settled after I held her for a few minutes, then she slept until 2. We gave her the paci and she woke again around 3 when we fed her and then slept again until around 7 when she started stirring and needing resettling in the morning until 8:30. She might have gone longer if the dog hadn't gone into her room and started scratching and shaking so that her collar was jingling....