Totally stuck 13 week old night waking?

[Cheryl138]

Agh, I'm totally stuck! My 13 week old was sleeping 11 until 5.30. He then had his 12am growth spurt, accompanied with furious eating and explosive nappies. He had a couple of good nights, then started waking at three ish, and a dummy settled him. This has now gone steadily backwards, and he's waking in what appears to be pain any time between two and four thirty for the past five nights. Teething gel seems to settle him, plus Nurofen, but surely pain from teething shouldn't be this early or last this long? He has also started to wake mid way through his naps (is on a good 3.5 hour easy schedule with 1-1.5 hour naps three times a day, and a 7.30 bedtime)' and again teething gel seems to settle him.

He's only taking one breast when he feeds, and doesn't seem famished at the 5.30 am feed.

Is this sleep regression? Is this another gs - should I feed him when he wakes? Is he teething, and if so, how many nights is this likely to go on for? He's waking up exhausted, and his a times are shortening again!

[Bex09]

It could well be teething hun yes, especially because the teething gel settles him. It does seem early but some LOs get their teeth early, some are even born with them!

If you do feed him when he wakes does he resettle quickly? If so then it probably is the case that he is hungry. So as long as it has been 3.5-4 hrs from his last feed when he wakes then you could feed him and see if that works. HTHs.

[LouiseV]

I'd say don't panic yet too as sooo many things start happening at this age that NWs are quite common....

Just remember to put him down awake every time if you can (not feeding back off to sleep). Does he need the dummy to go back to sleep? Do you think this may be a sleep prop?

It's scary when things start doing this isnt it!! Good on you for jumping on it now :-)

[Cheryl138]

Ugh, not muc further forward! Last night he woke at two, I gave him a dummy and he went out. Then woke at four and I fed him, put him down awake and he went out (no dummy) next wakening was 6.20, I gave him a tiny feed, then used a dummy to get him to settle until his real wake up time, which he did, of 7.20.

I get the four am wakening - he's obviously hungry, but why two, and why six? He cant be hungry at ix having fed at four? He goes down with a dummy at eight, no dummy at eleven onwards (normally) and a dummy for naps...

Will this settle down? I'm exhausted - he hasn't sleep this badly since he was six weeks old!

He can self settle during the night (historically with no dummy!) and goes down awake for naps, usually with a dummy.

[Bex09]

When you do feed at night do you feed your DS back to sleep or does he go back down awake?

[Cheryl138]

He goes down awake, or as awake as i can manage (as soon as he finishes i put him down, i dont let him snooze on the breast) as he does at bedtime and nap time.

[*Kara*]

I wonder if that dummy is becoming a prop?

[Cheryl138]

So last night he woke up every two hours from eleven. Not interested in his dummy, but took a full feed each time. I feel like a shrivelled up raisin this morning! Assuming this is a growth spurt, how long will it go on for?

[Bex09]

Growth spurts can last anywhere from a few days up to over a week! If he is taking such a good feed at every NW then you are probably spot on with the GS.

[Cheryl138]

Hmm, last night he woke exactly every two and a half hours, but had no need to feed until five....think we have a prop/self soothing issue?

[Bex09]

Waking that frequently at night is usually pain/discomfort of some sort or a prop issue. So is the teething gel still working and any sign of teeth? If it is a prop do you think it is the dummy or something else?

[Cheryl138]

So we moved him to hs own room last night. I removed dummy before he dropped off at eight, heard him resettle himself at ten fifteen, fed him a eleven fifteen, he then slept until three thirty when he woke and settled with a dummy, and slept until five, when I fed him, and again until eight when wr got him up for the da.

His teeth seem to have settled, and a dummy at three seemed to do the job, but he didn't need it at any other time of the night...?

[Bex09]

Sounds great progress!  That sounds like it was discomfort from teeth then. They bother my DD for weeks before they even come through. Hope you get a few decent nights before it all starts again!

[Cheryl138]

Yay! Last three nights we have had straight through from df until five am, with a little bit of stirring at three, but he resettled himself. Definite progresss. Naps have disintegrated in the meantime, but hey ho, you can't have it all!

[Bex09]

Yay for the great nights, boo for the naps! Have you posted over on naps for support with that? I notice this a lot on the NW board when nights get better, it is usually due to LO getting more NT sleep so needing a slight push in A times to make them a little more tired.