Author Topic: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours  (Read 8987 times)

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Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2012, 19:23:57 pm »
katie you are my hero.  I hereby nominate you for sainthood.   ;D
Ha ha, let's not go too far now. ;)  I've basically just been encouraging you, you guys are doing all the work! ;D 

I think last night might have been a bit of regression.  It happens *a lot* in sleep training.  A LO basically tests the waters to see if this is really how things are going to be from now on.  It usually only happens for a night or two.  You are definitely making progress, I'm so glad that you're able to see that.  It really helps you to keep being motivated. 

Do you think that's the best we can hope for out of a 7 month old?  At what point do you think he can consistently go 8 hours between feedings?
This is a hard call.  I think he's probably age-wise at the point where he can consistently go 8 hr between feedings.  In fact, that's how I read your last two nights.  Two nights ago looks like it he went from 10:30 - whenever you fed him in the morning (after 7, I'm assuming because he fell back to sleep), so that's over 8 hr.  And last night he went from 10:30-7:30 without a feed, so that was 9 hr.  Right? :-\  The hard part is, babies aren't cut and dry, some days he'll be hungrier, he'll most likely go through another growth spurt or two.  I'd say pick a time you're comfortable with, and I think 8 hr is reasonable, and continue to settle him without a feed before that mark (if he wakes at 7.5, I'd probably just feed him, but that's your call ;)).  Give it a few more days, maybe a week, and if he's still waking we can reassess, but I think he (and you) can do it.

Hope you had a decent day in the end.  Happy Birthday to your DH! :)



Offline arialvetica

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #16 on: May 25, 2012, 10:53:22 am »
I'm glad the regression stuff was normal.  Babies are so clever, aren't they?! And I think your math is right.  :)

Last night was another smashing success!

Night #5

8:00 bedtime
10:30 dream feed
3:30 night waking...BUT (this is the awesome part!) once Daddy retrieved his pacifier from the floor next to the crib and put it in his hand, he fell asleep ON HIS OWN!  

At 5:30am he was in such a super deep sleep that our motion sensor monitor alarm sounded and THAT didn't even wake him.  Of course my husband RACED to check on him and he was fine.  :)  We did another dreamfeed (since we were awake anyway, and it had been 7 hours) during which he woke up and was WIDE awake.  After the dreamfeed, daddy put him back in his crib with his pacifier.  It's been about 15 minutes and I haven't heard a peep.

I am just so happy I found this forum.  I'm running around telling all my friends about this method.  I seriously can't believe the progress we've made in just one week!

Katie, I think we are on the right track.  If we run into problems in the future should I bump this thread, send you a private message, or start a new thread?

Also, I just noticed your profile says you're from ND--what a small world!!!  I grew up in Watford City, went to college in Grand Forks, and now live in Minneapolis.  :)
« Last Edit: May 27, 2012, 13:14:45 pm by minneapolisite »

Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #17 on: May 25, 2012, 19:13:04 pm »
Yay! That sounds great.  Too bad the alarm went off. :-\  I wonder how long he would've gone had you not DF him in the early morning.  You'll have to plant a few pacis around his crib now, so hopefully he can just get one on his own and go back to sleep. :)

If we run into problems in the future should I bump this thread, send you a private message, or start a new thread?
If it's in the near future, feel free to just hop back on this thread.  If it's been awhile and you think it might be related to a new issue, you can start a new one.  And if you're just not sure, you are always welcome to PM me. I'm so glad you're happy to have found the forum. There are lots of wonderful ladies on here who are super helpful! :D

And I think your math is right.  :)
Oh, and I'm glad about this, because I have a math degree from said college in Grand Forks. ;)



Offline ambula603

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #18 on: May 25, 2012, 19:30:26 pm »
Yay for Minneapolisite!  Sounds like things have really improved!  I need to re-read the thread to see exactly what you did.

As for us, I'm having a hard time biting the bullet to let her cry a bit at night and not feed her every time.  She has 2 new teeth and has issues with dairy (that I have been testing in my diet) and I just don't know when a good time to start is.  However last night she was up every 2-3 hours and I KNOW she isn't hungry but she just can't self soothe.  But then I also worry she has something going on and feel guilty to let her cry. 

She easily puts herself to sleep for naps and at night...why can't she do it when she wakes up!? 

Offline arialvetica

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #19 on: May 25, 2012, 20:02:23 pm »
ambula, good luck!  She sounds a LOT like my son!!!  2 new teeth, up every 3 hours...

I felt HORRIBLE listening to him cry the first night of sleep training, but knowing my husband was there comforting him made it better.  It's not like we just left him all alone to cry himself to sleep.  :)  As you can see, it WORKED and we are ALL happier.  The best part is I fee like a better mom to him during the day, now that I'm well rested!

Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #20 on: May 26, 2012, 04:09:51 am »
I felt HORRIBLE listening to him cry the first night of sleep training, but knowing my husband was there comforting him made it better.  It's not like we just left him all alone to cry himself to sleep.  :) 
ambula - This is the key. It will be hard, but there's really no way to break those habits without some crying. It's baby's only way of protesting a change; they are clever little things, as minne has already stated. But, you or DH will be there with her the whole time, so she won't feel abandoned and you will be teaching her a new way. I can guarantee you'll feel very accomplished once she's sleeping more.

However, I would caution you to start only after you feel you have the dairy thing under control. If there is something that is bothering her, you won't want to be questioning yourself during the process. Once you are able to be confident in going forward, both you and she will do much better.  :)



Offline ambula603

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #21 on: May 26, 2012, 13:10:28 pm »
Thanks, guys!

Last night we had a weird start - she fell asleep at my parents' house at her normal time (7:45ish) but when we brought her home around 9:30 and I tried to feed her, she wouldn't nurse.  I put her to bed and thought I would be up soon. 

She woke at 12:45 but I had stated to DH that I wouldn't feed her until it had was 2 AM.  So I gave her the paci, turned on her soother (lights and sounds, I have never done that before because of the lights) and she was OUT.  She slept until 3:45!  So she went from 7:45 to 3:45 without eating!!  Great!!

She did wake at 5:45, as usual, but my breasts were about to explode (DH gave her formula at 3:45) so I fed her. She then slept until almost 8.  It was a successful night!

We are going to do the same thing tonight and see how it goes.  My oldest daughter slept with the lights and sounds soother so I bought the baby one but we have never really tried it.  Hopefully she will be able to push the button on it by herself, like my other child did!

Offline arialvetica

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #22 on: May 26, 2012, 14:55:11 pm »
Hopefully she will be able to push the button on it by herself, like my other child did!

Uhh, brilliant!  My son likes to grab the sleep sheep's ankle and bang it against the crib wall, so I had to hang it on the peg shelf above his crib, out of reach.  :P  I'm so glad your first night went so well.  Aren't you just SUPER proud of your daughter, yourself, and your husband?  We all deserve a parade.

Katie, my husband wanted me to confirm with you that we "did good" last night.

Night #6

8:30pm bedtime
(no dream feed, i was just too flipping tired for a dream feed)
1:30am night waking (handed pacifier, out like a light)
3:30am night waking (handed pacifier, out like a light)
5:30am night waking (daddy brought baby to me, we nursed, and then i put baby back in crib, out like a light)

My husband was a little nervous about the 5:30am feeding--he was worried that feeding him after crying might "spoil" the training that we've been doing.  I say that the kid was crying because he was legitimately hungry, not just because he wanted his old routine back.  Tell me I'm right, kthanx.  :D
« Last Edit: May 27, 2012, 13:15:45 pm by minneapolisite »

Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #23 on: May 26, 2012, 18:45:17 pm »
Sounds good for both of you! I'm headed out of town for the weekend, so will check in on Monday.

I say that the kid was crying because he was legitimately hungry, not just because he wanted his old routine back.  Tell me I'm right, kthanx.  :D
Yes, you're right! ;D. There's no way he should be expected to go longer than that without a feed.



Offline arialvetica

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #24 on: May 28, 2012, 17:37:42 pm »
Last night was glorious. :) We ALL slept through the night and there was evidence in the morning that the little guy had found various pacifiers on his own in the night.  I can't believe how well it is going.  Yay! :)

Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #25 on: May 28, 2012, 23:58:36 pm »
Awesome!! Well done to you all! ;D ;D

ambula - How are you things going for you?



Offline murbot78

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #26 on: May 29, 2012, 03:28:34 am »
May I ask what a 'sleep sheep' is?


Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #27 on: May 29, 2012, 03:47:56 am »
Sure!  It's basically a form of white noise. It's a little stuffed animal with a battery operated device that produces different sounds to help soothe a baby. http://www.cloudb.com/ssandf/sheep.html

While it's helpful, I found it quite frustrating in that it only has two settings, 23 min and 45 min. 45 min coincides with the end of a sleep cycle, when babies transition to a lighter stage of sleep before beginning another cycle. They can often wake at this time and if they don't know how to transition back to sleep, having their soothing white noise stop is a hindrance. If you're looking for white noise, I'd suggest a fan or something more constant.

Hope that helps! :)



Offline ambula603

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #28 on: May 29, 2012, 16:01:11 pm »
Well we had some rough nights over the weekend (getting up every 2-3 hours again) but last night she slept from 9PM - 3AM with no wakings!  The best part was that my husband fed her and I never even heard it - so I was able to sleep straight from about 10-6.  HEAVEN!

She woke around 6 to eat and was up around 7:30, so that's good. 

We are weaning and adding more Alimentum formula.  I think it is helping that she doesn't have the diary but I am trying to treasure these last times to nurse her. 

Offline katie80

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Re: 7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours
« Reply #29 on: May 29, 2012, 19:01:19 pm »
so I was able to sleep straight from about 10-6.  HEAVEN!
Wow, sounds great! :)  Do enjoy those last days of nursing, it is a special thing indeed.