NW after 45 min to 1 hour after BT

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

DS is 5 months old next week.  I have been working hard on getting DS to nap better in the day.  The last 2 days I have been pushing his A time to 2 hrs 10 minutes and have gotten any where between 1.75 to 2 hour naps.  I was hoping this would have an effect on his NW.  No such luck.  Here is his EASY today:

E 7:30am
S 9:40am

E 11:30am
S  1:40pm

E 3:45pm
S 6:00 cat nap

E 7:15pm
BT 7:30pm

DS woke at exactly 45 minutes into bed time and would not go back to sleep unless fed again.  This has happened the last week or so.  Doesn't seem like better napping during the day is helping his NW at all.  Will it just take time to sort itself out?

He has been waking in the night every 3 to 4 hours lately, and always needs to eat (formula fed).  I also have been having some EW as well.  I finally have the days sorted out and now the  nights are horrible.

[*Kara*]

OT buildup for sure hun... how long do you allow for his catnap?

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

From the day, or several days?  How do I fix it?  He has been up every half an hour or hour or so since 9:00pm - it is now 1:00am.

His catnap was 30 minutes long.

[*Kara*]

Just noticing that he had a longer A time before the CN and then of course, only a CN... then an hour until BT.

Might be better to keep A time slightly less than his "full" day A times before the CN...

So, if he has a 2 hr PM nap, put him down for the CN at 1 hr 45 mins and allow more like 45 mins.. then do BT 1 hr 15 mins later...

Example from above day:

E 7:30am
S 9:40am

E 11:30am
S  1:40pm

E 3:45pm
S 5:30pm cat nap for 45 mins (wake up at 615pm)

E 7:15pm
BT 7:30pm

The longer CN would prevent baby from becoming OT at BT and should stop those NWings in the early part of the evening... that should then stop the frequent NWing.

As for the night feeds - if he is taking a good feed each time, he is truly hungry   What does his day look like in terms of volume at each feed?

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

yes, he drains a 6 oz bottle at each night feeding.  I try to increase his feeds in the day which are also 6oz but he just won't take more than 6.  I don't mind feeding him twice in the night if he is truly hungry, but last night he was up 6 times.

[*Kara*]

He wasn't hungry all 6 times   Does he have reflux?

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

Sorry, no I only feed him if it has been 4 hrs or so from the last feed.  So last night I fed him twice in the night even though he woke up 6 times.  No, he does not have reflux. 

About a month ago he was STTN for 8 hour stretches, and suddenly has just stopped.  I was also getting only 45 minute naps.  So I have stretched his A times the last week and started getting some really great naps.  Just need to sort out the night times.

I put him down for a cat nap as you have suggested tonight, and decreased his A time.  Hopefully this does the trick.  And, it totally makes sense as I do see his signs of being sleepy - yawns and not focussing - but I just thought I needed to maintain that same A time throughout the day.

[*Kara*]

but I just thought I needed to maintain that same A time throughout the day.

Not at all hun... some babies will have increasing A times over the course of a day and others will decrease over the day... and some will remain with the same time all day

Catnaps are a little different though... you don't want baby to be tired enough for a big nap or waking them up after a short time will guarantee OT for you... if you put them down a little UT, they cope with a short A time (for bath etc) and go down well at BT (at least that is the hope!)

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

No success last night.  It took me 2 hours to get him to sleep once put to bed.  BT was 7:30, he slept till 8:00pm then woke and would not go back to sleep.  Here is what my EASY was yesterday

E 7:30
S 9:40-11:15am

E 11:30
S 1:40-3:20pm

E 3:30
S 5:00 - 5:50

E 7:15
S 7:30

Woke:  8pm, 12:15, 4:00am, 6:30am, 7:30am

I only fed him at 12:15am and 4:00am

I know by morning he must be tired still since he is not sleeping in the first part of the night.  It seems like a vicious cycle. 

Will this take a while to sort itself out, or do you usually see changes pretty quickly?

[*Kara*]

For sure he is tired come morning hun... he is a bit OT with the changes...  But I do see that your A times at the end of the day are a little off still...

Try that CN about 1 hr 45 mins after the PM nap, allow 45 mins, then BT 1 hr 15 mins later... his last A time after the CN was a too long at 1 hr 40 mins - this caused OT when he was put down for the night - hence the wake up at 30 mins and the NWing.

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

So last night was a lot different, but not necessarily in a good way.  He was up every 2 - 2.5 hrs all night long.  BT was 7:30 and he woke at 10pm, so that was a little improvement there.  I'm about to go crazy trying to figure this out.  He is 5 months old on Thursday and I just keep hoping its going to get easier, but it seems to get harder!

Thanks so much for all your help though, it's nice to have a perspective on the issues.  I really appreciate it!

[*Kara*]

Any chance he is teething?

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

He's been teething for almost 2 months, but no teeth have popped through yet.  I give him Hylands teething tablets before bed, and orajel. 

[*Kara*]

hmmmm... so I doubt it is pain waking him but it could be... Personally, Hylands teething tabs don't do much for pain.. they will calm baby but only for a short time... Orajel lasts about 20 mins.

Maybe try one night with a dose of Advil about 45 mins before BT.  If he sleeps better, we know it was pain.. if no change, it's something else.

What do you think?

[JaxMomNeedsSleep]

Funny enough, I tried advil for the first time last night.  Made no difference.  I just can't figure this kid out.