NW nightmare

[Moma of two]

This is my EASY from yesterday.  Please help me she was up every hour last night and the night b4 twice. Do you think this is a sign to transition to two naps.

DD is 20.5 weeks old.

Up. 7
E. 7:15
S. 9:05 - 10:40
E. 11:15
S  12:50 - 2:30
E. 3:15 ( only take 4 oz)
S 4:45 - 5:15
S. 5:15 ( only 4 oz)
E 7:15 finally asleep at 7:40
DF. 10:30
Normally she has one good nap and two 45 min naps.

What do you think? 

She is not an independent sleeper so I am wondering if that is the problem.  Each time see wakes up I get her back to sleep under bathroom fan swaying.  She does sleep with a noise machine.  Finally at 6:20 she woke up happy so I thought it was time to start the day. She still wasnt that hungry soi don't think she is waking from hunger?

She has always been a great night sleeper so I am so confused and tired!

[becj86]

Hi

A couple of questions:
Have you ruled out discomfort - teething? Babies reduce their feeds while teething sometimes...
Have you recently introduced solids at all?
Does she usually take small bottle in the afternoon like that?
Could she be coming down with an illness - that can cause a baby to reduce feeds...

Its quite possible the fact she's not an independent sleeper is involved - have you tried using shush/pat to sleep train her at all? How does she go down for naps/bedtime?

[Moma of two]

Yes I am beg to think teething is the culprit.  She drools all day and has her hands in her mouth.  I didn't realize they reduce feeds when teething.  Besides a pain reliever what do u recommend and for how long do u think this will last.  Should I just continue to soothe her back to sleep.  No naps lasted longer than 40 min so I am thinking discomfort.  Suggestions?  I guess not a good time to introduce independent sleep.

[becj86]

No, not a good time to sleep train. Best to soothe her back to sleep as best you can and keep her as well-rested as possible.

Give her things to bite/chew on during the day - doesn't help with sleep but helps during the day.

Pain meds if you're comfortable with it - we did meds at night and muddled through the day as best we could so DS wasn't on meds constantly day in day out. Teething gel worked nicely for these first few teeth at the front.

Her A times are a little short for her age - that could be a reason for the shorter naps so you could try increasing but not sure it'll help if she's in pain.

[Moma of two]

Great.  Last night I gave her pain meds.  She woke up attge first 40 min mark but then slept until 7:30.  It must have been pain.  How many nights is it safe to give her meds?  I have teething tablets from my son.  Teething never seemed to bother him.  When do u think it is safe to start sle training as she could be teething for some time.

[Moma of two]

What s a good A time after a full nap for her age?  What about after a 40 min one ?  Catnap?  I was going to try 2.5 hrs after night and full nap and 2.25 after a short one.  What do you think?  I am never sure if the recommendations for example 5 months is a calendar date from her birth for example DEc 24th or is it 20 weeks as it can be a difference of a few weeks?  Sorry for all questions.  You would never know I am a second time mom but this little girl is giving me a run for my money.

[becj86]

We tend to go with calendar date - just easier and its an average/approximation anyway, with the idea that some LO's need more or less A time.

She's 5 months or thereabouts? You've got the right idea in my opinion - I'd start off with 2.5hr first thing in the morning and after a good (1.5hr+) nap and 2hr15 after a short nap (2hr max. if nap is 30min though).

re: meds - I'm not a doc or a pharmacist, best ask a pharmacist for that info specific to your situation. What I say is that if LO is in pain that's preventing them from sleeping, you can't expect them to sleep well - if I had a toothache and I couldn't sleep, I'd take pain meds, yk?

You could do a gradual withdrawal/shush-pat sleep training provided you're not expecting her to 'get it' in 3 days... Just gradually put her down less drowsy and comfort her off to sleep in the crib. Eventually you will be able to reduce the comforting in the crib and she'll learn to sleep on her own but best to take it really slow if you want to sleep train while she's teething.

[Moma of two]

Thank you so much we had a great day!  I am looking into getting an amber necklace

[Moma of two]

Currently I have to get her to sleep under bathroom fan.  I have introduced patting and shushing while swaying in bathroom.  I am hoping to move this to her room with her white noise machine and then take away the swaying and then getter in bed less and less drowsy.  That is my plan.  I was going to do it over holidays but I also have to toilet train my DS as it is due.  I may wait to look to independent sleep in the new year.  Thank you so much for your help.

[becj86]

Ok, keep us posted Happy to help if you need a hand to hold while you sleep train when you're ready.

[Moma of two]

Ah thanks I may need it!

[Moma of two]

The evenings have gotten worse.  Two sleepless nights. She caught a cold from her brother I am hoping that was the issue.  I don't know how many more nights to expect this.  Christmas eve she would cry each time she was placed on her wedge.  Any advice?

[Moma of two]

Still waking every 40 min pain, cold OT room temperature?

[Moma of two]

Sorry one more question I never feed her upon these wake ups as I don't feel it is from hunger as she wakes up in the morning happy and some times it s a good twenty minutes till I feed her so from DF until about 7:30.  She actually never cries to be fed in the morning.  Do you think I should feed her during one of these NW.  She was STTN at 2.5 months until this last week.

[becj86]

Still waking every 40 min pain, cold OT room temperature?

Could be any of those

Could it be that she's not an independent sleeper, so when she stirs, she's not recognising where she is and so is waking more?