7.5 mo long NW

[Erin M]

Well, you're getting to the point where you may just need to see if you can tackle those night feeds head on and get her to drop them completely -- not that it's easy to do so, but if she was able to get through a bunch of nights with just one feed, it may be that she's able to do that consistently and it might help your wakings.  Do you feel like she's taking big, full feeds when she wakes or is she just nursing enough to go back to sleep?  Is she feeding well during the daytime?

[tweetie]

Hello Bec hello Erin  , thank you very much for your help and patience. It was busy time but it is good that I waited to see how things will develop.

Since my last writing we had regularly EW - definitely it is discomfort - I think teething - two days during the day she was in the bad mood what is really rarely with her lately . I would put her in my bed (I know but that was easier for me  ) so we would get some sleep.

However we did not have NW till last night hurray  . Thank you thank you thank you  I am afraid I will jinx it but this was amazing and I am happy because of that (other reason for bad sleep I do not count  ).

Now we have some other things to work on  and I am not sure where to post to get help?

1. Erin - with bad sleeping she started to wake again for food - same old schedule - around 11 pm (we never did DF just cluster feeding), sometimes midnight or 00.30 am ... and then approx 4 or sometimes even 5 hr later - then it is hard for her to go back to sleep. Last night she ate 11.35 pm, 3.24 am and after that there is no way she would fall a sleep for 2 hr - after 1 hr of siting up in the cot and clapping with hands she was rubbing her eyes but could not get out from that excited behaviour. I put her in my bed, she was tired but could not fall a sleep. After 1 hr of jiggling (I think it is the right word) in the bed she was getting there... When she wakes in the night she is really eating. I was hoping she will remove at least one (between 11 and 1) or early morning one . For example today after eating at 3.24 am she did not eat a lot at 7.20 am. I do have a feeling that when she gets two good meals during night she eats less after WU time. During the day her schedule looks like that (depending on the naps of course) but approx.
WU BF 6.30 or 7.00 am
solids 8.30 or 9 am
BF around 10 am (I do not want her to wake during naps, I am not sure should I remove that one? when she eats solids in decent amount she would refuse that (not always)  but lately again she does not eat a lot solids so she takes milk regularly
solids approx 12.30 pm or 1 pm (depending on the nap length if she sleeps longer then everything shifts later)
BF 2 or 3 pm (depending did she take 2 tiny spoons or little more) 2 or 3 pm
BF around 7 pm (depending on the BT after the bath), when I offer around 5 pm she is playing - lately like she is on fountain she is waiting let down and then catching the milk  it is funny but everything is in milk and sticky; or she would refuse it. And yes this one or one of these two meals are not as they are supposed to be. I am not sure how to deal with that?

waking  between 11pm-1 am BF and 2-4.30 am BF

2. I think we are getting to the phase (little earlier) that naps are getting wonky - Sometimes she skips afternoon nap, yesterday morning nap was only 30 min and afternoon 1.25 hr, day before am nap 1 hr, pm 1.20; Monday am 1.55 hr, pm 30 min (woke up crying). I see that she started to stretch A time to 3.45 hr between am and pm nap after she slept 1.20 hr, at evening is similar (i.e. yesterday after 1.25 hr pm nap she was awake 4 hr).

3. Do you think it is developmental? Lately (last 5 days I  think) she has problems with falling a sleep during the day too - she is tired, I hold her, give her paci and could see she is almost there  put her in the cot and then it starts - she sits up, tries to stand (she is so excited in the cot because she could hold herself for the fence) and she is laughing like a crazy (it is hilarious) and then she just goes over and over... she is falling because she can not stand yet but she does not stop, bumping with her head on the fence  ... it ends up that I take her and start to rock to calm her done so she could sleep.

Thank you very much. It is better not to ask me how is it going I immediately write the novel and have 10 000 questions   
 

[Erin M]

It sounds like there is some developmental stuff going on -- it does seem to affect her sleep quite a bit, doesn't it? 

As for the BFing, the general aim is to have them go as long (or longer) during the day as they do at night.  Common advice is to stick with 4 feeds during the day until a year, so you're right on track there.  As for the night -- she probably doesn't *need* to eat twice.  Sometimes it's easier to just feed if she's going right back to sleep, but if she's not, then it's not really accomplishing anything, you know?  Is she throwing a bit fit until you feed her?  So, you could pick a time (like 1 AM) that you won't feed before -- and try any means necessary to get her back to sleep if she wakes before then (but keep in mind, she has to be back to sleep, if only for a few minutes, before you feed her or you're just reinforcing the idea that if she fusses for long enough you'll feed her). 

[tweetie]

Thank you Erin

Yes it is but everything is better in comparison with 4 hr long NW 

Regarding feeding. When I look at the time for feeding - night feedings are longer than day's feedings - I know she eats better during night but has never been able to switch that to the day - when I offered more often during the day - we ended with snacking so I gave up.
I would say she can go without feeding 5 hrs or even 6 (I have seen that last night again). Last night she ate  at 10.30 pm and then 4.30 am. She was sleeping in her crib and started to cry (I do not know when - maybe that was a call for the second feeding but I was dead sleeping   ). I came next to the crib giving her my hand, she fell a sleep fast, but after maybe 15 minutes again - cry and again I gave her my hand but she could not sleep and started to cry again. In order to prevent her to wake completely  I put her in my bed and calm her down and she slept . Around 4 she became very restless (moving head from one side to another) and I fed her at 4.30 am - she was not awake but she was in some stage in between. I was thinking she is not full to be able to go back to sleep so I fed - she did eat a lot (also at 10.30 she ate a lot). In the morning after WU at 7 am (I woke her) she did not eat a lot - classic 

After that feeding at 4.30 am - same scenario like last few mornings, she could not sleep, trying and trying, squeezing my hand and cry and then again - I assume she fell a sleep around 5.30 or maybe 6 am (I was dead sleeping after a while  ).

I am not sure which try to remove - usually she has problem to fall a sleep after second feeding no matter when it is (2 am, 4 am...). Maybe that second?

Regarding throwing feet - I noticed that once - she was crying very hard and I did not think she was hungry - it was lets say so 2.5 hr after BT and I could not calm her down for half an hour - I tried gel for teeth, drops for gas, carying, rocking etc... she was throwing her feets - then I fed her and she ate and went back to sleep - I was confused  . Regularly I do not wait to see that because she wakes twice since she was born - one around 11 and one around 2 am - so I just automatically feed her. Just to mention - she is not the personality she would eat for comfort she prefers paci. When is something really "bad" then she would eat and try to fall a sleep on breast sucking it instead of paci - that is rarely - I have seen that last week once and this week once . However I do not have problems to remove her I just give her paci and she is fine with that.

Thank you very much

[tweetie]

small update  she ate before BT around 7 pm, woke up at 11 pm I gave her paci, rock her little returned her back. She woke up at 00.23 am I tried the same, could see she will start to fight and my breast were very full so I fed. She ate for 9 minutes  usually that is around 5 min. She woke up around 4 am (always same times) I did rock, return and she slept till 6 am - then I fed (she ate better than previous mornings but was not crazily hungry) and started day. Beginner's luck? 

I assume I need to switch to BF thread  .

[Erin M]

That's great!  Could be beginners luck, but I'd stick with the 1 feeding for now and see where it gets you.  It looks like you ended up with about 5.5 hours between feeds, that could be your target from now on -- any wakings before midnight you settle, the first one after, you go ahead and feed. 

[tweetie]

Thank you very much Erin.
Yesterday I was not at home - came after midnight. DH said she woke up one hour after BT (that was very late - she is always too stimulated when he is at home), crying, her diaper leaked  . He said she was crying and sleeping  in his arms. When I cam home I found them together in bed sleeping  . She did not wake for feeding till 4 am and I fed. Again she had problems to fall a sleep but she slept till 6.35 am.

I think that first time since she was 4 month old we did not have long NW for two weeks in the row!!! If something comes out I will ask for help again (I hope you won't mind  and for feeding I will switch to BF thread.

Once more THANK YOU Bec & Erin I appreciate it very much 

[becj86]

That's pretty exciting Glad she is sleeping better.

[Erin M]

Yay!