Author Topic: 6 month old many night wakings  (Read 2519 times)

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Offline Italian mum

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6 month old many night wakings
« on: February 13, 2013, 06:19:03 am »
Hello, my son is 6 month old and he has never been a good sleeper, but in the last few weeks things are going worst and worst.
Here is his routine: (yesterday)

E 7.30 wake up and eat
A 7.30-10
S 10-11.30 (sometimes here he has a cat nap)

E 11.30 (breast and then solid food)
A 11.30-2
S 2-3.30

E 3.30 (breast and then solid food)
A 3.30-6.30
E about 6.30-7

S about 7.15-7.30

Night wakings:
8.10
9
10.50
11.15 eat
1.00
3.20 eat
5.40 completely awake.

He falls asleep in his bed with me singing a lullaby and patting his back until he is deeply asleep. When he wakes up in the night I pat him again until he is asleep (10 - 15 minuts). Sometimes after the last breast feeding (3-4 am) he is completely awake and it takes me 1hr and a half for getting him sleep again.

Please help me.
I am exhausted, frustrated, angry, tired and depressed. I have another son and I can't rest during the day. I need some advices, please

Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline becj86

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2013, 20:48:34 pm »
I think a lot of your issues stem from your daytime routine. LO isn't having a restorative nap in the morning because his first A time is too short, then he's OT for the rest of the day, especially with 4hr to bedtime, hence the wakings early on in the evening. The wide awake times in the early morning are also related, the first A time being too short can often result in these.

I'd suggest if you make you day closer to this:
7:30 wake
10:30 nap
12 wake
3 nap
4:30 wake
7:30 bedtime
You should find you'll get a more reliable nap in the morning and better night sleep after a few days.

Any possibility of discomfort/pain? From teething, reflux, illness?

WRT how he falls asleep, that's probably why he needs you every time he wakes. If you gradually reduce the patting, he will learn in stages how to get to sleep and stay asleep. He will then have a better chance of getting himself back to sleep in the night. Keeping the environment the same all night as when he falls asleep is quite important in this.

Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2013, 10:38:08 am »
Dear Becj86, thank you for your reply.
I will try to extend the A time, even if I know it won't be easy. It's difficult now with 2hrs and half! He is a very crying baby and very difficult to entertain... Most of the time I have to hold him in my harms, otherwise he cries and screams all the time :(
But I will try!

What should I do when he wakes up after 45min in the morning nap? Now I try to get him sleep again patting him but sometimes he just doesn't fall asleep again... Sometimes, when I see that he still need to sleep I put him in the buggy and I walk and walk and walk until he sleeps again. I know that it's not a good idea, but sometimes there is no other way for making him sleep again. Do you think this could become a problem??

As regards to how he falls asleep, I have tried several time to stop patting him before he is asleep, but he wakes up end starts crying... I know that maybe I did something wrong with all this sh/pat thing, because Tracy says that this method is not a prop. But for my LO it is!!!!
Maybe I should use the pu/pd method for teaching him to fall asleep by himself.. What do you think?

Thank you again!
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2013, 10:38:54 am »
(By the way... Sorry for my English...)
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline becj86

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2013, 11:23:24 am »
When I reduced the patting, I kept the singing, so I'd pat til he was drowsy, hold my hand steady and sing, then pat til drowsy, sing, then just put my hand on him and sang, then just sang beside his bed, then sang as I walked out then sang as part of BT routine, put him in bed and left. I always returned and sang or rubbed his back if he was having trouble settling. As you can see, it's quite a process.

The pram sleep is not really an issue here in my opinion. I'd keep doing it if needed to make sure he's getting the rest.

Is the crying usual or recent? Just wonder, as it could be related to a wonder week: http://www.thewonderweeks.com/mental-leap-5/

Nothing wrong with your English! It's better than many native speakers ;)


Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2013, 08:46:53 am »
Hi! I tried to extend his A time, and I have to admit that the night wasn't better, but I guess that I have to be consistent for having some results, don't I?
Here is his yesterday schedule:

7.00 wake up
E 8.15
A 7.00-10.15

S 10.15-10.40 Then it took me half an hour for getting him sleep again: from 11.10 to 11.40, when I had to wake up him for going to take my eldest at school. 
E 12.15
A 11.40-2.30

S 2.30-3.50
E 4.00
A 3.50-7.00
E 6.45

S 7

NW:
8.30
9.40
11 eat
3 eat and then it took me 1hr and a half for getting him sleep again
5.50 eat and then half an hour for getting him sleep

7.20 wake up

He has always been a crying baby, but it's been worst since I switched from the 3hrs to the 4hrs routine (about 2 months ago), and extended for the first time his A time. He stays awake and quiet only 1hr, 1hr and a half.  Then he starts to be tired (I think so...) and he becomes crying... I have no choices but holding him or putting him in the pram and walk... I think that he would like to sleep 45 minuts every 2 hours!!!!  For examples this morning he woke up at 7.20 and at 8.45 he already starts to cry and yawn. Now he is in his pram and I'm sick and tired of walking up and down..........
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline Nhudson

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2013, 14:14:17 pm »
Hi Italian mum, I don't really have any advice for you unfortunately, however I wanted you to know that you are NOT alone!! My 6 month old has been getting up multiple times overnight lately and has decided to wake early and be really difficult to settle at times overnight. We are trying to figure out how best to deal with it but really all I cando until we figure it out is try to comfort him and to read his signs. He went from fighting naps for three days earlier this week to having 2 nps that were both over 2 hours each yesterday. The overnight has been brutal and exhausting, but with it being my second I do know that it won't last forever. I know a lot of people say that but it really is true. Sorry I don't have any useful advice but I m sending you hugs and well wishes!!

Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2013, 15:07:41 pm »
Thank you so much Nhudson.
I have another child, as well, and I do know that it won't last forever. But my first child was a textbook baby and everything was easyer with him...
When I am very tired I find myself thinking why he can't be as his brother???? Why I couldn't have another textbook baby???? And then I feel terrible guilty, because I should be able to love him as he is, not as I would like him to be, but it's soooo difficult :(
Thank you for your message and for your hugs :) thank you!
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline becj86

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2013, 22:43:00 pm »
Yes, you will have to give it a couple of days to settle in and make any difference. I found resettling naps much easier when I pushed A times if I was there at the 25 min mark and just watched for DS to rouse, then I could settle him while he was still pretty much asleep rather an having to calm him and then gt him back to sleep. It's only for a few days til the routine starts to settle.

Have you looked into reflux as a possibility? I just wonder as he seems to get cranky over an hour after eating and only wants to be upright...

Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2013, 06:46:21 am »
Hi Becj86, the night was better: he woke up only 3 times at 10.50, 2, 5.50 and every time he wanted to eat. So he ate every 3 hrs that is too much in my opinion, but that's it. One issue at a time!

I don't think he has any reflux or digestive issue.

Thank you again for your advices. I will follow them!
Have a nice day.

Rossana
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline becj86

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2013, 21:16:27 pm »
I don't want to seem pushy, just give you some info on reflux. I hadn't any idea most of these were symptoms til I read this info: Reflux 101 - General reflux information

Keep us posted on your progress :)

Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2013, 09:55:51 am »
Hello Becj86,
I'm writing again, because things are not going better. I dare say that are going worste :( I cannot understand why with my LO nothing seems to work.... :(
Now not only he wakes up very often, but he wants to eat! Otherwise he doesn't fall asleep again... and he eats a lot! I'm wondering if there is a growth spurt at about 6 months....
Our routine:
E 6.30 wake up and eat. Unfortunately I'm not able to get him waking up later. Often he wakes up even earlier, between 5.30 and 6.30
A 7.00 (because I always try to keep him in bed - or in the buggy - until 7) - 10. Here I give him a bottle at about 8.30, otherwise he would be hungry too early.
S 10 - 11.30 (sometimes with a waking after 35-40 minuts)

E 12.00 breast feed and then solid
A 11.30 - 2.30
S 2.30 - 4.00 (sometimes with a waking after 35-40 minuts)

E 4.00 bottle and then solid
A 4.00-7.00
E 6.30 (after only 2hrs and a half and he seems to be very very hungry!!!???)
S 7.00

Night wakings are so many and so random that it's difficult for me to remember them, but this was more or less our last night:
9.00 Eat. Impossible to make him sleep again, so bottle fed.
9.40
10.50
11.30 Eat
2.00
4.20 Eat
5.00
5.50 Impossible to make him sleep so I put him in the buggy and walked until 6.30 when I breast fed him and he slept again only for 20 minuts.

So he ate FOUR TIMES!!! And from 4pm to 11.30 pm he ate every 2hrs and half!!!! And in the morning every 2 hrs!
There is something wrong, I know....
I am exhausted....
Is there something I have to do in a different way, in your opinion? I'm trying to teach him to fall asleep without my  pat-pat, as you suggested me, but it's a long process...
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline Erin M

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2013, 03:20:08 am »
Hi hun, Bec is in the midst of a move right now so let me see if I can help out a bit.
I'm wondering if there is a growth spurt at about 6 months....
Definitely!  Different LOs seem to have bigger growth spurts at different ages.  My dd1 had the more typical huge one at 4 months, but ds had his biggest one of all at 5 months!  So, if it seems like a growth spurt, then I'd feed. 

Also wondering about the discomfort -- sometimes frequent feeding is to try to soothe a sore tummy -- how recently did you introduce solids?  What sort of solids are you doing? 

How is he managing the 3 hours of A time?  Is it still hard to get him that far?  I'm almost wondering if you need to cut back a tiny bit (I know you started this whole thing by increasing it, but you wouldn't go back to where you were, just back about 15 minutes or so). 

Offline Italian mum

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2013, 10:17:22 am »
Dear Erin, thank you for you reply!

I started solid about 1 month ago, now he eats fruit or yogurt as snake in the afternoon and for lunch bread, pasta (I'm Italian! ;) ) or rice. Last week I also started to give him 2 or 3 bottles of formula, whilst before I only breast fed him.
It seems to me that he's eating less milk (both breast and formula) during the day, maybe because of the solid food, and so he become hungry earlier. Does it make sense?
So I'd like to try to change his schedule: instead of nursing him and giving him solid food at the same time, I'll try to give him milk and solid food in different moment of the day. Something like that:
E breast 6.30
E formula 9.30-10
S 10-11.30
E solid 12
E breast 14
S 14.30-16
E solid 16
E formula 18
S 19

Do you suggest one (or two) dream feed while he has this growth spurt? Maybe at 9 and 11?

For the A time, he s going well. We always have 2 hrs45min - 3hrs and now he is not crying so much as in the beginning.
Thank you very much
Rossana
Rossana, mum to
Emanuele (December 2009)
Isacco (August 2012)

Offline Erin M

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Re: 6 month old many night wakings
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2013, 22:09:04 pm »
OK, I'd say your A time sounds ok then. 

His tummy could also be getting used to the formula -- I don't know a whole lot about formula TBH, but it could be something related there since you've only introduced it in the last week or so. 

The recommendation about solids that I've followed with mine has been solids about an hour after a bf/bottle -- that way they're hungry enough to take the solids, but it doesn't keep them from being hungry for the next feed.  How many ounces is he taking in the bottle?  A dream feed would probably work -- do you think he'd take feeds at both 9 and 11?  I'd be tempted to just feed once, maybe around 10 or so?