Chronic OT 5.5 month old. Help!

[jcsmom]

Her poops are fine. We have yet to start solids. We're waiting until 6 months.
I fear dropping the catnap so early as her sleep at night is so bad, I don't want to make it worse. But I think the catnap does something to mess up our night. That being said she just won't do sebt. 
Any other ideas as to why she is awake at 4 am every single day? If she's not, she's up for an extended period of time somewhere else.

Could this be from a lifetime of OT? It's like she is UT and then all her naps end up OT.

Every single day I thing "today is the day when it will get better". And everyday it doesn't. Seriously, I read all the success stories on here and I think, one day that will be us. And it never is. Her nights are just so bad. 

[ZacsMumme]

Keep with the plan for now Hun. 2 more days then we will review.
What do you do at 4am? Do you feed?

[jcsmom]

She had a late cn that ended at 4:45 and it's now after 8 and my dh is still trying to get her to sleep. An OT mess.
At 4 I nurse and hold her as if I put her down she is back up in 40 mins.

[jcsmom]

She finally went down at 8:40 only to be back up in 40 mins. Then she was up 40 mins later. 12:30, 3:30-5 and then up for the day at 5:50. For a grand total of maybe 6 hours of sleep.
Independent sleep has gone out the window entirely. I don't even know where to begin to get us on track.

[jcsmom]

And a nice refreshing 32 minute AM nap.

[jessmum46]

(((Hugs))), I know it's so tough honey.  Remind me - is she a refluxer or is there anything else that could be causing discomfort e.g. teething, gas, allergies?  Do you have any reliable APOP methods e.g. car, stroller?  Can you extend naps?  How are you going with trying to increase the first A time?  At the moment I would suggest the focus should be getting sleep into her by any means as an extremely OT baby will struggle with independent sleep so if you can get some good car naps I would do it.  Here holding your hand

[jcsmom]

No reflux (we thought she had it but paed says no). I am just certain she is confused about how we want her to fall asleep. I have not been consistent and I am sure she knows this.
Even with car, stroller or rocking we can't always get a good nap in. She is so OT not much is working right now. As of now I am laying with her or rocking her and nursing back to sleep.
My dh is off next week so I think we are going to try to work on some sleep training. I think indep sleep is what she needs right now.
Could you link me to pu/pd?

[ZacsMumme]

Fwiw I think we have hit a point where T also wants to sleep on his own but needs help to do it YK? To get over the hump of rocking we are about to start but he is constipated ATM so uncomfortable.
I do think they hit an age where they fight us, but want us.

Here is PU/pd board Pick Up/Put Down have a look at the faqs
Does she respond to patting/shhing or pressure?

[jcsmom]

Things are not better. We are getting nowhere Nights suck and naps are bad. Last night.

4-4:30 sleep in carriage woke when I stopped.
6:15 lights out. Bed asleep 6:37 ( me rocking) woke 10 mins later. Rocked back. Put down at 7:08
woke at 8:10 rocked back
woke at 9:10 rocked back
NW 1:50 fed and put down
NW 3 4:37 (10 hours after bedtime) fed and slept from 5:30-6;30 in my arms very fitfully
was so super cranky this morning. Whined and crabbed and pulled ears, rubbed eyes. Started winddown at 8:25. Asleep by 8:37 (just over 2 hours A. Woke after 10 mins! Nursed back to sleep and slept another 20 mins. That's it. I tried rocking and nursing for another 45 mins but nothing. She kept trying and crying but would not sleep. I gave up at 10 am. I don't even know when to do the next nap.

Yesterday was similar except she was up every 40-60 mins at night. At 3 am she was cooing and chatting. Tried 2.5 for first A yesterday and got a 33 minute nap. Same thing, she tried to go back, fell back asleep for 10 mins then woke. Stayed awake for 20 mins and slept another 40. PM nap I tried 2.5 A and got a 30 minute nap and she nursed back for 10 mins and woke for 20. Fell back to sleep for another 10 and woke crying. Did catnap after 2 hours A and tried a somewhat ebt. So 2.5 A, 2.25 A, 2 A 1.75 A.

So is she that undertired that she can't settle into a good nap or is she that overtired that there is no way out? I don't even know how to get through this if even AP won't work! She's cranky and tired and wired. I swear she is the most OT baby in the world.

She doesn't respond to shush pat as once she is awake she is awake.

[jcsmom]

I just re-read everything and I am doing it again, pulling back on her AM a times. But why today did she only sleep 10 mins then 20 mins. This is usually her OT thing, waking after 10 mins. What do I do? I wonder if I don't just go all out and do 3? What do I have to lose? The worst case is she will sleep 10 mins! Ideas? These early AM wakings are killing me!

[ZacsMumme]

Hun, I wonder if you need to do some st
Also, how is stimulation before her naps? I know T settles and sleeps SO much better when hiss nutty brother isn't around OS him

[jcsmom]

I know I have to do some st. Before this she was going down but only sleeping 24-43 mins so I ap'd her to get better naps. Now nights are so, so bad. I don't even think st will make things better. What if she has 3-30 minute naps?

Today's nap, after a non-nap this morning was 1 hour 20 very fitful and many eye openings. So tonight at bt she will be super OT and wake lots tonight and be up at 4:30 am. It will take 2 hours at bedtime to get her down. I never have a moment to myself in the evenings. fORGET family time.

At this age my son's sleep was as shocking. I mean shocking and hers is worse. At least with him he would settle for naps and resettle if he woke early from a nap. She just won't.

I am so down. I have hit rock bottom. How can this get better? How? She is so whiny, pulls ears, rubs eyes all day long. It will take months to get out of this OT hole and I don't even know how to begin.

[ZacsMumme]

Ok, let's regroup.
- no reflux
- no MSPI? - have you completely ruled out milk or soy intol?
- teething?
- solids? - could she be hungry? - my LO wakes frequently when hungry (learnt this just recently) or in discomfort.

Have you tried giving Pamol (pain relief) before her nap to rule out teething pain? - and your sticking its 2.5 hr
A?

[jcsmom]

Ok, let's regroup.
- no reflux- had it ruled out by paed. We thought she did but has no symptoms.
- no MSPI? - have you completely ruled out milk or soy intol? am totally off dairy and soy. Have not had in over a month. She had excema which has totally cleared
- teething? she could be but no symptoms
- solids? - could she be hungry? - my LO wakes frequently when hungry (learnt this just recently) or in discomfort. No solids yet. E times are all out of whack as I have been using E to S

Have you tried giving Pamol (pain relief) before her nap to rule out teething pain? - and your sticking its 2.5 hr
A?
I tried 2.5 A but she short, short napped me 33 mins and would not be AP'd back. Right now she is fighting naps with a vengence. She wakes 10 mins into naps, and bedtime. And often after NWs she will sleep 10 mins then be back up again. We have not had a restorative nap since January when we upped her A's to 2. She also wakes anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours after bedtime pretty much every night.

Lately she has been up for the day 10 hours after BT but I can get her to nurse back down but her sleep is very fitful from 5 onward. If I were't holding she would be awake.  Major major OT.

[ZacsMumme]

But how long did you persivere with the 2.5 hr first A - it took T (textbook) at least 4 days to give me a long nap when I upped his A