8.5 month old w constant night wakings

[Syedoo]

Hi there...
dd has had many sleep issues since she was a baby, mainly because of reflux and digestive issues that she had preciously. However, that has gradually been resolved as she is older now and we stopped her on medication which was probably the underlying cause of her digestive issues.

She actually slept through the night for about 3 days....wow..the excitement that i felt is indescribable - i was actually up for a few hours wondering if she was ok and why she wasnt waking. However...it started again - about a month ago. she has been, for a month, waking up about 4 - 5 times a night screaming in pain. it seems to be her stomach that is hurting her as she constantly squirms and if i press her stomach a little then she screams even more. I believe shes teething - she still doesnt have her first teeth.DD 1 had a completely different teething experience - so im not sure if that is why she is screaming in pain. I know she isnt hungry as she doesnt feed much - to calm her down i latch her on for exactly 5 seconds and pull her off. she calms down and then she goes to sleep ....so it isnt hunger. Can teething make their tummy hurt?

here's her general EASY for the day -

wake - 8, bf
eat - 9
sleep - 11.30 - 1/1.30 (bf)

eat - 2/2.30
sleep - 4.30/ 5 - 6 (bf)

eat - 7
bath, bf then sleep - 8/8.30

is it something with her a times? or could it be teething? she also, sometimes gives me a 10.5 hr night which from experience with DD1...means OT.

please please please help me out - i really dont know whats going on and im an absolute zombie in the morning.

thank you so much!!

[PaulsMom]

Oh it is amazing when they STTN!  Hugs on the nw's. 

If she's teething, it's possible that her reflux flaring.  I don't have experience with reflux but could ask someone to look at your post.  Note that teething can also cause nw's but I've never experienced teething causing tummy pain in a non reflux baby.  The other thing that can cause tummy pain is solid foods.  Is she eating anything new?  Does she have any constipation? 

[ZacsMumme]

Sounds like intolerance discomfort?

How are poops? Hard/soft/mucus? I she gassy/windy?

Any back arching or smelly acid spit up?

What are you feeding her? I would ease right up on solids for a few days and see if this helps. No grains, no extra dairy, no acidic fruit. Maybe stick to something really bland like pumpkin and pear and see if this helps?

 

[Syedoo]

thanks so much for the replies.

I really dont know why its this bad. even before when she used to wake all night for burps, it was better as soon as i got the burp out.
I know she is teething as i can feel the bumps .. its her first set of teeth at the bottom.
However, its definitely her stomach that is hurting her.
I couldnt see her face when i was in her room due to the black out blinds, so i brought her to my room. she was asleep but was tossing and turning and arching her back while her eyes were closed and she was trying to sleep. she would cry while asleep and would scream if i touched her stomach.

Im going to try the bland diet today. thanks for the advice. i havent tried pumpkin yet. is regular squash okay? ill go n get some pumpkin today.

thanks again

[PaulsMom]

I think that butternut squash would be the same as pumpkin.  I know it's hard to get pumpkins in Canada this time of year.  Let us know how things go.  Keep in mind that if it is a food intolerance, it may take a while for things to clear up.  Also, I noticed that you are bf, have you changed anything in your diet recently? 

[Syedoo]

so ive been trying to cut things out. Ive always kept her diet quite bland considering her previous digestive issues...nothing seems to be helping.

one of her teeth finally broke through and the other is slowly pushing its way in. however, the past few nights have been awful with about 10 night wakings. I dont think its because of her teeth as ive medicated, yet she still wakes.
Im beginning to think that ive messed up and as ive had to APOP in the past, shes started needing me to fall back asleep. Because she wakes so often, ive latched her on for about 5 - 10 seconds and taken her off...she falls back asleep and i put her back in her crib. this is repeated throughout the night. sometimes it takes longer as it seems she has a tummy ache (i think gas...for which ive given ovol, colic calm and gripe water). Now, when it comes to naps she cries and wants to feed...hence my reason for thinking she now associates feeding with sleeping. I tried pu pd for her nap and finally tapped on her tummy till she slept. do you think i should try pu pd down at night? is it possible that the multiple night wakings are due to her needing me to fall back asleep?

thank you again for all your suggestions!

[ZacsMumme]

PU /pd will aggravate reflux Hun, I would try something more like settling in the cot, or PU, calm and then pd after say 5 mins once she has calmed.

Personally I think such frequent NW usually means pain. How old is she now? 6 mth GS?

[PaulsMom]

I was also thinking discomfort / pain as the reason for the nws.  Does your DD take a paci?  Just wondering if she needs something to suck on to help comfort her.  At this age, if she does take a paci, she could learn how to re-plug herself so the paci may not become a prop.

WRT settling, I would try to settle her in her crib - try shh and a tummy rub.  this is something that you could gradually withdrawal.