Author Topic: Help getting 5 1/2w old back to sleep after night feed!  (Read 960 times)

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Offline Bunster86

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Help getting 5 1/2w old back to sleep after night feed!
« on: August 03, 2013, 08:23:50 am »
Hi everyone...have a slight issue at the moment. My LO will usually go down between 7-8pm, on the basis she has had a good nap day and isn't overtired. She has been waking anywhere between 3-4am for her next feed...which I'm assuming is good for her age?? But the problem is that when I'm feeding her, I have to wind her as she's quite gassy and grunty and I know this will wake her even more if I don't wind her. So the actual winding tends to wake her up. And when he has finished her feed, she doesnt just fall asleep to her bottle anymore. im also thinking that because in the day now, her feeds follow activity, she isn't realia by on her bottle to sleep which is good...but I'm struggling at night!

Last night, she had finished her fees by about 4.30am, so I re-swaddled her, held her for a short while to see if she was sleepy/drowsy, couldn't really tell so I just thought well il put you down and see. She then started to fuss, so she has her dummy (which is just used when she is nodding off, she's a sucky baby and doesn't need it when she's asleep), and then I put white noise on...which helps her settle brilliantly. But then the next issue, is she is a real wriggler and is moving so much that she always loosens out of her swaddle, which I think wakes her more. So then about 5.30 I came back in to re-swaddle, which settles her down, then she stirred again between 6-6.30am, so went back in and re-swaddled, and then she got herself off until 7.30am.

Im tired as I've practically been awake since 3.30am...which I don't mind, but she is having broken sleep and I'm not sure why?? Also in her room, she has a roller black out blind, but it's letting the sun through the sides and with it being summer the sun is normally up around half 5 and I'm wondering whether that is waking her?

I've also thought about buying a specific swaddle sheet/zip up thingy! Any recommendations or negatives there?? As I just use a cotton sheet at the moment, which is why I think she can get out.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you :)

Offline PaulsMom

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Re: Help getting 5 1/2w old back to sleep after night feed!
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2013, 17:05:07 pm »
Hugs.  When babies are that little, it's hard!  But getting a stretch between 7 and 3 is excellent!  If she's too "awake" after a night feed, you can swaddle her then try shh pat until she's drowsy. Then put her in her crib and see if she drifts off to sleep.

I found that around this age, both of my babies, had the most tummy issues wrt gas.  If she's gassy, do take the time to burp her well, otherwise she may have tummy issues later in the night.  Since you are bottle feeding, I'm not sure if you would want to try a different type of bottle to see if she does better.  I don't have a lot of experience with bottles as I bf, but there are lots of moms that can let you know what worked well for Los. 

Wrt to restless sleep in the early am, part of this is biological.  We are programmed to wake when it's light out.  Putting some blackout curtains over top of the blinds should help. 

Wrt the swaddle, def get a swaddle wrap of some kind. I used the swaddle me wraps which worked well for both of my kids.  Other moms swear by the woombie.  I found these to be a bit more $$ but I've heard they are worth it. 

Offline SGooch

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Re: Help getting 5 1/2w old back to sleep after night feed!
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2013, 19:38:36 pm »
I can definitely recommend swaddling with the 'woombie'.  I never swaddled Dd1 but I'm currently using a woombie on my dd2 who's 10wo and she loves it :) I bought it initially to help with day time naps as her arms and legs kept her awake!

Also on the black out blind and curtain issue, I have black out blind and black out curtains light still creeps in around the sides! To combat this I blu tac the lining of the sides of the curtain to the wall and also wedge the bottom of the curtain onto the window sill and hold down with a couple of teddies. I also drape a piece of material along the top of the curtain pole to minimise light coming through at the top.  As you can see I try and make sure the nursery is totally dark lol!
Sarah

Mummy to Dd1 Sadie spirited/text book 5/8/2009
Dd2 Darcy spirited/textbook 24/5/2013
Dd3 Maddie my precious angel 27/11/2011

Offline Bunster86

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Re: Help getting 5 1/2w old back to sleep after night feed!
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2013, 08:03:52 am »
Thank for your suggestions :)

I already use the Dr.Browns bottles which are brill and she normally brings her wind up well.
I have purchased a swaddle wrap with Velcro on...not sure what make it is, but it's worked
Ok so far so fingers crossed. And I've started to tape the side of the blinds and hung extra sheets around the edge...it looks like an old war bunker! Lol! But it's helped!

The other morning she woke around 5, so she had her feed, tried to gently sway with her to see if it made her sleepy but didn't really do much as she just seemed awake, and I just thought I can't stand here all night. So we just popped her down and turned her white noise up. Had to go in to pop her dummy back in, but after that she seemed to get herself back off which is good.

But we're now having massive issues with her daytime naps. She normally has really good ones...upstairs in her basket. Normally a good 2 naps at least 1.5-2hrs each. However at the moment, she wakes after 30-40mins, and cries out. I normally leave her and she gets herself back off, or if it escalates I pop her dummy back in and turn her white noise up. But even when this does woe and settle her, she just keeps waking every 10-20mins. I think I'm doing the right thing by persevering as I know she is still tired, and if I got we up she would just be tired and miserable and cry! But the issue is because she's
Not having a good uninterrupted stretch, she is becoming really overtired. I have already felt tied to the house really so she can nap in her basket, as she doesn't sleep well in her pram/car seat, and tis causes her to be overtired and were out and she
Misses her sleep. But now I'm having similar struggles at home! Feel like I can't win and that she is always overtired by early evening and is just upset. I've had to miss her normal bath before bottle and bed because she's just been upset! Help! X

Offline PaulsMom

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Re: Help getting 5 1/2w old back to sleep after night feed!
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2013, 11:48:13 am »
Hugs Hun.  They start off sleepy and once they are a bit older they want to stay up or short nap!  Could you post your routine so we can take a look? Some short napping is biological and they need to learn to sleep through the sleep cycles (even when they were doing it before).