Help needed with 13 week old

[SGooch]

My 13wk old LO keeps waking up around about the same time in the night every night (bewtween 3.45am and 4.45am). If I give her a dummy she goes back to sleep straight away but may wake again several times but go back with a dummy up to 7/7.30am when she wakes for the day.

She's on a 4 hour easy. She has a bedtime feed approx 6.30pm/7pm and then a dream feed at 11 and takes on average 5-6oz on the Df. She feeds on average 6oz per bottle and is on 5 bottles per day and is on the same percentile line so the health visitor is happy with her weight.  I don't think she's hungry as hardly ever crys for her milk at 7am plus this feed tends to be the smallest feedmof the day 5oz max.  She sleeps in a swaddle as her arms tend to keep her awake, I've tried without the swaddle thinking that maybe she needs to stretch when she wakes at around 4am but this hasn't seemed to make any difference.

Have now run out of ideas - any suggestions very welcome  nthanks in advance x

[Missxiii]

How does she fall asleep? How are her naps?? Does she wake up during the dream feed? If not, she is sleeping about 8 hours straight....that sounds pretty good to me for that age. It sounds like she needs the dummy to fall asleep.

[SGooch]

Thanks for the reply.  At night she starts to settle on my lap (i like to keep her upright for about 5/10 mins for her milk to digest) and then I put her in her woombie.  During her morning and lunch time naps she goes straight in the woombie (with her dummy). Yes she does wake up for her Df when we change her nappy. She definitely likes her dummy to fall asleep with however can fall asleep without it when in the car?

[SGooch]

Really studied her last night and I'm afraid to say that I think she definitely needs the dummy to fall asleep at certain times I.e when she goes for a nap and bedtime. Also when she wakes up around 4am every night and then intermittently until her wake up time at 7.30. Once she's asleep at bedtime she never wakes up until I wake her for her Df and then goes straight back to sleep (with dummy) until approx 4am. Do I need to teach her how to sleep without the dummy? If so do you have any techniques I could use?

[brummum]

Hmmm... I'm not too sure on this. I think you may well be right about the dummy having become a prop but I wouldn't expect to see her sleeping through til 4am without a peep if this was the issue. From what I've seen here and from personal experience you tend to see numerous wake ups through out the night in this case. Have you tried feeding at the 4am ish wake up just to see what happens and to rule out hunger? Do you want to post a couple of days routine for us to have a look at? Sometimes being overtired/undertired can cause them to be unsettled in the early hours. Its really up to you whether you want to wean the dummy at this point but we can definately help with support and strategies if you want to.

[SGooch]

I haven't tried feeding as she hasn't had a feed after her Df for a long time and I'm thinking she's not hungry as she rarely cries for her morning milk and this is always her smallest feed of the day, which I sometimes struggle to get down her. Plus what also reinforces this is that yesterday we were out for the day and her bedtime feed ended up being later than usual - 7.30pm and she took 7oz followed by a Df at 12.30pm (was supposed to be 11.30 but dh fell asleep!) when she took 6oz. So given that she first woke at 3.45am this morning,  assumed it wasn't because she was hungry.

Prior to this spate of awakenings, when she's woke in the past at various times in the early morning and I've tried to feed her (after a Df), she's lost interest after a couple of ozs.

I've reread bits of bw book and wondering if either:

A) it's habitual? Or
B) I'm rushing in too soon when she wakes (she stirs which she does throughout the night but then starts to cry out)?

I've also read somewhere that they come into light sleep around this time of the morning?  If so how do I overcome this issue?

Thanks again for your advice x

[SGooch]

So just been woke up by look crying out and guess what it's 3.45 am again!?! Am I right in thinking its habitual? And that somehow she's got herself (with my help) into a pattern?

[SGooch]

Do I try wake to sleep tonight? Opinions welcome please..

[SGooch]

So I woke her up an hour before she usually wakes (woke her at 2.45, usually wakes at 3.45am) and it didn't go to plan! Instead of stirring and going back to sleep she properly woke!! Then woke again at 3.55am.

Should I try again tonight?

[brummum]

You could give it a Few more goes. Are you only doing it enough to lightly rouse her? All you need her to do is show some sign of coming into a lighter sleep. For some all it can take is a stroke of the cheek. In terms of light sleep in the morning you're right but the only way you can really overcome this or improve it is make sure she isn't overtired or undertired generally so she is most inclined to continue sleeping. Is there any discomfort going on? Teething maybe? If so you could try gicving dream meds around 3ish see if this helps? Feel free to post routine if you want us to just take a look.