7 month old - night waking after starting nursery!

[Fr00tbat]

I really need some help with our 7 month old girl.  Not sure where to start with her.  I went back to work 4 weeks ago and at that point she was on a reasonable routine - Feeding 4 hrly - 7/11/3/7 and once in the night - she napped 9/9-30-11 and 1/1.30-3 plus a cat nap.  She was eating 3 small meals a day and had been for a while (on advice health visitor - excessive vomiting!!!)
Anyway - routine has kind of gone to pot - she has been really unwell - cough/cold/flu/fever off and on for last month, full of snot, not feeding well during day, not sleeping well off and on and I think uncomfortable (also sprouting teeth!) despite calpol/brufen. Now we have waking around 2300, routine waking at 0030 - which she will not settle from without feeding, early morning waking.  Nursery are doing their best but she isn't napping enough as she is very very nosey and am not sure what advice to give them, or even where to start.  Current routine looks vaguely like this, well this is what it has been like last 3 days -she didn't eat any solids apart from toast for the week before this!

0645 Breast feed
0830 - Breakfast at nursery (2oz porridge or ½ weetabix)
0930/0945 -nap (at home will sleep up to 2 hrs at nursery 30-40 mins!!)
1015 - snack at nursery - usually apple/pear/banana
1100 - breast milk bottle (was having 4-5oz - refusing more than 1oz last 2 days)
1200 - lunch - a few tablespoons of puree + finger food bits
1300 - nap (she often falls asleep in bouncer after her lunch at nursery) 1-1.5 hours
1500 - Bottle (5oz breast milk), rusk (finger food - doesn't always manage but they always offer her something)
1615 - tea (a couple of tablespoons of something pureed) water to drink
1700 - catnap in car on way home 30 mins
1800 - Dinner - finger food - refusing puree for last week at home
1845 - Bath, book, breast feed, bed by 1930 (depending on length of feed - can be 1915 - 2000 - if she is quick or slow - she chooses!!)

Last night she woke at 2300, kept trying to sooth her in cot - she like to hold finger and drifts off - awake off and on until 0130 - I fed her - took both sides and slept until 0645.
She goes to sleep independently at home. She has white noise at home and nursery. She sucks her thumb.

Essentially, I am shattered, I have a 2 year old who is kept awake by her screaming at night, I am trying to work full time and our previous routine just isn't working at nursery - so it needs tweaking so that they can manage, but I don't know where to start.  I think she is getting plenty of food and shouldn't need a night feed - but she screams blue murder unless she gets it.
We have tried wake to sleep - but last night - she woke up before the alarm, so we are back to square one with that one!
I would like to get her to drop the night time feed and increase her daytime milk intake - but I don't know how to do this.  She is such an opinionated little creature - an angel baby in most respects - only cries if tired or hungry - very smiley and cheery and active.
I really need some advice - help!!

[Fr00tbat]

Help- up most of night so far....

[Skadiver13]

Hi Hun, is there a reason she is eating 3 small solid meals? This will contribute to the wakings because it's keeping her from eating more BM during the day.  That's a lot of solids for a 7month old. I honestly would do only one meal maybe 2 but honestly one solids meal at this age is completely normal. BM should be their main source of food with solids as a fun experience but that's it. Could it be discomfort causing the NW'ing?  I would at least remove all dinner solids for now because that way you can probably at least cross that off the list of issues causing the nw'ings. At 7 months it's completely normal to have a NF. At that age my lo was having 2 one at 11 and one at 4.  If she's not settling at the 4am with out a feeding and taking a full feed than it's hunger. The solids at dinner will not help the sleeping through the night and actually may contribute to the hunger because calorie wise it's just not going to fill her up like BM.  I don't think it's realistic to drop the Night feeding right now but I would reduce the solids during the day to up her milk intake.

As for nursery I don't have much advice there as I'm currently a SAHM. But I will ask if anyone else can suggest anything. Only thing I can think of is maybe they can put her down 15-30min earlier than at home as she's probably more tired at nursery than at home?

[Fr00tbat]

Thankyou- we started weaning her early because she vomits very badly and wasnt gaining weight. Has been much better with solid food. I always breast feed her first before she has solids and she feeds herself fruit, snacks, vegetables.  We did the same with her brother and  are happy with the volume and variety she is eating- considerably less than him (he was a piglet) but she eats enthusiastically and  is gaining weight nicely now-. I understand your concerns but am happy she is getting enough breast milk- siince i posted originally she is taking 2x4oz bottles at nursery again (ebm).
Still really keen on some nursery related routine advice - our son was olde when he went- but sleeping through and much more settled on his routine. Suggestions welcome...