What is going on?!

[jessmum46]

DS is 15 weeks, just under 16lbs and EBF. Did long stretches overnight from pretty early on, up to 10-12h, but had kind of settled into a pattern of one NF at 4/5am (no DF). Last 4-5 nights he woke and fed at 1/2am as well and then last night also at 10.30pm so three feeds!

Other relevant bits....he feeds before bed but usually awake going into cot, independent sleeper for all naps. Feeds roughly 3hrly in day, moving towards 4h EASY routine-wise but depends on naps. Usually 5 feeds in the day, had one day this week where he only had four but night was much the same.

Growth spurt? (Is that typical about now?) or are we looking at regression or a sneaky NF prop? 

[becj86]

Sounds like a GS to me. Give it another week if see if they reduce

[Martini~]

Around 3-4mo we had the same in terms of more NW but I just resettled them w/o milk. I think now that it was connected with drop in his sleep needs and us going through 4-3 naps transition. DS went to 1 NF (or DF) from around 6-8wo and I just kept it like that, treating all NW before as not-hunger related. He was waking around 10pm sometimes and than around 1-2am sometimes but I fed him only when he woke after 4am. And he seemd to be pretty fine with it as he was easily resettled without a feed before 4-5am, when resettling w/o milk was not an option:).

Around 12wo I introduced a DF and he was STTN since then until dreadful 10 days around 4mo which had to be an awful sleep regression and another drop in his sleep needs:). And then we had beautiful 2,5mo without any NW:).

[*Ali*]

It sounds like he is entering the 4mo sleep regression when their sleep rhythms change and they begin cycling between deep and light (or active) sleep having previously spent much more time in deep sleep and they therefore start waking more. Both of mine experienced this. I'm not necessarily recommending the advice but this link explains it http://sleeplady.com/baby-sleep/4-month-sleep-regression/

[jessmum46]

Thanks all

Bec - I've been treating as a GS, so fed at all wakings.  I guess that's the right thing to do for now?  At what point would you reassess and say no, I've created a problem here?

Marta - interesting, we are definitely needing to be on three naps rather than four but unless at least one of them is a good 2h or more it's a bit of a struggle.  I haven't really tried resettling at night without a feed, kind of because I don't really know how  he's been a pretty independent sleeper from early on so I don't really have a way of settling him if you know what I mean?  Kind of figure if he just needed to go back to sleep he could do it? 

Ali - yes that does sound about right.  I don't think I really noticed it with DD but it does fit time and 'symptoms'-wise.  How did you handle it with yours? 

[Martini~]

Katherine, oh I never fighted with him too much:). It was quick assesment for us, i just needed to pat him, rub, take him on my hands and hug, until 3mo he used a dummy so I usually replugged it - if be was still crying it usually meant he is hungry.
When we were closer to 4mo and he was in sleep regression phase, for 10 days or more we has 2NW per night, usually around 1h each. He was looking as asleep during those NW and wanting to sleep, but could not settle for long. When I was rubbing him or touching his face, he usually calmed down and settled, than once again he was crying 5min later. It could take an hour but he wasn't crying like he'll, rather moaning... On and off. I was quite sure it wasn't hunger as he wasn't even too hungry in the morning when he finally woke up:).

So I would just try to resettle, any way you think is suitable. And if it's not working, just feed him. For us it was really a 1-2min decision as he either calmed down when I resettle or not:).

[*Ali*]

I would try to resettle with a little shh pat and offered Colby the dummy (Cadan never had a dummy) but if he didn't settle easily within 5 mins I just fed. As it coincided with GSs they often were hungry anyway.

[Erin M]

I would always try to rock, soothe, etc to sleep once and if they'd wake up again a short time later I'd assume they were hungry and feed them.

[becj86]

I would give it up to 2 weeks re: GS and then re-evaluate.

I hadn't thought if the 4month regression, never even noticed it with L, TBH!

If I was trying to see if he was hungry, which I never really did if it had been >3hr at this age, I would plug with dummy and he'd spit it out and scream if hungry, go to sleep if not... At that age, it was easier to feed and he never really did wake really frequently for milk, he was usually in pain if waking less than 3-4 hr from the last feed.

[jessmum46]

Just discovered first tooth is about to break through the gum!  Guess that could be something to do with it?  He has been super fussy feeding in the daytime, pulling on and off constantly so perhaps he's having to make up for lost calories?  Two feeds last night at 1am and 5.20am, took a full feed at the early one (I woke him up after the first side and got him to take the other side too) and a smaller feed the second time.  Let's hope the tooth is the issue and normal service can resume shortly!

[kayra]

Hope you don't mind me joining in, I was about to start a thread about this too! With ds I'm pretty sure it's not hunger but it still can take ages to settle him, although he actually settles pretty well normally, so even if I'm fairly sure it's not hunger (he isn't that hungry first thing in the morning) does the 5 minute 'rule' apply, or should I just stick to resettling him w/o feeding-even if it takes half an hour?
Ds1 was such a good sleeper at night, it's new territory with these guys x2!




Wow a tooth! I hope things are better for you now I need to check ds' mouth as he gnaws his hand a lot but ds1 didn't cut his first tooth till 10mths so I thought it can't be.

[*Ali*]

No Kayra, I wouldn't spend an hour resettling at this age if the NW is more than 3-4hrs after the last feed and he is crying or rooting. If he isn't crying I would just leave him to resettle. Just because he isn't hungry in the morning after a NF doesn't mean he wasn't genuinely hungry at the NW. I think of it like if I had a big lunch I might not be hungry for dinner that night but it doesn't mean I wasn't hungry at lunch time and could have gone the whole day without eating until dinner, yk? Or did you mean he sometimes sleeps through and still isn't hungry on morning WU? Even so their hunger can change from day to day so while he may be able to make it through the entire nights some nights he might need a feed other nights if he has eaten less that day or moved around more or been awake more etc.

Let's hope the tooth is the issue for you Katherine. Apparently with teething it follows one or the other of the parents so while one sibling can teethe early like mum for example the other may teethe later like dad.

[kayra]

Thanks Ali, that makes sense. It's just frustrating if he wakes 3hrs after a feed at night when during the day he can easily go 4 hrs if he naps well

[*Ali*]

I know what you mean. Just remember it's not forever

[kayra]

Yup last night he fed at 11 and 3 then up just before 7, but I heard him resettle around 1:30 and 6, so at least he did that by himself...