Looooong NW should I be worried??

[First mum]

Hi There,  I've posted a couple of times on this forum and have found the advise and support invaluable!!

My 15.5 month has been having some really long nw for about the past 4 weeks.  It's not every night, but it is becoming more often and the awake time is lengthening and I'm getting a bit worried.  Last night was 2.5 hours and 2 nights ago it was 3.  Previously she would stay in the cot and either my hubby or I would settle from the side or the floor beside.  More and more now she is inconsolable, not for the whole time, just usually until I get her out of the cot.  Doesn't want to be held, touched, soothed.  She will eventually let me cuddle her but immediately starts squirming and really doesn't know what she wants.  We have been putting it down to her molars moving.  I can feel all of them bulging, and have been able to for weeks, but they are not cutting    Last night looked like this:

BT 6:45
A 9-11:30 (this is unusual, usually she wakes between 1:30-3 for a couple of hours)
WU 4:45

These are spaced with sttn and then random nw that she self settles for and the nw that she needs a bit of reassurance but is settled with 5-10 minutes.  Thank fully her long midday nap is not being affected and we are getting between 2-3 hours from 11:30.  But its just not enough, I don't think she got 8 hours last night and she is normally between 11-12???

Am I missing something?

[Haribo2012]

Hi there, long NW are just torture aren't they!

Do u medicate at the NW as it could well be the molars...we had our worst sleep from 14-19 months and I could only ever put it down to teeth.

How long is her day getting?x

[First mum]

Thanks for the quick reply.  Yes we are using both Nurofen and Pamol along with the teething gel.

Yesterday after such a horrible night where I think she only got 8 hours, her day looked like this

A   4:45 out of cot 6 would not settle back to sleep
CN 8am for 15 mins
S  11:45 slept for 2h55m but was really overtired and needed lots of help to get to sleep
BT 7pm
Slept through till 5:15 this morning

I think its the long day nap that is saving us from OT but am wondering if she is stealing from her night sleep?

[Haribo2012]

It's so hard to know sometimes isn't it!?

Is she grumpy on EW or happy and ready to go?x

[First mum]

This particular ew she was not happy, calm while me or my husband was with her but just wouldn't resettle.  The last couple of days I've heard her coughing at 5:15 and then playing and talking in her cot until we get her at about 6:15.  Much nicer way to wake up!!   

[Haribo2012]

Does she always have a morning CN or  was that just because of EW?

[First mum]

We've been transitioning to 1 nap for about 6 weeks now and I find she is really grizzly and accident prone in the morning.  I try and time errands or outings with a car journey at 9am and more often than not she is asleep before I have driven a full block.  The 8am cn on this particular day was because of the ew.  Her normal 9am cn only happens 4-5 times per week as when she is at daycare (2 days) she barely sleeps at all. 

Would you suggest a change?

[Haribo2012]

Its so hard when they are so tired...

Have you thought about maybe pushing that first A by a little and letting her have a long uncapped AM nap then just a little CN in the PM if she needs it or going for an EBT if the CN doesnt happen?

We had to really push at this age for the 1 nap as anything other cause EW. I initally did long nap at 9.30-11.30am then a CN at 3pm 20 mins, then pushed until we got to 1 nap in the middle of the day (of course all LO are different) and this takes a while but you might find that early CN is not helping the EW as she can just add a bit of night sleep on then.

[First mum]

When we first tried 1 nap somedays she was asleep on her feet 10:30-11ish so I rolled with it and tried for an afternoon cn.  It just didn't work?? Car, pushchair or cot.  I think she was just too tired.  We may have another change on the horizon for her  she is due to move to the toddler room at daycare and I am just not happy with her eating and sleeping at this facility so we are tossing up changing to a homebased service.  I figure either way we are going to have a settling in period and I am hopeful that her 25 minute naps at this facility will change and then the need for the cn will not be an issue.

Think I'll ride this one for a bit longer.  To be honest the 6:15 I can handle and if the odd early one creeps in will just tweak bedtime.

[Katet]

When do you give the nurofen?  I know with my DS1 I discovered that if I gave him it more than 30mins after food we'd get long night wakings. Even now as a 12yo he can't handle it very well & has been known to throw it up if he doesn't have it on a full stomach.

[First mum]

Thanks for that Katet, Ill watch for that!  We had a bit of a shocker last night after 5 nights of sttn and put it down to ot from a 30 minute sleep at daycare and teeth.  I put her down at 6:30 and she woke at 10 showing signs of a sore mouth so I gave nurofen.  We then had nw at 11:30, 12:30, 2:30 3:30, 4:30 and 6:15  thankfully she was easy to resettle each time but it still made for a very long night!

Todays sleep at daycare was HUGE, she slept for 1h30 mins which she has never done??  The did resettle her twice which is also unheard of so we shall see what tonight brings 

[Haribo2012]

Poor you, those NW are brutal when you are just getting back to sleep again.

Might help having a long catch up nap, hope you get a better night. x