Author Topic: What to do with the 5am NW  (Read 13931 times)

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Offline Lindsay27

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What to do with the 5am NW
« on: April 18, 2016, 10:36:55 am »
So DD used to sleep from 7pm-3/4am and then take a feed and back down until 7am.  The last 3ish weeks her nights have changed (which I'm figuring is the 4 month fun) but I'm just looking for some advice on what to do because whatever I seem to do it just never works out quite right and out routine just ends up really off.  I get that this is something I probably need to ride out.

Over the last few weeks she now takes her NF much earlier, usually at 1:30am so she ends up having a NW at 5/5:30am also.  If I feed her at this NW she never takes a good feed, and then it messes up her feeds for the entire day since she needs 4hrs between feeds to take a good bottle, so we end up with an A-E-S pattern all day and usually some snacking since when she goes back to sleep it is only for about an hour, so there is not 4hr between this feed and when she needs to nap if that makes sense?

So like...

E 5:30
S 6-7am
A
E 8:30 (but ends up taking a mini feed since is hasn't been 4hrs since her last feed)
S 9am

If I don't feed her I end up spending a lot of time trying to resettle her, sometimes I bring her into bed and that helps, but either way whether I feed her or not she only sleeps for about another hour, after which we start her day.  But the problem is she almost starts her day off OT because her sleep after 5am is not restorative so we end up with OT naps right from the get go.

It just seems like no matter what i do it just doesn't end up working out and I am improvising the whole day and we have no really routine anymore. 



Offline Scottishmummy

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2016, 12:36:39 pm »
Can you give a half feed at 5.30? I know you're bottle feeding and I'm B.f but if a NF will be less than 4 hrs to morning, I only offer one side. Could you give her a smaller amount at 5.30 & see if she'd settle back to sleep with that and still be hungry enough for a morning feed shortly after waking for the day?

I seem to remember a growth spurt and more frequent night feeds at 4 motor DD, maybe that's why your night feeds have got earlier & another one is added in?
"Touchy/Spirited" DS


"Textbook" DD



Offline lily_layne

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2016, 02:35:18 am »
Can you give a half feed at 5.30? I know you're bottle feeding and I'm B.f but if a NF will be less than 4 hrs to morning, I only offer one side. Could you give her a smaller amount at 5.30 & see if she'd settle back to sleep with that and still be hungry enough for a morning feed shortly after waking for the day?
I would try this.

DS did pretty much the same thing at that age. I just fed him and popped him in the swing for another 1-2 of sleep. it did throw off the rest of his feeds a bit but I just kind of rolled with it.
DD - August 2012
DS - November 2014

Offline FPT23

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2016, 00:10:28 am »
Hi just adding an extra opinion :) ..if it's a GS, I had read increasing oz in the day could help. A good last bottle before BT... And adding like 1 oz or two with each meal... Not all in one :) maybe that can keep her fuller past the 1am mark?

It's what I had read in BW if you haven't tried that already. I hate the 5am wakes- they do mess up the feeds!! Good luck w/ the 4 month joys ::) :-*
Fabi






Offline Lindsay27

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2016, 01:46:09 am »
Yes I had already increased her bottles from 5oz to 6oz and unfortunately it hasn't made a difference in the nights.  The thing is, if I do feed her at 5am she's mostly just snacking, she doesn't take a full feed, usually about half (3oz) and then she still doesn't want to eat when she gets up.  Eventually our naps and feeds end up colliding during the day.  The only way it doesn't is if I can hold her off after her 5am waking (because I'm not even truly convinced it's a hunger waking) until a regular WU time.  But either way, whether I feed her or not she never settles great at that time...the sun is coming up, birds are chirping, neighbors are leaving for work etc.

I think it's something I just need to ride out and hope her NW go back to what they used to be.  My DS woke at 5:30am from pretty well birth until he was nearly 3yrs old and I can probably count on 1 hand the amount of times I could get him back to sleep, it was horrendous and I can't handle that again.  I hope this corrects soon!



Offline lily_layne

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2016, 01:49:07 am »
I hope this corrects soon!
Sending as many vibes as I can for that sweet little girl to sleep in later~~~~~~
DD - August 2012
DS - November 2014

Offline FPT23

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2016, 02:05:11 am »
My first did 5am for what seemed ages and wouldn't settle either. It's the worst thing ever :(

Many hugs!!!!!
Fabi






Offline Lindsay27

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2016, 09:36:29 am »
I've been thinking about this whole GS thing and since she's shifted her nights 2/3hrs earlier for the last 3 weeks (almost a month now) I'm not sure we can even call this a GS anymore? The other thing is I increased her bottles during the day which she needed but she seems like she's gone back and reduced them slightly again, like she only needed the increase for a week or 2.

The last 2 nights her first NF has been at 1:10am and 1:30am and then second NW I can literally almost time to the minute.  She starts stirring at 4:50am and continues to toss about and stir constantly until 5:30.  I usually end up putting her soother back in a bunch of times during this in the vain hope she'll settle.  Both times I've fed her and she has only taken 1oz so it is very obviously not a hunger waking. So if it's not hunger why is she waking at this time?  And if she's not in a GS anymore why has her NF not started to shift back? 

It is just starting to wear on me as I end up getting about 5ish hours of broken sleep and up for the day before 5am because once she starts stirring I can't sleep through it, by the time I "feed" her at 5:30 and get her back down it's 6am and then DS is usually up shortly after.  I hate 4 month sleep stuff, can you tell? Lol



Offline FPT23

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2016, 16:57:16 pm »
Im sorry things have not gotten better :(
Maaaaaany hugs!!! Mine did that 5am wake and I accepted it as his WU after awhile (he was older though; about 13ish months?)

I hated it. So much so I feel your pain!

4 month regression, not looking forward to it. I'm at 2 months struggling with 5am wakes myself with little to no resettling... Also having my 4 year old come in after barely getting baby down, finally. Sigh. I'm on about the sabe amount of sleep and pattern after a weird night! But, I'm not even at 4 months! Grrrr. Positive vibes!!!! Many hugs! :(
I tryyyyyyyt my best to say to myself, it will pass... But with two there's little room to rest right? I'm having a hard time too! Your not alone!

Yeah maybe it isn't a GS anymore then... Hmm, I've been reading on here a lot and with early wakes or during the changes in 4mths, many have suggested increase in the morning A time? I have read that pushing it morning A can help with early wakes. Do you think she is not as tired and waking more? Or have you tried that too? Sorry if I'm not much help but, your not alone and I wanted to help w/ kind words at the very least!

Xoxo!!!
Fabi






Offline Lindsay27

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2016, 17:11:48 pm »
Ya I know there isn't anything I can do about it, I just moan to all you ladies at 4am while I'm laying wide awake in bed with little miss flopping around like a fish out of water lol

5am is definitely not her WU time, she does go back to sleep, though without really eating so it's hard to say why she's waking at that time.  Her naps are getting much better which I can be thankful about at least.  I don't think she's getting too much day sleep - she does about 2 x 1.5hr naps, sometimes she can do a long one and sometimes I have to resettle her, and then usually a 45min nap later in the day (4:30pm type thing).



Offline trimbler

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2016, 18:33:30 pm »
Have you tried w2s, if you feel it's a habitual waking?



Offline Lindsay27

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2016, 18:46:32 pm »
I didn't because it seemed kinda pointless given she's not in a deep sleep from about 4:30am onward ya know? She starts stirring at about 4:30am but doesn't actually wake until 5:30ish, so getting her to stir before her waking would almost be counter productive since she's already doing that anyway? Unless I did it before 4:30? But then I am going back to bed at 2am after her NF and waking at 3:30am to do W2S which would be hard, especially if it didn't work and she started stiring at 4:30am anyway :S



Offline trimbler

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2016, 18:51:24 pm »
Yes that is what I was thinking (3:30ish) - could you get DH to do it instead? Never tried it myself but I think people tend to do it for three nights or so and then give it a break and see what happens? I only mentioned it as you said you could set your clock by her. It could, of course, just be part of the usual 4mo shenanigans... (((Hugs)))



Offline Lindsay27

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #13 on: April 23, 2016, 01:05:18 am »
Ya she really is like clockwork, he last 2 nights her wakings have been down to the minute.  I could probably have DH do W2S.

Tonight I had to put her down in her crib because we were having a b-day party for DS and her room is farthest from the kitchen/living room so farthest from the noise.  I tried putting her down in her bassinet in our room where she sleeps every night but she just wouldn't go down.  Once I had her in her crib with her sound machine in she was out like a light, so who knows what tonight will bring! I probably won't sleep a wink because I am so used to having her beside me



Offline lily_layne

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Re: What to do with the 5am NW
« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2016, 01:42:19 am »
I hope she gives you a good night.

DS was often unsettled around 4/5 am and that's really why he got moved to his own room quite young - I just couldn't take laying awake listening to it. I'm sure he was still unsettled in his own room but at least I could sleep until he really needed me :)
DD - August 2012
DS - November 2014