5 Months & Waking All Night Long

[kristeno]

I feel like I’m posting on here constantly, geesh. Everytime we feel like we’ve got it down, it changes drastically.

We’ve recently extended his A time to 2 hrs, but I’m wondering if he’s needing more at this point? He’s been waking up a lot during the night & not needing to eating. But because our days are going decently well (with help, his naps are 1.5-2.5 hrs), I can’t tell if he’s OT or UT. I’m also not sure if he still needs a cat nap because they would make his bedtime so late.

This was yesterday, the last couple days have looked like this:

WU: 845
E: 1015 (just eaten @ 830) 4.5 oz bottle
A: 845-1055

S: 1111-1248, woke upset

E: 1252 BF
A: 110

S: 305

-350: Wake, talking. I go in when he starts getting upset.
-412: Asleep
-424: fusses, settles
-440: fusses, settles

E: 525 bottle 5 oz
A: 6
E: 745 bottle 1 oz

S: 8

-10: WU fussing, went in when started to cry. Tried bottle (2 oz)

-1022: Asleep.
-1218: WU crying, bottle 1 oz

-1230: Asleep
-1256: dream feed, nurse both sides
-122: in bed, asleep

-approx 4: WU/E
-415: S

-6: WU
-610: asleep, not eat

-630: WU & E
-645: S

-730-830: WU, dozed off & on in bed until got up

Can someone please help me decipher what he needs? I feel lost!

[*Ali*]

Yes I'd extend the early A times so he's more tired for the second nap and to reduce that last A time to bed.

Not sure what your plans are re feeding as I see you have a mix of bottles and breastfeeds in there but have you tried nursing him each time he wakes at night?  Would he still wake as frequently?

[kristeno]

Okay, so extend the early A time to 2.5 hrs? We actually did that inadvertently today & he took a 2 first hour nap with no help! So I’d say that helped.
For the later A time, you think we should shorten it back to 1.75 hrs?

I typically do nurse him everytime he wakes & it doesn’t help. He’s so tired from waking so much, he falls asleep & we can’t get him to wake up more to eat. Or there’s a complete opposite effect. He’ll eat for 5 min & want to play, so then he’s up for an hour.

We’ve done a mix of BF & bottles the last few days to be sure he’s eating enough & to try to narrow down why he’s waking so much.

[becj86]

Okay, so extend the early A time to 2.5 hrs? We actually did that inadvertently today & he took a 2 first hour nap with no help! So I’d say that helped.For the later A time, you think we should shorten it back to 1.75 hrs?

Now you're getting a full nap instead of a short one, you can probably stick with 2.5hr for both naps.

Once you've had a few days with good naps, lets have a look at the night wakings and see if they've reduced as that can happen once the daytime routine is better for LO, even without any other intervention. If they're still happening, can you post his EAS and the NWs again so we can have a think about what else to suggest?

-1256: dream feed, nurse both sides

I'd probably advise not to do this dreamfeed - that timing could be disturbing his sleep and causing some of the wakings after that.

I think some of the wakings in the early hours of the morning will go once his first A time is long enough. I think some of the early evening wakings will go once he is having his naps better spaced and he's not up for nearly 3.5hr after a disjointed second nap before BT.