5 month old help - new night wakings

[Mum2lucy]

Hiya,

I’m looking for your opinions or reassurance.

My LG was a terrible sleeper as a new born but we seemed to crack it when she found her thumb. she has been self settling since 3 months old and was beginning to sleep 7-2 with the occasional 7-6 sleep at night which was amazing.

Cue this week and she is back to waking twice a night (around 11 then 3) and I try to shhh pattt her but she just cries. I’ll feed her (she’s bottle fed expresses bm) and then goes back to sleep no problem. She is taking full 5oz feeds. She is also emw and just sitting chatting in her cot for hours from about 6.

I have an older LG so it can be hard to stick to a routine if we have things to do out of the house. My LG won’t nap well out and about, maybe half an hour. However if I am going out, I try to have one cot nap a day. She’ll often flip her routine naps around so the cat nap is when she is out and will have a bigger nap later in the day.

A typical day might look like:

Wu: 7 (I tend to ignore her emw until 7)
S: 9.15

Wu: 11.30 (she would sleep on if I let her)
S: 1.30

Wu: 2 (if we are out and about)
S: 4

Wu: 5.30
S: 7/7.30 for the night

Any thoughts on the wake ups and routine? Thanks!!

[Katet]

I'm going with it being a growth spurt rather than a routine problem.  In terms of expressed milk the volume isn't always matching that of FF, and in a BF baby fed from the breast the fattier milk is later in the day, but it may not always be in expressed milk.  I'd try feeding a bigger volume in the day and also expressing more in the evening to tell your body it needs to 'change' it's type for a growth spurt.

Although. Possibly if she is getting 4+ hours day sleep  and you are hoping for 11.5 to 12 hours night sleep that you may have to either have a 6 ish wake up or a later bedtime or cut her day sleep back. Maybe a 9.30 first nap until 11.15.

[Mum2lucy]

Hello,
I had wondered about growth spurt too 👍🏻Just an unusual time for a spurt but she has had weight issues since birth so maybe her body is trying to catch up.
Due to the weight issues we have been trying to up her feed volumes to 6oz a feed but she doesn’t always take it. Yes you are correct about breast milk volumes being less than formula volumes. she’s feeding every 3 hours during the day just now at 5oz each tome so she is getting a fair volume.

I’ve been out today this morning so she missed her big morning nap so I’ll see if reduced day sleep helps any over the next few days