Hi all.
Olivia has been waking at 2:50am for almost a week now. She has been a baby who has had night sleep issues, but usually multiple night wakings at all different times. This finally came to an end just after 11 months, but know things have changed.
I want to try the wake to sleep method & I guess I will try it tomorrow night; I need to break this cycle.
I think it began when she cut her seventh tooth last week, the same time she started at the new sitter (which is going surprisingly well). Anyhow, think I am guilty of accidental parenting as well, because I was having the guilty mom syndrome (new sitter, returned back to work almost a month etc.) She had several rough nights where I picked her up & cuddled her for longer than I should have. I did this for one nap & the same night waking as well. After that it seemed like she was looking forward to the attention. If were teeth, she would be miserable rather than happy to see either DH or me. We have fed her about 4 times during this week of wakings, which she has drank a full bottle, but still hard to settle afterwards, taking about 2 hours a night. Tonight DH gave her a 1/2 & 1/2 bottle, milk & water.
She will wake fussing. babble and then cry. She seems to be uncomfortable & not pooping as well as she normally does during the day as well, being extra clingy, overtired & fussy as the day goes on. I'm sure anxiety fits in there somewhere too.
1. Is this a common pattern for this age?
2. should night feeds be stopped even though she could very well be hungry due to less food consumption during the day? (even though she has slept well in the past with less than 1/2 her normal food intake)
Upon finally settling, we wait several minutes before leaving the room, but she will wake shortly afterward, thus making it a long wake up session for the night. The air matt in the room seems not to work either this time around. It's as if she would gladly stay up if we let her.
3. Is this developmental?
She was given Motrin 3 times in the last week (7 days), at night. One night earlier just before bed & she slept well. One night after an hour of wake time, makes her groggy a clumsy during the day & one night a day ago, before bed again, but still the same 2:50am wake up. This shows me that Motrin is not necessary, especially if she wakes at the same time anyways. she is teething though because she is rubbing her face and gnawing sometimes, hard to tell if she is thirst/hungry as well. We do a diaper change before trying p/d (which she will do on her own if asked), meds or bottle. As a last reort, we will do the whole wind down routine as if it were bed time to help her settle. Aside from the new sitter, not much has changed in her daily routine, but I suspect that her nap will start to become a problem. for the last 6 weeks she has been napping like a champ, 2.5-3.25hours (one nap) & her night sleep was so peaceful. I really want that to happen again.
4. Is her overtiredness during/end of the day a big part of this? Even though we offer an earlier nap & bedtime (20min earlier) as well as longer 'low key' periods during the day, she does not seem like she has made up for her lost sleep or been put back on track.
5. Is wake to sleep the answer here?
Any suggestions or survival stories appreciated. TIA.