Author Topic: 3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night  (Read 5551 times)

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Offline Emmy's Mum

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« on: September 27, 2005, 06:06:27 am »
I have a 3.5 month old who used to sleep for 5 to 6 hour stretches of a night with another feed at about 1-2 am and 4-5am from when she was about 6 weeks of age, but for the last week (ever since her growth spurt) she has stopped and is now waking up every 2 to 3 hours to feed. I have never done a dreamfeed (as I didn't know about it). Should I start now? how long should growth spurts typically last? Could this be a phase that she will grow out of naturally? During the day she is on the 3 hr EASY and feeds for about 20 minutes (she has never been a long feeder). She seems to be taking less milk during the day though - she now drinks only about 60 to 120ml of expressed milk when previously was doing about 120 to 180ml.
Em 13/6/2005
Aidan 11/1/2007

Offline Erin (redstarfalling)

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2005, 14:57:30 pm »
If it's a growth spurt, it should only last about a week or less.  You could always try the dreamfeed and see if it helps - does she take really full feeds overnight?

Another possible culprit is that she's just too interested in the world to eat well during the day and is making up for it at night!  :roll: This often happens at this age...I found it helped to get into my dd's room RIGHT when she woke and feed her in the dark and quiet while she was still sleepy.

Also, a lot of babies just start having sleep problems at this age, not related to feeding... :cry: Is she napping well during the day?
Erin
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Offline Emmy's Mum

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2005, 01:50:46 am »
She does take really full feeds (most of the time) of a night - so it does seem as though she is really hungry when she wakes. I have tried the dreamfeed for the first time last night, she didn't take much and so she still woke at the usual times - is it possible that she is now used to waking up at those times? I'll try again tonight with a bottle to measure how much she actually takes (wish me luck!)

She does tend to get distracted during feeds but not enough to affect the feeds I don't think - it just takes longer!

And no, she isn't napping very well either. But that isn't a new development - she has been doing 30-50 minute naps since she was about 6 weeks of age. Sometimes I can extend it, but lately she seems to awaken happy and fully alert so I tend to get her up for some activity (it's impossible to get her back to sleep when she's like that). However, it then puts us out of wack with regards to the EASY routine as just as she is about ready for sleep - it's time for another feed so her day ends up being AESY instead.  :?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!  :)
Em 13/6/2005
Aidan 11/1/2007

Offline Ashlie

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2005, 16:30:04 pm »
Emmy's Mum:  Oh wow, I have the exact same issue as you.  I have a four and a half month old daughter who used to sleep 5 hours at night and is now waking every two hours.  She rolls over in her crib and cannot get herself back to sleep.  She is a 30 minute napper too!  Sometimes I can nurse her back to sleep and other times she is alert, happy and ready to go.  My husband and I are desperate for any answers.  We think we might have to sleep train her but aren't sure how/where to start etc.  I feel your pain :)

Offline Erin (redstarfalling)

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2005, 22:42:27 pm »
Well, you'd know if it's a growth spurt in a few days.  Longer than that, if your lo's are eating well during the day, and it may be more of a sleep issue.  Have you checked out the sleep boards?  You might get some good advice there about dealing with nightwakings....
Erin
Mother to Megan and Samantha


Offline mommynow

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2005, 16:01:23 pm »
You described my daughter!  It started just after 3 months and progessively got worse.  She WAS sleeping through the night then started getting up once a night and then twice.  She was eating well during those times.  I thought it was a growth spurt but it kept happening past a week.  What I did was stretch out her feedings during the day so she would eat better instead of snack.  It lasted about three weeks.  Now she is up once a night (still not sleeping through, but better).  It does take a lot longer to feed her during the day because she is becoming so interested in her surroundings and will sometimes bob off and look around.  I think that was part of the problem when this started.  She wasn't eating enough during the day.  I also keep it dark at night and don't talk at all...just go in FEED and put down.  Goodluck, it seems to be a stage with many babies.
Abigail born May 26, 2005

Offline Deb_in_oz

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2005, 22:23:02 pm »
Olivia did this too and got back on track at 4mo

she slept through at 10 1/2 weeks, then had GS at 12 weeks which lasted close to 2 weeks (taking 1-2 BF after DF).  then at 3 1/2 mo she dropped to 1 nigt feed and by 4 mo she was back to sleeping through and has been fine ever since (she had 1 nigt feed the first night of her 6 mo GS - which was an even bigger feeding frenzy!) i don't think she formed a habit - just that she was not a child who could add any calories to her day (she has always been clear about when she is finished eating even if not a big feed) so she HAD to get those extra calories at night.

for the 6 mo GS she was able to increase day feeds and we also started solids at tthe same time, so i think that is why we did not have the same thing happen again.
Debra - a New Yorker living in Australia married to a Brit

dd1 - Textbook/Angel, born July 2003
dd2 - Spritied through & through, born Feb 2005

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Offline ~Jency's*Momma~

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2005, 22:44:33 pm »
WOW!
That is my son exactly!
And it started roughly the same time, around 6 weeks.
He was always sleeping at least 5 hours at night and then do every 3 hours after that.  We don't do the dream feed either.  We tried once and it completely messed everything up (first he goes to bed at 8pm and I go to bed at 9pm so I was having to wake up to do it, second he was already used to doing his long stretch first so he was up every 3 hours from the dream feed on).
He recently started only going 4-4.5 hours then every 2.5-3 hours and last night he only went 2.5 hours and then was every 2 hours!!
I hope he doesn't keep this up!  He only takes two to three 30-45 minute naps and one 2 hour nap.  If he gets any more sleep during the day he is SO grumpy!  Yesturday I tried it and he got 5 hours of naps and was horrible all day! Today he has only taken 3 hours worth of naps and has been great!  He's been staying awake for 2 hour stretches and eating every 3-3.25 hours.  His schedule ends up being more of a AEASY.  This is the way he likes it...although it makes nursing hard.
Once he's satisfied he starts wanting to look at me and smile, then once he is done he fusses if I try to put him on.
He doesn't go more then 10 min usually.  Same at night.

Debra,  Thanks for the hope that this will pass.   I hope it is just a phase like your little ones!
~Adria, wife to Paul 9/7/02
Momma to Jency 6/30/05 & Tesher 12/31/08

Offline Emmy's Mum

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2005, 07:02:23 am »
Hi Adria's 1st - your son sounds exactly like my daughter! It's so good to know that there are other mothers out there who is going or have gone through what I'm going through now...I'm living in hope that this is just a phase... :? Last night Emmy managed 4 hours before getting up for her first feed then it was every 3 hours after that... Her naps are getting longer of a day too now (she can manage up to 1.5 hrs when previously was only doing 0.5 hr stretches). Hopefully this is the beginning of something good!
Em 13/6/2005
Aidan 11/1/2007

Offline alison reed

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2005, 12:12:07 pm »
:)

Hi

I am happy to say that I had the same thing with my daughter when she was this age. But with her she then started to feed for 30-45 minutes and then have a 15-30 minute gap inbetween her feeds as breastmilk was not enough for her. But because she had gastric reflux (baby heartburn) I could not give her formula as this made it worse. So as soon as she was 5 1/2 months I started weaning against my medical advice as it became to much for my son to cope with.

Now she is 8 days off 11 months and is still breastfeeding strong, but is not eating the correct amount of solid meals as she demands breastmilk all the time.

I hope this is helpful and reasuring that this is normal for some babies
Alison

mother of two:



Offline ~Jency's*Momma~

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3.5 month old no longer sleeping for 5 to 6 hrs at night
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2005, 14:39:55 pm »
Well he did a little better last night.
He only fed every 3 hours yesturday and then I cluster fed last evening and then last night he did every 3 hours...but...inbetween he kept waking up.  So I was up every hour from 1am on :roll: ! 
I am praying this is just a phase that he will out grow in a few days or a week at least.  next weekend we are traveling to visit my parents so I am hoping he will be out of this by then.

I don't know maybe I should go to feeding him every 2.5 hours during the day again.
But he has been staying awake for 2 hours really well the past few days...feeding every 2.5 hours would be really hard with the EASY if he is awake for 2 hours.  That would mean he would only get a bunch of 30 min naps in order to stay on it.

Any advice on what to do?

Emmy's mum~ did you do anything differently?  How long has she been doing this?  Just trying to get an idea of what to expect.

Thanks
~Adria, wife to Paul 9/7/02
Momma to Jency 6/30/05 & Tesher 12/31/08