HELP! 5mo Suddenly Fights Sleep!

[meggersmommy]

Hello!

I need help! My DD is 5 months old to the day today. She has reflux and dysphagia, so we started thickening her feeds about 3 weeks ago. Coincidentally or not, this is the time that she also started getting very fussy in the evenings. So we changed the thickener, and now we use Beechnut Rice Cereal. (She is also on Alimentum formula). So, over the last 3 weeks she has gone from having fussy evenings to now being fussy throughout the day, and her naps have gone to heck in a handbasket, as has her nighttime sleep. We can't do pu/pd because she sleeps in a Tucker Sling, so she is velcroed in to keep her from sliding down the wedge. (A great contraption for reflux babies.) She goes crazy when we put her on the sling now, and starts fighting right away if she has been calm. But most of the time, she is fussy for quite some time before it's even time for her nap or bedtime, and her sleep signals have gone out the window. Unless this new fussiness is one!

Also, I should note that she has spent this last month transitioning from the 3 hour to the 4 hour EASY, and has been on it since birth. We were on a 4 hour routine a couple of weeks ago, and then this last week we fluctuate throughout the day between 3 and 4 hours. It's driving DH and I crazy, and really interfering with DD's sleep. She is getting crankier by the day. She never fought sleep before! And she has been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks, with a blip of night wakings at around 3 1/2 months.

I think she is in a growth spurt, and has recently started rolling over more. We don't get much tummy/back time since she needs to be kept at an angle for reflux most of the time.
 
Is this developmental, growth related, or does it have to do with the thickening? (Which I guess means she is on solids now too, since we usually also give a few spoons of rice cereal.) Or does is just sound like sleep disturbance? It's just so weird to see her fighting sleep and screaming and crying every time we put her down now.

Thank you for any help you can offer!
Amy

[Jaime]

hi Amy,

whew!   that's a lot!  i think you're on the right track, and her fussiness is a combination of just about everything you mentioned.

sometimes when babies first start solids, it takes their digestive systems awhile to adjust.  the process tends to make them very gassy & fussy as a result.   :roll:  and sleep gets disturbed.  check with your dr and see if you need to give her extra cereal, or if you can try some other food instead (aside from what you put in the bottle).  maybe give her some pears as a meal instead.

it could be growth related, but as you mentioned that she had one at 3.5 months, it is unlikely that her 6-month spurt would be early.

developmentally - you mentioned she's started learning how to roll, she now she probably wants to practice - and that can interfere with sleeping too!

here are some ideas i have.... but keep in mind that i've never had a reflux baby.   :wink:

she may be getting old enough to where she can tolerate *some* back/tummy time on the floor.  if you are concerned about her being completely horizontal, you could prop her up on a soft pillow (keep an eye on her - suffocation risks!!) or a boppy.

it may be time to start to stop strapping her in to sleep - sounds like she wants to keep practicing those new skills.  it will take her awhile to adjust to that, so as a transition you may want to roll up some towels & place those alongside her

overall, i think you're just going to have to ride it out & wait for things to settle back down.

good luck & HTH 

[TayTay'smummy]

Hello! I have heard that that world health organization is now suggesting that babies should only begin solids around six months old, they are finding starting solids before then creates problems for some babes if they are started on solids before then. This might be the problem. However because your baby has reflux problems, you still need to have the babe on thickened formula. There are some wonderful formulas that thickened but not classified as a solid, Enfamil A+ for babies who spit up is supposed to be a good one. I don't know if this helps or not, may be the reason for the fussiness.

[meggersmommy]

Thank you both for the help! Unfortunately, we have to keep her strapped in her sling, or she has to sleep flat, and sleeping flat makes her reflux worse. We are currently testing out the Amby Hammock with her though, to see if we can elevate her head a bit but leave her limbs loose. It has helped with the naps we have had so far today.

As for the formula, we are stuck with Alimentum being thickened. We have tried all the other formulas, and she doesn't tolerate them. She also didn't tolerate the other thickeners on the market, so we are using the rice cereal.

The more I think about it and watch her, the more I think it is developmental, and was coincidental with her health issues, so I guess I just have to be patient.

Thank you again,
Amy