Whats happened to my Babe?

[shem2005]

Oh don't know what has happened to my 5 month old DD. She was sleeping 7pm to 7pm - we dropped the dreamfeed with success about 4 weeks ago.

A couple of weeks ago she got two teeth which are through but not yet fully up and last week she learnt to sit.

Her day time naps started shortening but over the last two days are now back to 1.5-2.5 hours. She is on 4 hour EASY, 7, 11, 3 and then 6.40pm.

Two days in a row last week she woke at 6am, then she woke at 4am (i fed her at the 4am one), then yesterday i increased all the bottles and she took about 100 mls more over the day.

Last night she went down at 7pm, woke at 7.30pm and then it took 1 hour to get her to go to bed. She then woke at 6am this morning. I resettled her and eventually i got her back to sleep about 6.40am - i then woke her at 7am. Should I have woken her at 7am?

Why is she suddenly waking early?

She did take 260 mls this morning but was not ravish for her bottle.

I just don't know what has happened.

Yesterday she went down for a nap at 5pm (she woke at 2.30pm - so was awake 2.5 hrs) and we woke her at 6pm - so she only had an hour before bedtime - was this the problem with the struggle to get her to bed? Should I cut the awake time at 3pm and put her to bed a little earlier - say 4.30pm, let her sleep an hour so then she can have 1.5 hrs awake before bed?

Any assistance you can offer would be great. I am stressing a bit because i am in a wedding in 2 weeks and am staying with the bride the night before with my DD and then the night of the wedding my inlaws are looking after her.

[branwen]

Hi there!

I think you are right about the afternoon nap.  I always make adjustments in the routine if there is an early waking.  I would definitely try for 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon.

Learning new things can be unsettling and make baby restless as does teeth!  Even if she can't practice sitting in the night I think some babies feel this physical urge when they can do new stuff- like I said- restless.  When my baby is teething naps are on the short side and she does wake early.  it is as if she can't make the transitions as easily.  When the teeth are fully in you might see her go back to the old pattern.  After 3 weeks of my dd teething she did finally go back to being the great night sleeper she used to be.

I think you are right to feed though at the early wake up because it has been so long since your dd has ate anything.  I didn't have a dreamfeed so if she made it 10 hrs I felt as if I should feed.

It sounds like you're doing great though!  If she wakes early I would just feed and put back to sleep if you can but let her go at least one full cycle (45 min)...that way she's coming out of sleeping...