Very Frequent Night Wakings

[shikhye]

Hi All,

Hope you all are doing well.  I've got a problem that's left my dh (dear husband?) and I awake most of the night for the last few weeks.  Due to accidental parenting (misread cues during his growth spurt etc.) and a bad case of itchy eczema, my lo (Colin) is habitually waking up at around 1:30a and 3:00a with a feeding anywhere between 4:30-5:00. Everytime we try wake-to-sleep, he'll change his wake up time due to the itchy rash. The problem is that with the eczema, sometimes his wake ups are unpredictable. We are exhausted since this has been going on since the beginning of March.

Any advice on how to reset his clock?

Here's some info:

How old is your child? - 3.5 months
What’s his/her daily routine? - 3 to 3.5 hour EASY. Has been on EASY since 4 weeks.
What’s nap routine? - 3 naps a day. Wakes up after 50 mins usually. Will p/s to extend nap
How long are naps? 50 mins to 1.5 hrs. Sometimes 2 hours.
What's bedtime routine? Time? Bedtime is at 7pm.  Nightime wash, swaddle, listen to the same lullaby for 4 mins and then is put to bed.
Do you bottle or breastfed?? Breastfeed only.
How much? or how long? 6 times in 24 hours, for about 15 to 20 mins.
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed) Both sides.
How many wakes per night? At least 3
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? He'll wake up stirring and then will cry.  It's getting easier to get him back to sleep, but not asleep for too long.
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry?  Cry
What have you tried to settle?? P/S and paci. But paci we wait until it drops out or we take it out after a few minutes.  We use it to help him self-soothe.
What do you do for A time and how long is it? Tummytime, talking, etc. He's awake for no more than 1.25 hours including E
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones? No
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months) - No
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? - P/S? sometimes Paci if we're desperate for sleep.
Do they have a lovie? No

Please help, we are desperate and I'll be going back to work in a week.
Thanks so much!
Jen

[shikhye]

Thanks so much for the quick reply 

We dream feed at 11pm and that works out really great. He takes the full feed. He was 15 lbs at 3 months, so I know that he can go the distance without eating until at least 6-6:30 am, it's happened a few times.

I did feel that his A time was short, but he gets so fussy when he's tired, the sooner I get him to bed, the easier it is for him to fall asleep on his own.  His first nap is always the best, and then it gets progressively worse until bedtime. I will try to extend the A time, and see what happens. I guess his A time including feeds should be about 1.5 hours or so?

I don't know much about the bath thing and eczema since he was just diagnosed. Since it's still cold out we give him a bath only twice a week, but washing all the important parts in the AM and PM (face, hands, bottom, neck). We then slather him with cetaphil cream and vaseline (or A&D). It's been helping with the rash.

I'd have to say the routine when we wake up is consistent but the wake-up time is not. I used to take my cues from him regarding wake-up time. It can be anywhere between 7am to 9am. Occasionally he'll do a 6am feed, but I'm finding that anything past 9am makes for a grumpy baby although lately, I've really needed the extra sleep to get me thru the day. This is when I bring him to my bed so I could get at least some shut-eye. 

My plan is to improve the itchy rash and increase the A time first.  Maybe I'll then try wake-to-sleep again and see if that works.

Thanks for your time and insight!

jen

[shikhye]

It makes total sense with what's going on with him. I'll extend the A and do the consistent wake-up time. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

[DarbysMom]

We are having trouble with our 10 1/2 month old. She typically goes to bed at 7:00, but usually wakes up (although she's not always hungry) at about 9:30 or so. Some nights, she wakes 2-3 times, sometimes every couple of hours, again, not always hungry. She won't seem to go to sleep without at least being offered the breast. This is all complicated by the fact that she won't take a bottle or sippy cup of anything at any time. She is eating finger food during the day, but the nights are the real trouble spot. Sleep deprivation is getting the best of mom, so any advice for things to try are appreciated. We're trying to get her both to wean and sleep through the night. (We are currently trying to reduce night feeding time).

[shikhye]

Hi Darby's Mom,

I just wanted to follow-up with your suggestions. They seem to be working very well.  His E/A time has been extended to about 1.75 to 2 hours and since he's almost 4 months (1 wk shy), we are extending the time between feeds, working our way to 4 hours.  He's been pretty exhausted the last few days, but he's getting used to the new routine because his naps have gotten a lot better. He still wakes after 50 minutes, but he'll then go back to sleep with just a few pats and his paci for another 1 hour.

At night, his itching still wakes him up, but only twice and only for a few minutes. He'll go back to sleep after about 15 mins of patting. I figure as long as he gets a good nights rest, the wake-ups are just a part of motherhood. Something to both cherish and enjoy regardless of how tired we are

Thanks for everything!
Jen

[DarbysMom]

Shikhye,

You might talk with your doctor about increasing the Omega 3 is  his diet.  They are a common deficiency in babies with eczema.   My dd has it too and we have battled it all winter.  We have seen a naturopath for it & are slowly working through finding the root cause of the problem. We have analyzed diet (mine & hers), allergens (dust, clothing, etc) & have actually settled on it being a funky fungus that she picked up from me somehow (we think).  Anyhow, her immune system is weak because of trying to fight this for 6 months, so when she gets a cold or something, it flares up.  Nice to see I'm not the only one out there dealing with an ugly rash in weird spots.  Hang in there!

[shikhye]

Hi Stacy,

Oops sorry, I meant to update you since you gave me the advice 
Thanks again!

Hi Darby's mom,

I've been taking DHA supplements since I was pregnant so I don't think that's the cause, but it's very interesting to hear that there could be other triggers.  I cut out eggs and milk for a few weeks, thinking this may be the cause, but he's still got the rash, poor thing.  Maybe I'll see an allergist to figure out what could be causing the problem.  Thanks for sharing your experience, it is good to know that others may have helpful answers and solutions to my own problems

Best regards,
Jen