Early wakings - length of first nap? HELP Getting worse!

[Wiki]

Hi all,

Well, that's 3 days in a row Caspar has woken at 5am, and I'm expecting it tomorrow too. Going to try to move to 4 EASY and see if that helps anything. The problem is, the length of his first nap. This morning he woke at 4.50am, called out to us at 5.20am, and I finally fed him at 5.45am - strung it out as much as I could.

Thing is, he is ready to go to bed around 7.30am - and so am I - and both the last two mornings we have slept TWO hours. I know this is a bad idea, but I'm exhausted too and need sleep. Given that I need to get my sleep later in the day when he naps, how long should I let him sleep at this time, given the early wakeup?

My routine is on my other post if anyone wants to see it I can post link.

Vic

[teezee]

pls do post the link

if you let lo sleep too long it will only reinforce the early wakings as lo will be able to 'make up' the lost sleep at this time...

[Wiki]

This is what things have been like until he started to get up at 5am...

E 6am wakeup & feed 9oz
A
S 8.10-9am nap
E 9.30am feed 8oz
A
S 11.30-12.30 nap
E 1.30pm eat 9oz
A
S 2.30-4pm
E 4.30pm eat 8oz
A
Bath, bedtime and 9oz bottle around 6.45pm for 7pm sleep


With the 5am wakeups, it roughly turns into:

E 5am wakeup & feed 9oz
A
S 7.20-9.20am nap
E 9.30am feed 8oz
A
S 11.30-13.30 nap
E 1.30pm eat 9oz
A
S 2.30-4pm
E 4.30pm eat 8oz
A
Bath, bedtime and 9oz bottle around 6.45pm for 7pm sleep

[Wiki]

Hi all,

Well, after three days of 5am, he moved things forward an hour both days over the weekend, so I'm not sure if its a habit or not. He was also less hungry and grumpy yesterday and Friday. So maybe his teeth are moving again. I can still see them in the same place in the gum though!

Anyway, last night he woke at 1.30am (he has NEVER woken between feeds, ever at night) and it seemed like he was constipated. I am cutting out that second stage formula, its not worth it. H & I didn't know what to do as we'd never had to get up to him before, so I fed him and he took 8oz (he'd only had 35 in the day and normally has 40-45). I put him back in the cot with his bear, and sat and waited and he got a lot of the wind out and went to sleep on his own! Phew! Heavy rain woke us all at 5.30am, he was happy in his cot until 6.20, I got him up and did some quiet play in his room until 7am, when I fed him.

So he's had an hour nap so far (8.50-9.50am) and been fed at 7 and 11. I'll see what happens after this nap now, I hope its longer than an hour, I think he needs it after the break in the night.

If he starts again at 5am, I will do the 30 min nap as you suggest.

[Wiki]

Ladies, things are getting worse, not better...

Yesterday we managed our first day of 4 EASY, I kinda went cold turkey with him and he was mostly fine, although he only took 6oz at 3pm, so was hungry by 6pm. We had a quick bath, then he drank 9oz and took 30 mins to chat himself off to sleep by 7pm. So 34oz in the daytime.

He woke at 2.45am, and I fed him. Took 7oz and then I watched him take 45 mins to get off to sleep. He really seemed to be writhing around again. He's never had a problem with trapped wind in the night, but he seems to be acting like that now. He woke at 5.30am ready for the day - but I fed him at 7am, and he's gone down for (a short) nap at 8.40am...

I shouldn't have fed him the last two nights, should I? My DH is away tonight, so I think if he wakes up again, I will try to settle him back to sleep first - DH not keen on that at 3am when he has to work the next day. At least if I am on my own I can try it and see if it works...

I don't want to blame 4 EASY for the wakeups as its early days and it started before it, what could it be? Teeth? He doesn't seem in pain, at that end of his body. I feel like its divine retribution for those months and months where he slept through this part of the night fine.

If he has only 34oz today, should I try a dreamfeed tonight to get him closer to 40oz which was what he would drink on 3 EASY?

Vic

[Wiki]

Thanks stacy, I think I'll try the dreamfeed tonight and see what he takes. He's had 3 naps of 30, 30 and 45 mins today, screaming at me like yesterday. Yesterday he resettled after the 2nd nap but not today. End up screaming tired again at 3pm, slept then just ate now. I guess he is overtired. I feel like all the good routine and his good naps are falling apart.

He weighed in at 15lb 14oz today and the HV said to try a bit of solids for the night wakings, I'm not convinced.

If he still wakes after the DF, and is talking/chatting, and then calling out - when do you go in, when he's really crying?

[Wiki]

Thanks stacy, I'll let you know how I get on. I'm so glad to have this place to come to, I am sick of people telling me to try solids, as I know they are not the solution. Also, he's had a bit of a rash, very yellow wee, and an awful nappy this afternoon, so I wonder if it may be teeth (this afternoon anyway). At least if he's going through the small hours full up, I can rule hunger out tonight.

Thanks for the advice on when to go in, I'm sure we go too soon, we do wait until he's "calling" but never a full cry...

[rosie and joe's mummy]

inicidentallly i agree about solids, (what do i know though I have the same problem as you!  and BTW my routine prior to this in the last few weeks was the same as yours, but with a breastfed baby).

I did read somewhere that second stage formula is a real waste of time and in fact really not a good idea at all??  so maybe you're right to stop using that.

[Wiki]

Update on us, well, he was out cold at 6.40pm last night.
Went to bed at 8.30 and got up at 10.30 and fed him - he took 7.5oz!
Was so strange doing it as the last time was 9 weeks ago.
He slept until 6am, and I got him up at 6.30am.

Not keen on his bottle this morning though, 5-6oz only. He kept opening his mouth, drinking some, and then turning his head away and moaning. I can only think its hurting him, as he had 7oz at 3am and 7am yesterday no worries. He had 7oz at 11, and then in the afternoon only 6oz (same head turning thing). 9oz just now.
Will dreamfeed again as he's only had 29oz today, and normally has close to 40.

Can't work out what the lack of drinking interest is for some bottles though, especially at 7am.
Teeth?
Ready for fast-flow teat? (tried a few weeks back and didn't go well)
Just not ready to eat at 4 hourly times yet, not used to new mealtimes from move from 3 EASY?

[Wiki]

Thanks stacy. I was wondering if it was from the DF, but then I couldn't work out why he would do that today when he was happy to have 7oz at 3am AND 7am the day before, no problems. I will see what he does in the morning tomorrow.
I guess maybe I shouldn't have offered it to him at 7am, but waited until he actually fussed for it?

If he fusses and then still does it, I'll try with the gel. I wonder what it will feel like to him to drink with numb gums though

[Wiki]

Well, last night he had 5oz at 11pm, and then woke crying with wind (this is a new one) at 3.30am. At 4.30am after we couldn't settle him, he had another 5oz. So that's making up the 10oz he didn't drink yesterday. You have to laugh, they will top themselves up.

Unfortunately he's been up since 3.30am (apart from 45 min nap) and so have I, so its going to be a long day.

Thanks for bearing with me!

[Kimberly®]

I'm sorry if I missed it, but how old is your LO?
When you get up with him what exactly do you do? do you change him? talk to him? is its dark?

[Wiki]

Karita, he's 20 weeks. He used to be totally fine getting 40oz in the day (3 EASY) but has since dropped back.
Yesterday he ate 6oz at 9, 7oz at 12, 4oz at 4...but was totally happy. He then drained a 10oz bottle at 7pm for his grandparents who were babysitting, and woke at 2am and had another 8oz!

He woke up today at 5.30am (I am not sure if I need to try W2S on this yet) but I waited and waited and he was finally hungry at 7.30am - drank 9oz. So maybe we are back on track today. He seems to need 38-40oz a day.
I really want to make sure he doesn't get up in the night, I think he might be better when he adapts to 4 EASY and is hungry enough to drink his whole bottle each time. If he doesn't get enough, I would rather dreamfeed him the extra than let him get up in the early hours. Is that ok?

When he first started waking in the night, he would just talk to himself. We'd leave him to see if he would settle, but after 15-20mins he would start to call for us. I've tried to get him to go back to sleep (won't take a paci etc) but he would only want food. Last night and the night before, he woke crying straight away, we fed him, he went back to sleep. No nappy changes, no real talking to him.

But he will keep waking at 5.30am anyway!