Author Topic: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's  (Read 1415 times)

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Offline oilers73

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5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« on: June 20, 2006, 05:12:50 am »
The longest my ds has ever slept at night was 5hrs.  We've just discovered the baby whisperer and have been trying it the last two weeks.  We've been following the suggested routine - wake up and eat starting at 7am and napping by 9am etc....  I have almost had no problems getting him to adjust in the daytime but he has problems getting to sleep in the evening - it takes him about 1 to 1.25 hrs to sleep.  The df is not working too well since he has adjusted to it and actually wakes up between 10 and 11pm expecting it.  After the df, he'll wake up constantly with no pattern.  We've triep pu/pd but it only gets him going and he goes into a temper tantrum and sometimes he won't calm down for 2 hrs!!  He has acid reflux, which probably causes the constant wakings.  We've tried elevating his head but he keeps sliding down or rolling to the side of the crib, thereby waking himself up. 

I need suggestions.  I don't know what else to do.  I haven't had a good night's sleep since he's been born!


How old is your child?  5.5 mo
What’s his/her daily routine?  exactly as in the book
What’s nap routine?  as soon as he becomes irritable, place him in his crib with soother and he sleeps within 5 mins
How long are naps?  2 hrs, 1.5 hrs, 45 min
What's bedtime routine? Time?  sponge bath and prayers.  7:30 pm but won't fall asleep until 8:45pm
Do you bottle or breastfed??  breasfeed
How much? or how long?   7 mins each side
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed)  both
How many wakes per night?  too many to count
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up?   cries.  Up sometimes 5 mins, towards morning up to 2 hrs
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry?  fussing. If I wait until he cries - I can't get him to calm down. 
What have you tried to settle??  sh, pat and pu/pd
What do you do for A time and how long is it?  varies - sometimes plays with toys, reading, tummy time, swimming.
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?  I think teething again.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)  yes, once a day.
Do they have a prop? If so what is it?  pacifier
Do they have a lovie?  teddy

Offline LauraTH

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2006, 17:41:54 pm »
Hello!

I know how you feel, and am still working through quite a bit with my LO but maybe try proping him on his side. We just tried that with our Lo and she is sleeping much better now. Only a suggestion.

Good luck, i hope that you can find the answers you need:)
Laura

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2006, 18:20:49 pm »
Hi there, welcome to BW! My DS has also always been a fantastic napper, but nights have been very challenging for us as well.  ::)  Weird, since most people seem to have the opposite problem! My DS also has reflux, and that definitely makes sleeping even harder than it already is. That probably does have at least something to do with all his wakings. Is he on medication? For how long? What have you used to elevate his head? Sometimes it helps to try different methods until you find what works. We used a wedge and he didn't slide down with that, but he did with the mattress elevated. If you aren't elevating anymore, your lo is probably getting heartburn at night. I think your #1 thing is to tackle that.

Here are a few other thoughts... sometimes a dreamfeed can actually make things worse. It can disrupt their sleep cycles and therefore cause more wakings. I could never do one just for that reason, it made things wayyyyyy worse than they already were. Do you think that perhaps that could be happening, or do you think that the reflux is the only culprit? Also, you might need to be putting him down sooner than you are. If you wait until he's irritable, it might already be too late and he's overtired.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline noonan7522

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2006, 20:00:50 pm »
My little guy is almost 4 months old.  He has acid reflux but on a formula that has helped much of the problem  I feel your pain.  We have been on easy since he was born.  He still hasn't slept through the night.  Many nights he is ready to get up and play around 3 and doesn't go back to sleep until 6.  Things just recently started to get worse.  He is up more often.  I am home from work for the summer, but I feel like we are trapped in the house because he needs to catch up on his sleep during the naptime.  I will let you know if the dreamfeed being dropped will help.

Offline oilers73

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2006, 00:29:05 am »
Thanks for all of your suggestions.  Please do let me know if dropping the df will help.  It seems as though the df has caused the reflux as well as disrupting his sleep cycles.  However, before, when I was nursing him every time he woke up, if it was 3 to 4 hrs between feeds, he would always take a full feed.  I read somewhere that that could mean that he was actually hungry.  He is a big boy and shouldn't have to nurse at this age.

I have tried sleeping him on his side.  It was working for a little while but he has learned to roll back on his back. 

He is not on any medications for his reflux since he has had no problems gaining weight.  My doctor is a bit leary of giving medications to a baby if it does not really disrupt his health.  My ds is a very happy and healthy baby.  His lack of sleep is bothering me more than him!

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2006, 16:02:27 pm »
Oilers, I do think that you should try dropping the DF. It sounds to me like it's making things worse, and it's probably aggravating his reflux. Does he sleep on an incline at all?

Actually, many los need a night feed for quite some time - some even up to a year. At 5.5 months he probably does still need one. But if it's aggravating the reflux and giving him heartburn at night, then it's worth trying to wean.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline oilers73

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2006, 11:21:10 am »
Unfortunately, I think ds still needs the df as well as the night feeds.  Tonight, I succombed to feeding him when he awoke at 2:30 am.  I did pu/pd, which actually did work out well, but he woke up 45 minutes later.  The preceding nights he would do this all of the time until 7am.  Tonight, I was very tired and decided to nurse him.  He took a full feed and wanted more but managed to sleep anyway.  The last couple of nights, it doesn't seem as though the pain of the reflux has bothered him as much although it has caused a very stuffy nose. 

I think I'm going to have to start to try to tank him up before bedtime, although this will take awhile as I have to try to get my milk to "catch" up.

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 5.5 mo old, good napper but many nw's
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2006, 15:55:26 pm »
Well if he's taking a full feed them by all means, give it. I used to clusterfeed in the evenings because I could never do a DF, and it worked wonders.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o