Author Topic: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings  (Read 1277 times)

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Offline wonderma

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new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« on: June 17, 2006, 02:40:28 am »
My son is 19 weeks old, has been on 4 hour EASY for 3 weeks. Does well during the day, but night wakings have increased. Usually 2 per night, he had been sleeping all the way through previously but not always consistently. I have stopped feeding at night for about 2 weeks. I have trouble reading his cries, but since he has been on EASY since birth, I've never really had a problem figuring out what he needed based on the routine. I stopped feeding him at night because he never took more than 5 minutes and during the day he feeds for 10-20 minutes  (I usually feed just one side). So at night when he wakes, I don't know what its for. I use pu/pd to get him back down (takes 10-30 minutes). He'll stay asleep after that for 2-5 hours. So, my question is, I'm just not sure if he's hungry. I'm confused by the BW book as Tracey says you should always feed a hungry baby, but does this apply to the nights as well? How do I know if he's having a growth spurt? Do I feed him at night then? His night waking has been pretty erratic. He eats so much better during the day if I don't feed him at night, but I'm exhausted. Our routine is below...(I removed the Activity, for simplicity...but it is always after the Eat)


E 7am
S 9-11am
E 11am
S 1-3pm
E 3pm
S 5-6pm walk in stroller outside (sleeps zero to 45 minutes usually, although I walk for the full hour)
Bath 6:45pm
Feed 7pm and then bed. He is awake when I lay him done and he settles himself
Dreamfeed at 1030pm (feeds about 4-6 min strong sucking then slow suck for 4 more minutes and not as many swallows)

wakes somewhere between 1 and 3am pu/pd to get back down
wakes again between 4-6am and I've been putting him in the swing, but I'm going to stop tonight

Also should mention that his naps during the day his naps can vary between 1.5 to 2 hours. Sometimes he wakes at 45 min and I use pu/pd get him back down or just sooth in the crib, takes about 4 min only.

And should mention that Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a strollercise class from 10-11 am and his morning nap is usually short or non-existent on these days. So he usually has a nap from 1230 til 3pm on those days.

I know this is a lot of info, I hope someone out there can help. If this is just a normal thing that babies do, that would also help to know.



Offline Harvey and Theos Mam

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2006, 09:13:35 am »
Hi there, it could be a growth spurt, he could be learning to do a new thing also as this disrupts their sleep big time.
I am having trouble at the moment with Theo crawling up the cot and he wakes af ew times at night because of this. Babies do most of their learning in their sleep and this can be hard for a while until they have settled down with their new ability.

Growth spurts happen about every 6 weeks and the first is at around 6 weeks of age. SO he would be around the right age or just getting over a growth spurt (18wks est). I have heard that b/f babies can have alonger spurt than bottle fed babies.

Teething could be another reason too, is he showing any signs?
Rhian
 

Offline wonderma

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2006, 14:35:48 pm »
Well last night he did much better. I hadn't heard a peep by 5am, I had to go and peek in to make sure he was OK. I had put him to bed in a diaper and a swaddle, no PJ's. He had been so sweaty the last few nights. I'm not sure if it helped. But he did wake at 6am. I tried to hold out as long as I could,but he was crying. He smiled when I came in and I knew he wanted to get up for the day, no way too early for me. He had busted out of his swaddle. So I did a quick diaper change, reswaddled and fed him. I figured he HAD to be hungry as I had last fed him at 1030pm.  I wasn't sure what i should do. I knew he would never go back to sleep on his own, and I didn't have the strength to do Pu/pd this morning. So he ended up back in the swing. I had to wake him at 7:15 to start the day.

As far as teething I'm not sure. The signs may be....used to suck thumb and stopped a month ago (has never taken paci), used to sleep better, sometimes has very rosy cheeks, sometimes drools more, wants to chomp down on every thing all the time. No signs on his gums. The BW solves all your problems book says teething should take only 9 days, the 3 days before the tooth comes, the 3 days while it cuts through and the 3 days afterward. He's been having the above signs for weeks????

What should you do when they wake at 5-6:30am? Obviously they are going to be hungry...but who wants to start a habit that is going to have them up everyday at that time. I'm sure the swing is not the answer??!! :)

Offline Harvey and Theos Mam

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2006, 15:22:32 pm »
Great news about the good night sleep.

Theo started to wake between 4-6am and i was a little lost, so i reread parts of the book to get some help and Tracy said that babies tend to wake at these hours. What happens next depends on what the parent do.
I pat/shh him until he went back to sleep (only took about 5 mins) and after a few days he just slept through that time. If he wouldn't settle after about 15-30 mins then maybe he would need a feed, like you say, he has done well from 10:30pm, but try not to feed him on a regular basis or as soon as he wake or it will become a habit.

Theo also started waking at 4am last week and i had to do the pat/shh again as i didn't want him to wake that time every night thinking he would get a feed. If he is just mooching and notcrying then gentle pats before he fully wakes should be enough to get him before he wakes fully. I am a very light sleeper so i hear him before he wakes most of the time.

Babies drool to help the prevention of bacteria from when they learn to put their hands into their mouths, so maybe he isn't teething just yet.

HTH
Rhian
 

Offline OriginalSunshine

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2006, 04:57:01 am »
this is my situation almost precisely! my DS is 4 & 1/2 months as well (born 1st Feb) and doing precisely what is being described.
As soon as he went onto 4 hour EASY 3 weeks ago his daytimes turned from being horrors to being sweetness, but now he wakes between 2 & 4am. DH tries ssh-pat which works for about 10 minutes. After several goes and 30-40 minutes later I give in and feed him and he takes 30-40 minutes of breast feeding, so he must be hungry.

 ???

Offline Missy Lou

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2006, 14:34:41 pm »
I just posted a new thread about this topic.  My DD is 18.5 weeks old.  4 hour EASY has really been a struggle.  It took several weeks for the days to get worked out but the nights have gotten worse and worse.  She is waking up between 4 and 6.  She wakes up, I give her the pacifier, she goes to sleep for another hour and then we start again.  Last night was the worst it's been in months.  It took 1.5  hours to get her back to bed (from 3:45 to 5:15).  Then she was up again at 6:15.  I tried the pacifier again but it became a game of spit it out every 10 minutes.  I know she's tired though.  As soon as that pacifier's in or if I do pu/pd, her eyes close.  But then they pop right back open. 

I am completely lost also.  It doesn't seem like there's an answer.

Offline wonderma

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2006, 04:09:39 am »
Hi there,
Just wanted everyone to know that things have gotten better for us. We have stuck with the 4 hour EASY during the day and attempted to use pu/pd for night wakings and not feed. I kinda have a feeling that starting the 4 hour EASY at 4 months also coincides with a growth spurt which makes things tough for a bit. I was really tempted to go back to 3 and 1/2 hour EASY and see if it got better or to try and cluster feed or something. I did try moving my dreamfeed a little closer to 11 and I think that helped. My lo will be 20 weeks tomorrow.The first time I tried pu/pd at night it took 30 minutes...exhausting. But it got shorter each time. I also didn't think the pu/pd would work for those super early morning wakings (4-6am)...but it did. 2 nights ago it only took like 6 minutes of pu/pd at 530am. I was certain there was no way he would go back down cuz he had to be hungry...but he was still sleeping at 7am!!! So I'm not sure, maybe just keep trying and feed on both sides during the day if you breast feed (or give more in a bottle) and see if it gets better. Even though it was hard I found phasing out the night feedings in conjunction with starting the 4 hour EASY made things better. He ate much more at during the day which made him less hungry at night. Our pediatrician also recommends not to night feed after 4 months, saying their stomach is big enough for them to eat enough during the day now to get them through the night. With the docs support I felt more comfortable in stopping the night feeds. Just thought I'd let you know what worked for us so you could be hopeful. Let me know how it works out for you guys.

Offline Harvey and Theos Mam

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Re: new to 4hr EASY, increased night wakings
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2006, 12:33:28 pm »
That is great news.

Here's to a future of a good nights sleep.

Well done on persisting as it is so much easier to say something than practicing it.
Rhian