7 Months and waking every hour

[popsey]

My 7 month old daughter (was born 2 month prem) keeps waking in the night.  She used to sleep through until about 5.30 or maybe longer and it was just a case of put the dummy in and she would go back to sleep for a hour or more, but the past couple of weeks her sleep pattern at night has got really bad. 

First of all 2 months ago her naps times went down to 45 mins and she is still doing this and I sometimes get her back to sleep with the sshh pat and other times, she just won't go back to sleep, but now her night wakings have got really bad.

The past couple of nights have been the worst, she went to bed at 7.00 and woke at 8.00, then 9.00 then 10.00.  I gave her a dream feed at 10.30 and some medised as I am thinking she could be teething.  However she does not seem to be really upset in the day or that much at night it is just a case of put her dummy in and she is fine.  But I used the medised to calm her down a bit so she would sleep, however she woke last night at 2.30 am, then 3.30,4.30,5.30,6.30 and by that time I go her up.  The night before was pretty much the same, waking every hour from 3.30 onwards.

Do you think it could be teething or do you think it is something I am doing wrong?  I am worried that the dummy might be making her worse and that is why she keeps waking when it is not there, but she never used to wake like this before.  I am kind of hoping it is teething so it might pass, but am worried incase it is something I have done to make her wake so many times.  Her twin brother is on the same routine as her and he sleep really well, put him down at 7.00 and very rearly to I hear anything out of him all night.

If someone could shed some light I would be grateful, I am just feeling tired and unsure what I should do. 

Also I am worried about keep giving her medised and calpol is that a bad thing to keep giving when it could be something else that is waking her.

[litomi]

Would you like to post your routine?

[popsey]

7.00 - 7.20 get them both up and feed them milk
8.00  activity
8.40 upstairs top and tail
9.00 back to sleep
(then they both should sleep until 11.00 but will always wake after 45 mins sometimes get them back to sleep)
11.00 feed them both milk followed by solids
12.00 activity then calm down
1.00 back to sleep
(then they should both sleep until 3.00, providing they go back after 45mins)
3.00 feed them both milk
3.30 activity
4.15 give them solids
4.45 back to sleep for a cat nap
5.30 wake and leave them underneath their mobile
6.00 bath time
6.30 feed time
7.00 sleep
10.30 dream feed

[gemmah]

I was having exactly same problem. Naps getting shorter and about 5 or waking in the night.
This is day 4 of weaning her off her dummy to see if that was the problem.
First night without dummy she woke once but then was up at 5.30, but then settled after half hour, 2 next nights woke once but went straight back to sleep. Last night she woke 5.00am but that was hunger, because for some reason she gone off her solids? one bloody problem after another!

I would say just try it without dummy for a nap see how it goes!

Also well done to you for looking after 2

[M and N's Mom]

2 hours of awake time seems very short for 7 months.  You might try extending their A times little by little, and eventually phasing out the catnap.  My DS is 7 months as well and here is his routine for comparison:

7:30 BF
8:30 Solids
Play time
10:30-11:30 Nap

11:30 BF
Solids/Play Time
2:30-4:00 Nap

4:00 BF
6:30 BF
7:00 Nap

If there isn't enough awake time before naps, they won't be tired enough to sleep longer than 45 minutes which could be why you are having trouble extending their naps.  My DS can handle 3 hours A time.

Good luck    I can't imagine trying to juggle two 

[popsey]

I have to say that I have tired extending naps but that does nothing and then I end up with a overtired child, I left her the other day but she just will fall asleep because she get tired, but it still does not resolve why she would keep waking every hour.  when I put her to bed at night she goes straight off.  I have tired getting rid of the cat nap but if she is only doing the 45 mins then she gets tired. 

I also not sure if giving her medicine is the right thing or wrong thing to be doing as I still don;t know if she is waking every hour because of her teeth.

I have got used to the 45 min thing in the day as I have had that for 2 months now but the night waking is the worst thing.

I suppose just want to know if I have caused the problem with her waking in the night or wether it is something that will pass soon

[M and N's Mom]

I'm not sure what to tell you about the meds...I know it is hard too and when DS is up and I don't know why, I struggle with when to give him something.  My general thought is that if he has been in a good mood all day, not bothered by teething, etc., that the night is probably not something that needs meds...unless everything else I try fails.

As for the Awake time, read this link:  https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52878.0

45 minute naps, and not enough awake time, actually can affect night time sleep.  I know when I was having problems with my DS waking at night, everyone kept telling me you have to fix the days in order to fix the nights.  Are you sure your lo is really tired, and not bored-tired?  That was our problem for a while and when we changed scenery he would be fine for a while longer.