Please Help - EASY 3HR at night, habitual waking? , don't know what to do....

[QuinnVMom]

Hi,

Thank you in advance for assistance.  My son is 12 weeks and I think we have some habitual waking issues. I work full time and is on schedule the entire day. I recently changed his schedule to see I could work out the wakings and also get rid of the cluster feedings like the book suggested.  This is the schedule before - wake and feed at 6,9,12,3, cluster at 5 and 7 bed, slept till 12 (5 hours!) wake at 12, 3 and 6 for the first feed of the day.  I am feeding him at every wake (bottle feed during the day and BF at night)  So this past week I changed his schedule as I think the 12 and 3 feed are habitual.  this is what it is now
6 first feed of the day
9
12
3
6 down for the night

9:30PM feed (bottle feed -3 oz so not an entire feed)

12:30PM feed (BF but only on for a few minutes)

3:30 feed (BF but only on for a few minutes)

6 up for the day.

I was up all night crying because I don't know what I am doing wrong.  Now that I have changed is schedule he has dropped the 5 hour sleep and wakes every 3 hours, we are regressing....

He does not take a pacifier ( I either have to hold it in or he spits it out) and he is crying so bad that shhhpat does not work.  The only thing that soothes him back to sleep is BF but doesn't take a full feed or lying down with him, holding him and the pacifier in for about an hour.

So here are my questions:

Do I go back to the original schedule?

Do I try a different schedule?

Do I try the wake to sleep? and If so, do I work on both (12am and 3am) or just one at a time? 

What should happen if he does wake, should I not feed him? 

I am so frustrated and exhausted that I have gotten to the point of letting him sleep with me (which I do not want to do).

Any suggestions?

Thank you!

[Colin Macs Mom]

At 12 weeks he should not need to eat that often at night. He should genuinely need one feed at night, maybe two. After that routine that you were doing, he surely has a suck/eat to sleep association, and probably doesn't know how to sleep independently. He's too young yet for PU/PD, but have you tried pat/shh?

[QuinnVMom]

Thank you for your reply.

I thought the same thing about suck/sleep association but that is the weird thing, during the day I can put him down in his crib awake and he will put him self to sleep.  It seems like he has the problem at night, do you think it is because I BF at night, should I only bottle feed.  If he wakes, what should I do to break him of that.  I have tried shh/pat but he gets so upset it wakes him up futher

[QuinnVMom]

One more thought, should I try wake to sleep?  Also, he has pretty bad relux, on previced (sp?) but does not eat large feeds during the day, would he be needing to eat at night to make up for that?

[finlays mam]

Hi there, do you think you need to review his reflux meds?  he might be in pain and more so at night....

Debbie x

[QuinnVMom]

hi,

we just switched from zanyac to previcid about a week ago.  we give him the dose at night, my dh thinks by giving it at night he feels better so wants to eat more.  but when he wakes he really doesn't eat....

[finlays mam]

How often can you give this medication, is it once daily? a couple of things have come to my mind.. do you swaddle?  Have you tried a different paci... when i was bf my midwife suggested cherry teats ( not sure what you would call them in the US)  try different ones, you never know. is it possible he's cold at night and that's what's waking him?

Debbie x

[Colin Macs Mom]

I see - reflux changes everything. Refluxers tend to want to eat often because it soothes the pain. Especially at night when laying down aggravates it. If he's still having that much trouble I think you should revisit the meds with the doc. Maybe the dosage needs adjusting or something like that.

Is he sleeping elevated? On a wedge, or do you have one end of the mattress raised?

[QuinnVMom]

Hi,

I give him his med once a day around 6pm, we are giving him 7ml once a day.  We do have a wedge pillow on the crib mattress and the changing table is elevated.  I do swaddle him, he will not sleep in his crib without the swaddle.  I have tried several paci, he will take each one and then spits it out within a few seconds once he knows it is not food...

[finlays mam]

The other thing i was going to ask is do you give any bottles?

Debbie x

[angelina and andrew's mum]

hang in there-it will take time. i have had the same probs with my lo, she also has reflux and would wake several times during the night-sometimes every hr. i was desperate to get some sleep!!! my lo used to go to bed at 6 also but ive recently changed it to 7.45 with no dreamfeed and shes sleeping to 1.30 or 3.30am and then thats her till 6-6.30. she doesnt eat alot during the day either(4-6oz every 3 hrs).would you consider having a slightly later bedtime to see if that works?
 i have to admit-i am no expert on this subject-weve only changed this for 2 days now but i saw a great improvement within the 1st day.  good luck

[QuinnVMom]

Hi,
I am back...
I tried several things over the past two weeks.  I started to gradually move him to a 3.5 hour EASY schedule and he slept from 7:30 to 12:00 feed and then from 1:00 to 6, 4 nights in a row!!!! Then last week we had a set back, I think a growth spurt and back to 3 hour EASY.  Now he is like clock work again eating every 3 hours.  Do you think I should try the 3.5 hours again    He is now waking up an hour to 2 hours after I put him down for the night???


E: 6:00am Feed   
A: 6:30am Activity
S: 7:30am (Nap 1 ½ to 2 hours)

E: 9:00am Feed   
A: 9:30am Activity
S: 10:30am (Nap 1 ½ to 2 hours)

E: 12:00pm Feed   
A: 12:30pm Activity
S: 1:30pm (Nap 1 ½ to 2 hours)

E: 3:00pm Feed   
A: 3:30pm Activity
S: 4:30pm Catnap for 40-50 minutes

E: 6:00pm Feed – Reflux Medicine         
A: 6:30pm Bath, into night clothes, book
S: 7:00 Bed for Night

Wakes around 8:30- 9:00 and I tried give him a paci and he wants to eat

wakes around 11:00 to 12:00 to eat

wakes 5:00 for the day!!

HELP!

[Colin Macs Mom]

Sounds like the 3.5 EASY worked well  so I would go back to that.

[QuinnVMom]

I forgot to mention that he is only taking 1 hour naps now...... before he would take 1 1/2 to 2 hours long.  I just read Tracy sleep interview and I am a little confused.  If he wakes after an hour to i get him up for activity or do i PU/PD?

[Colin Macs Mom]

What does your routine look like now? I assume it's different from the one you posted before?