Author Topic: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking  (Read 2734 times)

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Offline willowonyx

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4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« on: November 29, 2006, 21:08:42 pm »
My dd is on her way to 5 months and is still getting up between 2 and 4am to eat.  There is a lot to her. So be prepared to read.

She has major reflux and one of her dosages is given when she wakes up because she usually needs to eat something.

This is her routine.
6:15am wake
6:30    5-8oz from bf
10:30    5-8oz bottle (some days she drinks only 5 oz some days up to 8oz, no matter how much the daycare people try)
2:30    5-8oz bottle (same dilemma)
6:30    6oz bottle (she usually doesn't finish it, maybe only 5 oz)
7pm     bedtime
10:30    6oz bottle dreamfeed (most of the time she finishes it)
2-4am wakes up SCREAMING.  We try to comfort her and put her down after giving her, her Zantac.  Most nights she will fall back asleep for 20-30 minutes and then wake up again SCREAMING for food.  Then only drinks up to 2 oz.  Lately, I have been trying to limits how much of that 2oz she drinks, like maybe only let her have 1oz, and that seems to sedate her until we get her up in the morning.

Naps during the day have ALWAYS been catnaps, she has never been big on long naps.  And she is awake between naps for anywhere from 1.5 to 2.25 hours.  She does however "require" a capnap around 6pm to get her through her bedtime routine.  But then she goes down beautifully every night (we are very lucky with this).

Any, Any suggestions as to how to get this night waking gone.  I know that some say to up the daytime feeding amounts, but I give her as much possibility to eat more, but she just sometimes doesn't want to.  And no matter if she is eats 5 or 8 oz from every bottle, she still wakes up at night wanting some feeding.

Thanks.

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2006, 22:11:22 pm »
Frankly, it's not at all unusual for a LO her age to still need a night feed. There's nothing wrong with that. Many do until 6 or 7 mo and some even up to a year. I really urge you to not continue to limit how much she eats at night - she needs it!

Refluxers sometimes want to eat often (which can lead to snacking) because it soothes the pain. Sounds like that may be what she's doing.... if so, then I wouldn't necessarily try and correct it. When a LO is in pain or otherwise unwell you're usually better of to do what needs to be done to get through as comfortably as possible until LO is better.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline Kimberly®

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2006, 23:30:29 pm »
I agree with both PP. Sounds like your LO is right where she sound be. 12 hours is a long time to go without a feed. Sounds like your LO is doing a lot better then you might think for her age. VERY few LO's sleep 12 hours without a feed untill 6+ months.
Kimberly

Offline becky1969

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2006, 00:19:14 am »
My LO has reflux too. I think it sounds like she may be soothing her throat with that feed. You might ask your ped about another medicine besides Zantac too, if pain is still an issue. Many have found that Zantac works at first but then stops working so well. Prevacid is what we're on, and I think many have had great success with this medication. The downside is it takes 2 weeks to start working. The upside is it treats the cause, not just the symptoms, so your LO can have longer term success with it.  It's awful for them to be hurting. I know it broke my heart when Owen would wake in the night with pain from the reflux. You may find if you can treat the pain better, she'll feed better during the day and not need that feed at night anymore. Then again, some babies stomachs are only so big, so she may only be able to do 6 oz at a time, and will need to make up the difference at night. Like PPs mentioned, 1 night feed is definitely not unusual at this age, so don't worry too much about it.
Owen, 12/28/05 7 lb 2 oz

Enjoying the toddler years!

Offline saree's mom

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2006, 04:31:24 am »
Sorry to butt into this thread but it caught my eye and iseemed like a good place to post.
My lo who is almost 6 mts used to go till 4:30 from her DF at 10-10:30, but lately its all screwed up.
My dd goes to bed about 7:30 on an average nite. Sometimes wakes up for her DF at about 10 (whats up with that??), which i give her bec its right when i normally would.

This happened the last 2 nites:
After DF she then wakes up 1:15, bf her back to sleep :( and then wakes again at 3:30. I tried to get her back to sleep first nite when i picked her up she gave a loud burp so i figured that was the problem but when i put her back down and tried to pat her back to sleep with paci she got all upset so i tried nursing. She didnt go back to sleep. She stayed up an hour  :o

Last nite woke again like 1:15 - 1:30 bf back to sleep no problem. Woke a second time 3:30, tried to give her paci and shh pat, no luck, tried bf, no luck too awake already. She was up with dh again for more than an hr. She never did this before, i dont know what to do.
I work full time and even her 4:30 wake up was difficult, but this is nuts. She naps pretty well, sometimes her naps can be a little short (45 min) but not as a general rule, some day much better. Her third nap i always wake her after 45 min so that she is ready to sleep by bedtime.

This is her routine:
7:15-7:30 wakes up  (babbles in crib for a good 30 min., she isn't hungry when she wakes up,
E 8:00-8:15               so i feel like these nws are not necessary, but i cant monitor her oz.
S 9:30  -(45-1.15 hr)   intake bec she has bf, ebm, and formula every day.)
E 12:15
S 12:45 (usually longer nap 1.30 maybe even 2hrs)
E- 4:10
S- 4:45 (wake her after 45 min.)
Is her naps too soon after E bec of her 1st feed being to late after she wakes up? Even at 8ish she doesnt bf too long, i have to keep pushing her to eat a lil more.
Please help dont know if nws have to do with her naps  :'( (im more frustrated bec i dont know how to figure out what im doing wrong) , and nothing developmental going on that i am aware of.... ????

Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2006, 15:32:50 pm »
saree's mom.....The one thing that I am very familiar with is what you are going through.  Whenever my LO is going through a growth spurt or something developmental, she gets off her "routine" at night and will wake up at weird times unhappy.  And she always does it a week or so before a big step.

My LO also sometimes wakes up before her DF.....it is like she has come to expect it, but only sometimes.  I think that those are the days that she doesn't have enough to eat during the day though.

I would just ride out what your LO has been doing the last two nights and see if it continues, but it could last for a whole week....sorry.

Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2006, 15:37:32 pm »
Frankly, it's not at all unusual for a LO her age to still need a night feed. There's nothing wrong with that. Many do until 6 or 7 mo and some even up to a year. I really urge you to not continue to limit how much she eats at night - she needs it!

Refluxers sometimes want to eat often (which can lead to snacking) because it soothes the pain. Sounds like that may be what she's doing.... if so, then I wouldn't necessarily try and correct it. When a LO is in pain or otherwise unwell you're usually better of to do what needs to be done to get through as comfortably as possible until LO is better.

Thanks.  I know if can be completely normal for her to still be waking up once at night.  But I guess I should have mentioned that it is at a consistant time, like at 4am every night for a week or so, not one night at 2 and then the next at 3.  Because recently, it has been at 4am that she wakes up.  So I defintiely think it has to do with how much she has eaten during the day and then at her DF.

But I must report that she did sleep through the night last night.  I am sure that it will not happen again tonight, but the things that were different for her day yesterday was that she drank between 6-7oz at every feed and did not have a nap at the normal 6pm time before the night-time routine......so maybe if that is all dulpicated, it will prove that this works.

Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2006, 15:40:33 pm »
My LO has reflux too. I think it sounds like she may be soothing her throat with that feed. You might ask your ped about another medicine besides Zantac too, if pain is still an issue. Many have found that Zantac works at first but then stops working so well. Prevacid is what we're on, and I think many have had great success with this medication. The downside is it takes 2 weeks to start working. The upside is it treats the cause, not just the symptoms, so your LO can have longer term success with it.  It's awful for them to be hurting. I know it broke my heart when Owen would wake in the night with pain from the reflux. You may find if you can treat the pain better, she'll feed better during the day and not need that feed at night anymore. Then again, some babies stomachs are only so big, so she may only be able to do 6 oz at a time, and will need to make up the difference at night. Like PPs mentioned, 1 night feed is definitely not unusual at this age, so don't worry too much about it.

Thanks.  At her 6 month ped appt I may ask about this.  It just seems she gets used to her dosage way too quickly and we have to up it so often.  It is already up to 0.8ml 3X a day.  And since it is weight based, she will eventually be taking more than I prefer to give her.

Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2006, 15:41:27 pm »
I agree with both PP. Sounds like your LO is right where she sound be. 12 hours is a long time to go without a feed. Sounds like your LO is doing a lot better then you might think for her age. VERY few LO's sleep 12 hours without a feed untill 6+ months.

Oh, she doesn't go 12 hours with no feed.  She gets a dreamfeed between 10:30 and 11.

Offline Kimberly®

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2006, 16:20:03 pm »
Still she just may not be ready to go from 10:30-11-7AM without that feed. I really wouldn't push it. If she isn't settling then she needs the feed.
Kimberly

Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2006, 17:55:13 pm »
I know we say same times can be habit and  non necessary and you can try and ween but I personally dont find this as true as it sounds.  I would more consider the time AND the amount.  Babies tummies are a certain size and they can get in the routine of needing feeds at certain times and the night one can start to fall at a consistant time.  It doesnt mean it isnt necessary just because the time is relatively consistant... Just offer the feed when she needs it I bet she drops it on her own soon enough!

If she started to wake at around the same time and took very little or nothing, then this could be a true habitual non necessary night waking.  At her age, its more likely hunger, especially with the good n ews from last night!

Yeah, she has gradually gotten later with it over the.....well, since she was born, and is now only taking 1 to 2 oz, so she may just drop it by herself.....you are right.  And I would NEVER deny her a feeding if she woke up hungry, that is just cruel.

Offline Kimberly®

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2006, 18:00:47 pm »
I wasn't meaning you would :) But sometimes we pressure ourselvfes because of what others say. Being a parent is so confusing :)
Kimberly

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2006, 18:06:54 pm »
Most of the time I just wish other people wouldn't talk.  ;D
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2006, 16:05:52 pm »
I wasn't meaning you would :) But sometimes we pressure ourselvfes because of what others say. Being a parent is so confusing :)

Oh, no, yeah, I just don't want to give the impression that I am more concerned about "me" than my LO.  She is our life, and we make sure that everything is up to par with her care.  I just want to make sure it is not a habit to wake up opposed to an actual wake up from needing something.

But, last night was the second night in a row that she slept through, although now, she seems to get up between 9 and 10 from gas/burping pains.  She tends to fall asleep from being burped.  I think the shh/pat did that.  But overall, we are very happy in her new sleeping pattern.

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2006, 16:07:11 pm »
Most of the time I just wish other people wouldn't talk.  ;D

Eh?  Sorry, confused on this comment......

Offline Kimberly®

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2006, 16:41:57 pm »
I wasn't meaning you would :) But sometimes we pressure ourselvfes because of what others say. Being a parent is so confusing :)

Oh, no, yeah, I just don't want to give the impression that I am more concerned about "me" than my LO.  She is our life, and we make sure that everything is up to par with her care.  I just want to make sure it is not a habit to wake up opposed to an actual wake up from needing something.

But, last night was the second night in a row that she slept through, although now, she seems to get up between 9 and 10 from gas/burping pains.  She tends to fall asleep from being burped.  I think the shh/pat did that.  But overall, we are very happy in her new sleeping pattern.

WOW good for her :) I'm glade you've made progress. I haven't a dobt in the world that you love your LO more then life itself. We all do  :-*

Try giving some gas drops before bed and see if that helps with the gas pains. DD had those for a while too. She got oval before bed for a while.
Kimberly

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #16 on: December 01, 2006, 17:44:57 pm »
Most of the time I just wish other people wouldn't talk.  ;D

Eh?  Sorry, confused on this comment......

Sorry I was just being a smart aleck.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline willowonyx

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Re: 4.75 month old-need to stop night waking
« Reply #17 on: December 04, 2006, 19:32:34 pm »
Quote (selected)

WOW good for her :) I'm glade you've made progress. I haven't a dobt in the world that you love your LO more then life itself. We all do  :-*

Try giving some gas drops before bed and see if that helps with the gas pains. DD had those for a while too. She got oval before bed for a while.

Thanks, yeah, my LO tends to be a little gassy sometimes.  Pretty funny too when your daycare provider says "she was tooting and smelling like a man"