Early waking and not going back to sleep?

[Kirsty in Aus]

My DD is 5 months old, and in the past week I've been noticing a rather new annoying trait ... when she wakes for an early morning feed, anywhere between 4 and 6am, she won't go back to sleep for at least an hour and half after the feed. UP until a few weeks ago, she was waking between 1-3am and again between 4-6am for feeds. After a couple of lacklustre 1am feeds, if she wakes up less than 4 hrs after the dreamfeed, then I try to avoid feeding her, pick her up, v. quick cuddle, pop dummy back in and put her on her back. She hasn't woken up at that time for at least the past 3-4 nights. But she is waking anywhere after 4am, and taking forever to get back to sleep (she seems to doze for 5-15 mins, then wake grizzling/crying and on her tummy - I go in, pick her up, dummy in, and put her back on her back). I put her straight to bed after the feed and winding. I keep it low key, minimal lights, haven't even turn the TV on for the past few nights.    I used to change her nappy as it would be full by this stage, but last night changed it after the dreamfeed instead, as she's normally really good at going back to sleep after that feed, even if she's woken up looking for it before we've been able to get her up. Daytime sleeps and catnaps are fine, unless we've been out and about.

This is her rough routine (I'm a bit more wing it than anything else):
7ish wake & feed - 20 mins tops
Play time
9 -bed for 1.5 - 2 hr sleep
11 wake & feed
1 - bed for 1.5-2hr sleep
3 wake & feed
5:30-6:30 approx. sometime in this window will go down for 45mins nap
6:45-7:30 sometime in this window wake, feed, then start bed routine (feed, wash, story, bed)
7:30-8pm bed, usually 20-30 mins slight grizzling, losing dummy, rolling onto tummy and losing dummy, rolling into edge of cot ...
11pm dreamfeed, hopefully we get to her before she wakes up!

Pretty much fully breastfed, occassional bottles of formula, mainly if someone is babysitting.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated ...

[Grace's Mom]

Hello Kristi:

Just a few thoughts I had. Some may apply, some may not.   

At around this same time my dd started waking at around 5am and would not go back to sleep.  We ended up having to adjust her day time routine as she needed more A time and less nap time (by just a tad).  However for us we were also dropping her final nf (no df).  After some shuffling of our routine and a lot of tired mornings she moved her wake up to 6am and that became the start of our day.  I would much perfer it to be 7am or so but some babies are just earlier risers (like her mommy I guess). 

Are you sure you lo needs a feed at this time?  Is she crying when she wakes or is she just fussing?  If she isn't crying try leaving her and see if she goes back to sleep after awhile.  At around 4 months most babies start waking up at around 5am, play and then go back to sleep.  If mommy and daddy start going it we can actually create a 5am wake up habit.   
Also, maybe feeding your lo at this time is over stimulating her too much and keeping her up.  She has already slept 8 hours and feels somewhat rested.  Also, I would reccommend not changing her diaper at night anymore as that greatly distubs their sleep.  Since she is older and not a new born anymore I would use either diaper liners or night time diapers.  This also helped my daughter sleep through the night better.  We were disturbing her way too much...Oops.

With the TV I would be careful how many time you use it in a row as after 3 times things normally become a habit.  She may start waking because she wants the tv and won't settle until she gets it,kwim?  They are super smart at this age and you don't want to start something you'll have to wean later.  That would not be fun for anyone    And, mommy needs to get her sleep too  .

Best of luck.
Melissa

[Kirsty in Aus]

OK, with her other night wakings (e.g. at 1-2am) it generally taks 2 or so PU/PDs and she's back asleep. When she wakes at 4-6 this generally doesn't work, she more crying than grizzling, so that's why I feed her, and she seems to be taking a full feed. She also really doesn't seem to like waking up on her tummy, or the fact that she's rolled onto her tummy after waking and is now "stuck" there. I can try being more assertive about getting her back to sleep to see if she really doesn't want the feed.
I'm changing her nappy now after the dreamfeed, as even if she's awake, it doesn't stir her up. I don't know what night nappies are (maybe we dint't have them in Australia???), and she will be overflowing if I leave it for the df, early morning feed and then her breakfast. She gets super cranky if you delay feeds for anything, even overflowing nappies...

Oh, and I mean turning on the tv for me to watch during her feed!!!   I normally have it on every feed, she can't see it, and i mute it for feeds between 1 and 6am.

I'll try her a time tomorrow, but she's kind of had that today and it's been a crap sleep day. Woke at 6am, hasn't had a sleep longer than 45-60 mims all day (1x30 min, 1x45m, 1x60min). arrrggghhh.... she's only just 5 mths today, too.

[Grace's Mom]

HUGE HUGS!!!!   

I wonder if a sleep positioner would work with her and stop her from rolling?  They never worked with us and my lo was/is a massive wiggle worm.      

There are a few mom's on our birth club board that live in Australia.  I will ask them where they get night time diapers.  Hopfully we can figure something out for you so you won't have to worry about doing it anymore. 

I totally understand about getting cranky with delaying a feed.  DD is the same way even now, so she eats in the am with a HUGE diaper. 

If you think she is truly hungry at 5am than I would continue to feed her, but if you think it is a habit than you may want to look into breaking it.  Some lo's still need feeds at that time so play with it and see what you think. Mommy knows best.

Melissa

[Kirsty in Aus]

Status update ...
OK, so Sat and Sun night, we had random wakings for up to 1.5 hours, one night from 2-3:30 and the other 3:30 til almost 5. I think that's it, can't remember exactly now!! On Sun night/Mon am, I decided PU/PD was getting a bit too stimulating, and even though DD was dozing off, she would again 3/5/10 mins later. So I tried patting, with a touch of shushing. That seemed to work a trick. No 1-2 am feed and no 5ish am feed. Feeds started at 6:30 am or later.
Last night she slept through!! Still woke three times, needing me to go in PU, pop dummy in and PD. Straight back to sleep, or pretty much straight back to sleep. I only go in when there's a "decent" level of grizzling that I know will escalate to crying if she's left. So last night, DD slept from the dreamfeed thru til 7am; first morning in days when I've been in bed when the alarm (for DH .. what Mum needs an alarm;) ) has gone off. I know this is only one night, and I'm wondering whether she might hit a growth spurt soon, but hey, gotta take it all one day at a time.

Re a sleep positioner ... I think she's too much of a wriggler for that. Her toys aren't much of an obstacle when she rolls during play time.
Re night diapers, I'm not sure if I could be putting her in a heavier duty nappy. She's in crawler nappies, which are for 6-11kg babies, and she's only just over 6kg... I'm changing after the dream feed still, as that just does not wake her up at all. If it does start waking her, I might change it!

Thanks a lot! We'll see how tonight goes ...

[Grace's Mom]

congrats on you lo sleeping though.  That is wonderful to hear.  Keep up the good work.   

-I just heard back from some of the mom's I know in Australia and they said they haven't seen any night time diapers.  They, like you, use a bigger size.  I did hear that one mom resorted to using maxi pads when needed.   But, like you said, since you lo isn't waking right now you really don't need to change anything.

You are doing a wonderful job.

-Mel