I'm at a loss here and don't know what to do!!!!
My 4.5 month old DS has had 3 weeks of eratic night wakings, several times a night, and sometimes takes up to 2 hours to go back to sleep. I know he must be OT'd (I sure am!) and I've worked really hard to get good naps in during the day. The past 4 days he's finally started doing 1.5-2 hour a.m. naps by himself (no more w2s or extending), but I still need to extend his pm nap (with not much difficulty). He gets his catnap 90% of the time; the odd time he cries the whole time so I put him to sleep earlier.
Here's the problem: last night he must've been OT (was up 2hours 20 min after his catnap) cause when I put him down to bed he cried hysterically for 45 min straight! He had been teething a week ago, but I don't think this was the case. I tried my usual ways to calm him (shh, hand on his shoulder/leg, hand over his eyes) but he wouldn't quiet down. I resorted to picking him up and trying to rock him, but that wouldn't work either. I just stayed by his side and eventually he passed out due to exhaustion doing the whole snort, sigh thing (so painful
) Of course he woke up 30 mins later screaming, and when I went he had vomited all over! He went right back to sleep after I cleaned him up, and didn't wake again until 1:30 (I fed him), then he woke at 3, 4 ,5 and finally 6am when we both got up.
Today he had a nice hour 50 min am nap, and a 2 hour pm nap. Then my MIL was over to watch him for a couple hours while I had to go out, and he had been up about 3 hours before I got home and quickly put him down. Of course he was all giggles and smiles for her, and actually went down for his catnap really well. But then when I went to put him down for bedtime, he began crying after 20 mins of mantra cry, and I've tried for 1 hour to get him to sleep. He doesn't take a paci anymore, but I eventually let him suck my finger which seems to have done the trick. (until he wakes again in 30-45 mins!) What should I do in this case? Not much seems to soothe him lately (he's touchy/spirited)and I always let him try to settle himself before I go in, but when he's overtired he starts to really cry fairly soon.
I think he must be severly OT from weeks of nightwakings and wondering how I should tweak our routine to help him rest up (and me too!)
Here is our routine today: (most days are generally the same A time etc., only our first wakeup time changes due to his eratic night wakings)
E 6:00 (7oz FF)
S 8:00-9:50
E 10:00 (7oz)
S 11:40-1:40 (had to extend after 50 min)
E 2:00 (7oz)
awake with MIL till I got home
S 4:45-5:30
E 6:00 (7oz)
bath, bedtime routine
S 6:40 (didn't actually sleep till 7:45)
I've posted in nightwakings a while ago, and we all thought it was due to his teething and milestone (just learnt to roll over, though he's swaddled and doesn't roll at night). He often wakes every hour (say at 3, then 4, then 5) and normally feeds once in the night (around 2 or 3 am depending on when he last ate-we don't do DF as it didn't work for him before, so last feed is usually 7ish).
Any thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated by one tired mommy!!!
Thanks, Jessica
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