Here is the long and the short of it...
Why does she sleep 10 hours one night and wake up every 1, 2, or 3 hours the next?
My daughter is just now 6 months, health is good, developmentally fine, in the 90th percentile for weight and height (so she is getting enough to eat, right!?). Her schedule is pretty regular. She takes one good 3 hour nap each morning (in a swing) then usually 2 short 45 min. ish ones, one in the afternoon and evening. Although she is with me on the weekends and goes to one sitter 2 days a week and another 3 days a week. But, we pretty much stick to the same schedule. I always feed her to go to bed--nurse and or supplemental bottle if needed. Since about 2 weeks she has been in her own crib in her own room. We use the incline sleep thingy and a humidifier. She has a great spirit, always smiling and laughing during the day.
**In the beginning :) she would sleep for about 6 hours and wake, I would nurse her and back down she went, sleeping another 5 hours.
**Went back to work around 2 months. She was 99% breast fed until I started supplementing formula bottle during the day around 3 or 4 months.
**Around 4 months, I left her overnight with aunt and uncle. Maybe I just feel guilty, but from this time on she would wake almost every 3 hours....then I would of course nurse her, and back down she went. DOES SHE HAVE SEPERATION ANXIETY?
**Around 5 months (a month ago) The babysitter's all had that horrible flu that is still lingering all of the east coast. So she was runny nose for about a week, mild temp one day, waking every 1,2, or 3, hours. Finally took to Dr. verdict: ear infection. I had no idea! So we did not medicate, waiting about 2 days-- it went away. She started sleeping 10 hours! Wonderful!
**Around this time I started doing 'solids' at night about an hour before she goes to bed. Rice cereal and Bananas. I also quit giving her AXID for reflux, which we never really know if she had. And, she now has been pulling her neck back a lot again, but not after she eats.. it is almost like when she is ready to eat?? DID SHE NEVER REALLY GROW OUT OF REFLUX? Dr. had said they usually grow out of it with solid foods.
**About a week of wonderful and back came the 1,2,3 hours shifts. When she is doing this, I ofcourse don't know what to do. She shouldn't be hungry, but she pretty much screams unless I nurse her. Or we will rock her, she falls asleep, then we put her down and boom awake again. I guess you can tell, I can't stand to let her cry it out.... although a couple nights I have tried to let her go but she doesn't stop.
**So after the above, I thought maybe she has another ear infection. RIGHT? So back to Dr. They say no ear infection, no teeth comming in, and no sore throat. WONDERFUL!!! :) We continue with horrible sleeping the next couple of nights. WAS SHE GOING THROUGH A GROWTH SPURT?
**Next few days are back to 10 hours of sleep. Last night back to every 3 hours.
So, any ideas as to what is going on??? Could she have seperation anxiety? How often should she be getting up to feed? Is her reflux back? Does she need to learn how to put herself to bed? Is she just a baby and it is all okay? Is she really getting a tooth? Am I using too many sleep cruches? Why is she great during the day and not at night? Why are her nights so random??
Also, I will be staying at home for good after the next 3 months...do I just wait it out?
Love to hear your thoughts! Moms are the best to ask! ;)
First of all, you ladies are great for even reading my 100 page posting! :) The big thing I started doing was a bath EVERY night just to do more routine. I think that may have helped, but I also (following Dr. orders) started the solids 3 times a day. I don't really think it was the reflux. So far, she hasn't been waking up for at least 6 hours or more, so I think we are good.
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P.B.
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Raleigh
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It's so hard with infants when they can't tell you what's wrong!?! That part drove me crazy with all 3 of my kids!!
I think that for the most part, it's trial and error with infants regarding schedules, sleeping, eating,....etc. Since they can't tell you what they want or need, you just have to go with your gut feeling and try different things and see what works. Especially since you already had her checked out by the doctor and she is fine!
It could be a growth spurt, developmental milestone on the horizon, teething, reflux has returned.....any of these things or a combination of these things could be the trigger to her irratic sleep schedule.....
If you still have the reflux medication, I would probably try it again....and then, I would try Hylands teething tablets (Hyland's also makes Ear Ache tablets, too), or Baby's Bliss gripe water....or try massaging her whole body right before bedtime with an organic baby massage cream/oil. My family loves all of the Burt's Bee's baby products.....massage is supposed to help infants sleep better. Or what about a white noise machine to drown out sounds....I love those things or a small fan....
What about letting her sleep with you? It worked for us all three times!
Just keep trying different things....something will work.
And no, you did not do anything wrong by leaving her with your family! You are a good mother! If you weren't, you would not be on this site, soliciting advice to help you and your daughter!!
Pam
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M.W.
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All my baby/parenting books say that when babies hit developmental stages or learn how to do something new - ie sit up, crawl, roll over, walk, etc. They often wake up because they're anxious or excited to "practice" these things. I found this to be the case with my son, and when he was going through growth spurts he seemed to wake up more as well. It is a phase and it will pass! Hang on there!
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K.F.
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It's been a long time since I had a 6 mo old(my daughter is now 12 yrs old!), but I would recommend eliminating one of the two 45 min. afternoon naps or try to lengthen one of them. Also, she's becoming more aware of her surroundings and wants to explore and learn more. She doesn't realize that the middle of the night isn't the best time for explorations and adventures. And lastly, she is probably experiencing a growth spurt and her needs for her little body are changing. Hang in there and good luck, this too shall pass and a new adventure will be just around the corner!
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S.U.
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I think she is simply being a baby. You seem very stressed. Take a deep breath. My son had bad reflux and did not sleep through the night consistently until he was one. In fact, he did not grow out of reflux until he was about one.
Babies transition into different phases and go through ups and downs. The progress and them may regress.
Some tips on reflux: my baby slept on a wedge to help prevent acid going up the esophagous (sp?). He stayed on Axid twice a day and wore many bibs. I did give him formula before nap time because if he played, it would all come up. Be consistent with the refux meds. They do help. Lastly, we put our baby on Enfamil AR. It is made with rice starch, so it thickens in the belly, helping to keep it down.
As long as the pediatrician says that she is healthy and developing well, then my advice is to simply go with the flow. It will get easier. She is still very young and it is only motherly to worry. You are doing great!
Take Care!
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J.H.
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I did not start seeing a pattern in my son's sleep until he was about 10 months, so to me it sounds like your daughter is just being a normal baby : ) My son did have reflux though and I *think* it helped him to sleep on a wedge for a while.. not sure though -- he eventually just grew out of the reflux. Good luck, hang in there!
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D.P.
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Hi AJ,
If it were me, I would look into the reflux thing again first with her doctor. Sleeping on a full tummy can cause reflux to become aggravated. Reflux also feels better after eating something. I know some babies don't outgrow reflux until 1 year old or more if in fact they do have reflux. I would just rule this out before trying to figure out what else could be causing her to have sleep patterns like she is.
Also, did your baby have colic? In your post, I recognize some colic adaptations- napping in the swing, taking reflux meds but not knowing if its really reflux, etc. If this is the case, then there is a whole other layer of sleep issues to content with when you have a post-colic baby. My son had the worst kind of colic- the all day screamer (we finally found out he had an allergy months later). He also displayed of the inconsistent sleep patterns you have described. We ended up having to do some sleep training with my son, and he became a solid sleeper at around 6 mos (sleeping 12 hours a night). Not sure if this is something you might want to look into- there are many different approaches to sleep training. Some are no-cry if that is what you feel comfortable with. Good luck, and I hope things improve.
