HELP! My 7 month old has suddenly started waking up frequently at night, crying-sometimes histerically. Last night, for instance, she went to sleep at 8:30 and woke up at 9:30, 10:30, 12:00, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 5:30 and then up for good at 7:00. This has been going on now for 3 or 4 days and I am so exhausted. I don't even want to fall asleep cuz i know I'm just going to have to get up soon. She slept better than this as a newborn. And up until now she had only been waking up twice at most during the night. There haven't been many changes in her day. We started solids about 3 weeks ago, so that shouldn't be just starting to affect her now. I dress her the same and the temperature hasn't changed. Our night time routine is pretty much the same. The only thing I can really think is that she's probably teething, and has been for a few weeks. Does it mean that the teeth are about to come through? When she does wake up I'll get her up to nurse maybe every other time she wakes up, so she'll be going 2-3 hours at night between feedings, because I don't want her to get into the habit of needing to be fed every time she wakes up. Any others go through this? Any ideas as to why or what I can do to help her sleep better?
Thank you all so much for your advice and comments. I thought for sure that my little one's problem was her teeth, but nearly 10 days later and there are no teeth. She is sleeping better, waking up only 3 times a night. We went to the doctor yesterday and she checked out just fine. So, I think we're getting over whatever it was! Thanks again!
I recall those nights and every time it ended up my boys were teething. I too did the motrin at bedtime....it really helped. Everyone has a rough time when a little one is teething.
From one nursing mom to another with a daughter 7 1/2 months if nursing is what she wants then that is what she should be able to get. Nursing isn't all about eating it's also about comfort and security. It shouldn't cause anything to become a habit especially if she is teething it should subside after the teething.
I would have her ears checked out. It could also be a growth/developmental period or teething. But I would have her ears checked just to be on the safe side. Good luck.
First of all, I remember these times VERY well. You are doing the RIGHT thing questioning this behavior. BUT PLEASE make sure you are caring for yourself during this time by getting help.
Regarding WHY:
1. TALK to your pediatrician and WATCH for these things:
- Is she sleeping fine during the day or is this behavior only at night?
- Are her gums reddish and swollen? Are they sore to the touch?
- You mentioned adding solids-remove them, go back to milk & see if she reacts the same way. What solids did you add? How does she react to them immediately and later? Do you mix the solids with breast or regular milk?
-Is she gassy? Is this new?
-If she is still bottle or breast feeding, is she pulling back or nursing for short periods of time when feeding? How is her color-(watch for gray skin) Is her chest kind of pulling in, in the center?
-Is she arching her shoulders and favoring her stomach by pulling in at the tummy?
-Is her skin rougher or reddish-perhaps she is itching and allergic to a new food?
-Is she more swollen anywhere
TALK WITH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN AND NOTICE ANYTHING NEW! You're doing a good job of keeping a solid routine so just keep up the good work AND TAKE CARE OF YOU, TOO!!!
Sounds like teething to me. Sometimes, the week before the teeth come out, they have a difficult time. I hope her teeth come in soon so she'll be able to get some sleep (you too). Good luck!
Definitely sounds like teething. She's old enough for ibuprofin now (6 months), so try that and see if she sleeps better. Ibuprofin was the only thing that ever worked for us for teething pain. Good luck! Don't worry--you WILL sleep again!
Hi K.,
If your daughter was recently vaccinated, she may be experiencing some of the side effects. Many times the gastrointestional probelms will cause waking like this. Since you are nursing, try cutting out your milk products and use alternate sources like rice milk for calcium or supplements. If this helps at night, you may be looking at a milk intolerance.
You may also add cod liver oil for the vit D and A in order to help.
Lots of head cold bad things are going around as well - does motrin help? Maybe the brutal headache that accompanies some of these latest viral strains are hitting?
So sorry, sleep deprivation is horrible.
my daughter went through this right before she learned how to crawl. and my 9 month old son just went through it this week. thankfully he is getting back in the swing of sleep now but he is definitely on the verge of crawling during the day. i'm not sure why this happens but it seems consistent with big developmental milestones or growth spurts in my children's case. hope you get some rest soon.
Teething or possible ear infection. Has she had a cold?
Teething or ears or both. Have the doctor check her ears. if that's okay, it's teething. give her something, maybe even a teething ring, or rub something on her gums to sooth the pain there. She wants to sleep, too, but cannot because of something that is bothering her, and I suspect it will turn out to be teeth coming in. Don't know if people still use Ambesol on the gums, but that is what we used when my children were teething years ago and it worked well. A cold teething ring might help, as well.
Honestly the only thing that helped my breastfed son was his burp cloth and Tylenol when they were teething. Some are comforted by feeding but with mine I held him off with anything I could except the breast. I know you need your sleep. But in the end if the feeding is the only thing what are you going to do. My new 5 month old is doing well with the animals with the teethers on the ends but I guess you have to exhaust all efforts. I guess just stick it out because it does get better:)
