Sleepless in Severna Park

My son is only 2 months old but I noticed the same symptoms with excess gas - seeming to be in pain. I took him to the Dr. and he has reflux. I was hesitant about that diagnosis at first thinking that reflux is not the same as gas. However, the Dr. suggested giving him 1/4 tsp. Mylanta to see and my son immediately slept/seemed relieved. He is now on liquid Pepcid twice a day. Not 100% perfect but MUCH better. Ask your Dr. about the Mylanta to see if it helps.

Hi M.,
I feel your pain. I was so sleep deprived with baby number two that i actually fell asleep for a split second at a traffic light. She cried A LOT as an infant. I can remember rocking her because she would not nurse back to sleep or let me lie her down. She did not tolerate solids well and I had to stop and start over to see what was bothering her. Maybe your little one has a food allergy? Worth checking out. I don't think that was truly my daughters problem. She had fluid that stayed in her ears. Even when it wasn't infected she had fluid in her head which caused pain when lying down. Make sure the doctor gets a good luck at the ears - if he says it is not infected ask if he saw any fluid in them at all. Her sleep and overall demeanor improved greatly after she got tubes inserted.
Good luck. I hope your doctor appointment goes well.
J. (I am a mother of 3 and sleeping through most nights - eventually you will too!)

He needs to learn to soothe himself. I bought my son a blankie at babies r us (silk on one side and super soft on the other, made by carter's). It was the answer to our sleep issues! He drags it all around the crib with him and when he stirs or wakes we hear him grabbing it (it has a little rattle in it). It has also made it easy to keep with his routine of going to sleep on his own while we are traveling!

There really is no need for a baby to eat overnight once they are 6 months and 15 lbs. My "rule" with my son it that if he wakes before 5:30, I ignore him if he's not crying; if he's crying I give him the paci and pat his back and tell him its sleepy time. If its after 5:30 he gets a bottle (since I am up at 6 for work, that's his wake up time).

I love the methods in "The Baby Whisperer" and in "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby".

Is it possible to keep music or a white noise machine playing in your daughter's room so she can't hear the baby cry? Maybe having something of "white noise" in his room would help also. (we have a humidifier right next to the crib)

There is nothing wrong with sleeping with your baby esp. if you get more sleep doing it. If he seems to have an upset tummy you might evaluate what he is eating, quit the formula( it is very hard on the digestive system) and evaluate what you are eating.

Sleep deprivation is not a good thing for you or your baby. From all your notes, initial thoughts are acid reflux and overexhaustion for your baby as you have stated. Have you tried an elimination diet for yourself if you are still breastfeeding? Try eliminating the usual suspects -- wheat (which requires high discipline as it is used as an additive in so many prepared foods) and milk along and then if no result try eliminating them both. Sometimes the foods we eat cause allergic reactions in our children. Also, if its reflux, does he spit up at all or have you noticed any acidic odor to his spit up or bowel movements? Discuss with your pediatrician. I also recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Weisbluth.

I am mother to three -- ages 9 yrs, 7 yrs, and 5.5 months

He sounds overtired. I would put him down for his first nap around 8-830 (1 to 1/2 hours after he wakes up in the morning) if possible, then second nap around 1P, then bed between 630-7. Also, some babies have trouble sleeping on a full tummy, so you may want to nurse an hour before bedtime. if he is teething, alternate tylenol and ibuprofen to help him with that. We stuggled with our first, but I read the Healthy Sleep Habits book for my second and it has been a tad easier.

Well depending on your parenting style you could try a couple of different things. One would be to just let him sleep with you after he wakes at 11pm. A lot of parents take this route, but it has to agree with your lifestyle.

Or you could gently avoid getting him up. In both cases you should not speak to him very much, keep lights off, don't play or sing. Humming is okay, if it is in a monotone. Basically, you are avoiding stiumlating him so that he isn't waking up to hang out with you!

I also agree to quit the formula, and don't overfeed him. He is most likely waking out of habit and not because he is hungry. Keeping him on a good routine in the day time seems to help some babies. I am not big on letting a baby cry it out, but don't mind letting them fuss themselves back to sleep while I pat their back for a few minutes at a time.

If you think it could be reflux, try letting him sleep in his car seat or a bouncy seat and see if that helps.

Whatever you choose to do, hang in there!

Oof, lack of sleep makes everything hard. I feel for you. My now 12 month daughter is still getting up once per night, so I know how much you wish it could be different.

Is it possible to get your 4 year old to sleep in a far-away-from her brother's room (or even at a grandmother's house) for a week while you Ferberize at night?

He doesn't know how to soothe himself and is depending on the paci, you (breast or even the patting) to get through his sleep cycles.

It may seem more difficult and tiring to do especially with your husband traveling and you working part time from home and full time as a mom, but in the long run you will all be getting way more sleep. Short term pain...long term gain.

good luck!

i was going to suggest that he's not getting enough food but see that you already feed him solids and tried to feed him more. what are you feeding him? i started both my boys off with just rice cereal and them moved on to veggies. maybe something is upsetting his stomach? my oldest ended up being very sensitive to carrots and zuccini. make sure you're not mixing veggies and give him 1 thing for a few days. if he doesn't have a reaction, then you can consider that veggie "safe." have you tried gas drops to see if that helps? that's a good way to test if his stomach is the problem. could also be something you are eating, since you're breast feeding. i couldn't eat carrots a/ my 1st or he would get gas. could also just be him being a baby. both my boys were considered "wakeful" babies. my first slept a total of 7 hours in a 24 hour period until he was 9 months old. he's over 3 now and sleeps through the night (and has since he was 9 months). my 2nd teased us with sleep 20 hours the first couple weeks but then started with a similar pattern to my 1st. hope you get your answer!

The pediatrician should be able to help you; especially if your baby is in pain. It seems like your little one really wants to sleep but is being awakened by discomfort. Good luck with your doctor's appointment. I hope they can give him something to soothe him.

Hi,
My name is K., I'm a mother of a 13 year old, 10 year old and a 13 month old. My husband travels 4 days a week so it's just me and the kid's. I also have 2 dog's, a stray cat, and a full time job that I work mostly from home.

My advice to you is to try mylacon drops (gas drops), you can get them at any grocery or drug store. I would give the drops before every feeding and at night. Make sure he is full and dry and swaddled when you put him to bed. My oldest had terrible colic, and was not a good sleeper. I picked her up every time she sniffled. With my third one I took 2 nights and let him cry it out for about 15 minutes, sometimes a bit longer. I made sure he was ok, just peaked in on him so he could not see me. After 2 nights he started to sleep all night, from 8 pm till 6 am.

I know its hard to let them cry, but you have to sleep, he is old enough to sleep all night and does not need to eat at night. You will feel better, and so will your child. He will learn to sooth his self. Especially when your a partial single parent, you have to rest. It took me till my 3rd to learn this. Good luck.

M. S hang in there it will eventually get better. Be mindful as to what you eat because of course if you are eating gassy foods it will affect the baby. Try soothing music,you're doing everything else that comes to mind. So just be patient and GOOD LUCK!!!!!! Try consulting the Doctor again.

It sounds like a food allergy. You are breastfeeding hm and so he is still getting whatever you eat. I had the same problem with my youngest son, now 6. He is allergic to milk and has Celiac disease. He was put on Prevacid the day he was born and it did nothing for him. He cried and never slept. I would definitely recommend taking him to a pediatric allergist. They can test him through his blood. You are doing everything right. He is just trying to tell you he is miserable. But you cannot tell what it is. Don't wait like I did until he is 4. My child did start sleeping through the night until he was 5 b/c we waited! I am finally getting sleep! Please bring this up with your dr. on Tuesday. A.

sounds like he may have reflux which makes them UNCOMFORTABLE at sleeping. perhaps u should see a Pedi gastroenterologist.

a friend of mine had a similar problem. she received antibiotics during giving birth and it messed up the natural flora in the baby's gi tract. my child had similar problem bewfore i went lactose free. unfortunately, it could be so many things but you and your doctor could make a plan to rule things out. alspo ask your doctor if s/he will do some tests on a stool sample. stopping cow's milk (you, too, if your breastfeeding) is a relatively easy and inexpensive experiment. good luck, i feel for you.

i know this my sound crazy but go back to swaddling. I have read (and it works) that it can help.

Definitely check into the digestive problem possibilities. However, does he eat well? The babies I know with acid reflux don't eat well until they're put on Previcid or something, then they fatten up. They know that when they eat they're going to be uncomfortable soon, so they don't like to eat.

If the doc says that's his problem though, check this out. As one who suffered from acid reflux while I was pregnant, I must say I wish I'd fit something like this! http://www.tuckersling.com/?gclid=CLik5b2ui5cCFQslHgodLhRd9g

-S. K