Please help - My 19 week DD was sleeping 7-7 now waking up every other hour!

[Hedkandikate]

My 19 week DD is BF and was sleeping 7-7 no problems, and then the last week or so she is waking up a few times round 2 to 3, a few times round 4-5 and a few times around 5-6 - I'm totally knackered, she has always been a good sleeper, so its like going back to having a newborn! She has a dummy, so I keep popping the dummy in to settle her, I'm sure she'd feed if I tried, but not sure its hunger as wouldn't settle with the dummy if it was. She maybe teething - so this might be causing it altho not displaying all the symptoms, possibly I should wean her, altho everyone says wait till 6 months? She does seem more interested in our food? She sleeps in a grobag which she is happy doing so - when swaddles she thrashes around more so don't think that would improve things...? Am totally at a loose end as to what to do - is this a phase or a new habit?

[massivebigpumpkinface]

You will probably find that this is quite common at this age and maybe a growth spurt. The same thing happened with my dd, teething at the same time too!
It did settle down after a couple of months... just bear with and try not to worry - it will pass.

[massivebigpumpkinface]

Try feeding her half way, say around 2am, and see if that improves. If it is a growth spurt she will be wanting more calories for this time. hth

[hunkermunker]

Don't wean her - fewer calories in any food you'd give her than bmilk. Give her a dream feed, maybe? I used to lift the boys and feed them before I went to bed and know I'd have a chunk of sleep after that feed then.

[Heated]

Could be teething - have you run a clean finger along her gums? You should be able to feel a teeth bud if she is. Can use a combo of Calpol, bonjela and teeth powders like Nelsons or Ashton & Parsons.

Regarding weaning, you know every child is different and it's not suddenly at that date all are ready for food - some earlier, some later. In fact the official advice moved from 4 to 6 months whilst weaning DS. He started at 16 weeks, dd 22 weeks. The signs were earlier waking and being very interested in our food. Started with baby rice but that gave them both bad wind, so very quickly moved to pureed butternut squash which went down a treat.

Trust your instincts rather than being too caught up with following the govt advice - after all your baby hasn't read it

[EfromL]

It sounds like a growth spurt, mine has just gone through the same (is 5 months today). For about 2-3 weeks we had frequent night waking, the last week was virtually every hour, but then suddenly it went back to once a night (has never really fully slept through). Try to hold off the weaning but try and get some support and sleep during the day! Good luck

[Seona1973]

on the other hand it could be the dummy itself causing the problem. I had to take ds's dummy away at around 5 months as he was waking up multiple times in the night looking for it.

[TinkerbellesMum]

It definitely sounds like an impending growth spurt, the increased feeds stockpile for when it happens and prepare a breastfeeding mother for a bigger baby (yes we don't all breastfeed, but it's still the way a growth spurt works).

Babies will watch anything you do, it's not a sign of readiness. Tink loves watching me play WOW, I'm not ready to set her against Defias Bandits yet! She loves to watch Daddy drive, she's not getting her provisional for awhile though! Babies watch everything you do, it's how they learn, it doesn't mean they are ready to cook, shave, apply make-up... Government advice is based on studies into how a child develops, finding that certain things happen in a certain order and that babies can't handle things before then.

Signs of readiness are:
Sitting unaided
Trying to take an active part in meal times
Picking things up and being able to bring them to their mouth.

[Tapster]

My DD was the same great sleeper until 17 weeks then up to 4-5 wakings a night. I did wean her early but she could sit up at 20 weeks and pick up food. She has been BLW from the start.

Food will not help her sleep better. It is the classic growth spurt time and its a time when many of them are disruptive in terms of sleep. I don't want to alarm you but my DD didn't sleep through again until 7.5months although it got better from 6 months. 3-6 months was hell for me. You will get through it...

[leo1978]

Exactly same here.

Have upped his milk every 3 hours and introduced a bottle of formula at 10.30pm/11 ish. This has helped so far (except when he hasn't taken it) and a teaspoon of baby rice at 11.00. Mind you, he's never slept 7-7.

[Rachel32]

My dd started waking up at 7 months, I kept putting her dummy in and she'd go back to sleep, it didn't help because she woke more and more often so I ended up stopping the dummy completely and now she sleeps solid for 12 hours.
The breakthrough came when I managed to get her to fall asleep at the beginning of the night on her own without dummy. The first night was the worst, lots of letting her cry for just a few minutes, going in, patting and saying "shush go to sleep" until she fell asleep without me being there. By the 3rd night she was sleeping through.