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Help needed -13 weeker waking every 1.5 hours at night

4 replies

Harryslave · 09/09/2005 09:07

Please help anyone - I am at my wits end. DS who is now 13+1/2 weeks is now waking up frequently at night. He was going for 7-8 hours from about 7pm, having a feed between 3-4am and then going back to sleep till 6.30. We gave him formula for the night time feed at 10 (dream feed) in the hope that he would go longer at night. Boy did that backfire on us!He became really constipated and still woke up at the same times. We came off the formula to resolve his constipation which has now cleared,and he was OK for a bit though waking up every hour after his 3am feed with wind. The wind has been a constant battle for us and nothing seems to work - gripe water, infacol, changing my diet, fennel tea etc! But now the last 3 nights he seems to wake after only 3 hours asleep and then is up every 45 mins -1.5 hours. Sometimes he wants food, sometimes its wind and other times I can't tell what it is. He is also putting his fingers in his mouth and dribbling a lot, though there is no temp or redness or any sign of teeth.
We moved him from his moses basket into his cot before all this happened but we also stopped swaddling him with his hands in and waking him up for his 10 o'clock feed (as he wasn't really taking anything anyway), so its difficult to know what the trigger for all this was and it only seems to have got worse recently when we haven't really changed anything. He did have his injections 2 days ago though.
Is he going through a growth spurt maybe? He is on 3-3.5 hourly feeds and only sleeps for 45mins-1hr during day. Is my milk perhaps not enough for him anymore and perhaps we should try formula again? In-laws keep trying to tell me milk not enough and to try solids but particularly with his windy bowels I don't think that's suitable yet.
Anyone any similar experiences or advice. Please help - I am knackered and can't catch up in day as he only does short sleeps.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Kathryn1967 · 09/09/2005 10:07

I'm not at that stage yet (DS 11 weeks) but it sounds like a growth spurt to me - he's due one around 12 weeks so this could be it. Or, have you heard of "Wonder Weeks"? Have a look at this link - it's an interesting theory.

www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=2312

The in laws are wrong about solids - not before 4 months and preferably only at 6 (according to WHO, who should know!)

berolina · 09/09/2005 11:33

ds did this from around 9-14 weeks. He's exclusively bf, co-sleeping and wasn't going as long as yours, but he was feeding at 11/midnight, then about 3/4am and thwen again at about 7am. Then he started waking up and feeding every 1-3 hours all night. It was OK because of the co-sleeping. Now he's started going longer again, all by himself - he'll sleep 3-6 hours the first part of the night, have a feed and then sleep on average another 3-4. (again, varies wildly as demand feeding - sometimes he'll have an evening feeding fest).
If you want to keep on bf, don't give more formula - every formula feed given is a bf not taken and that reduces your milk supply. And you're right - please don't do solids just yet!

berolina · 09/09/2005 11:35

ps a bf can be used for comfort too - and it'll boost your supply!

Harryslave · 10/09/2005 19:12

Thanks for advice and help Berolina and Kathryn1967. I feel it may be a combination of growth spurt and teething(!) as he kinda settled with teething gel and increased milk. Perhaps this really is a wonder week. Lets keep fingers crossed...

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