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Sleep

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Original poster

6 month old suddenly waking crying every hour

12 replies

Catabelle · 17/06/2011 09:43

Hi everyone,
I've not posted on here before but am after some help or support.
My ds has never been a good sleeper during the day or at night but he had begun sleeping mostly through the night (10pm till 4.30 or 5ish) which was amazing, however for the last week he has suddenly started waking every 45 mins to an hour throughout the night. He wakes crying and sometimes settles without breastfeeding so I don't think he's hungry. I let him fall asleep in my arms, put him down again asleep, only for him to fully wake up again an hour later.
I'm going crazy with the lack of sleep and am worried about what is wrong with my little one. I don't think it can be teething as he's the happiest baby during the day. I know he can self soothe because he's been sleeping for long stretches previously. He is breastfed but has one bottle of formula last thing at night as my supply has always been low in the evening.
Does anyone have any ideas what could be going on?

OP posts:

KittyBump · 19/06/2011 10:07

Hiya - have you started feeding him solids recently? My DD is 6 months and has always woken a lot through the night but settled easily back to sleep. We started solids last Tuesday and her sleep is now awful. Just like you describe waking about every hour and crying. I think it is her body getting used to digesting food, could it be that? I have also considered teething, it may be that his teeth bother him more at night as there is nothing to distract him? Here's hoping we get our sleepy babies back soon!

greeneone12 · 19/06/2011 12:56

When I started solids my LO woke every two hours. I was crying with frustration as after several nights of this I was well and truly exhausted! Her sleep then went to waking every 3 hours (and my sanity has been saved by the other thread). I stopped the solids, started feeding on demand again and she went back to only waking once a night!

Original poster

Catabelle · 20/06/2011 01:38

Ahh, it may well be the food. We started food about about a week and a half before things went pear shaped. I hope that is it as I find I can always cope with things better if I have a reason. It's the not knowing why that drives me nuts, but I guess there's going to be a lot of that with a baby!
Has anyone experimented with giving solids earlier in the day to see whether it effects their sleep less?

OP posts:

chocolateteabag · 20/06/2011 22:01

Hi
My DS is 7.5 months. Started solids at 5.5 months and v quickly onto 3 meals a day. I think food did disturb his sleep but also development stages have to be to blame too.
He has phases of sleeping through for a couple of weeks, then 3-4 days of waking up randomly and screaming.
I guess we get disturbed sleep when we have something on our mind like a big thing at work the next day. When our lo's learn a new skill, it will be whirling round in their heads, they'll be dreaming about it etc but they can't just get up read for a bit, get a drink of water and go back to bed. We need to help them to calm down.

I think he also has nightmares occasionally too. Especially if he has a bit of a cold.

It's weird but I had in my head that once he slept through, DS would then always sleep through but really he is going to have bad nights now and then for the next few years. We'll have sickness, more nightmares and then worrying about things. Then he'll be a teenager and I won't be able to get him out of bed!

1lumpor2 · 29/06/2011 09:46

ive recently started my DS on solids as he was 6 months old and we've had interrupted sleep since then : ( if i dont give him any solids he sleeps through the night and naps well during the day but if he has solids (any solids, ive tried lots of different things), he just doesnt seem to sleep well at all. im so incredibly tired and its very tempting to just not give him solids!

Gemjar · 29/06/2011 09:51

Sorry to butt in, but my 7 month old has the same problem, he started solids at around 5.5 months and now has 3 meals a day.He has never totally slept through, but it does seem worse now as he seems to wake every hour.

If it is his digestive system getting used to the food, how long does this last? I need sleep!

podmumlet · 29/06/2011 22:05

Yeesh,,, my DS is almost 5 and a half months and never slept through the night. On a good night we get three hour stretches, but on average its anything between 1.25hourly and 2.5hourly wake ups...

Planning on starting solids soon, and this thread has instilled fear in me!
I cant imagine it getting worse... Or maybe its already so bad, it will stay just as bad :D

1lumpor2 · 30/06/2011 07:46

oh no gemjar i was hoping it would only take a few weeks for him to get used to food, he was up 6 times last night and i know its because he's uncomfortable so i cant really be angry but im so tired i cant help wanting to yell at him :(

caesar04 · 30/06/2011 09:00

Same here too.

DD almost 7 months, never been brilliant sleeper but so much worse since solids. Was going till 5/6am with a dream feed at 10.30pm for at least a month but now wakes at 2am and 4am for the last 2 weeks. Again I know she can self settle as she has done it before.

Also wondering if I am making it worse because am now so knackered that I am back to co-sleeping/breastfeeding after she wakes as its easier.

And DS slept through at 10 weeks!!!! So have no experience of this and no ideas. Have bought No Cry Sleep Solution to try and help but feel like I am doing most things recommended already.

She's also trying to crawl atm so think this might have an effect??

And am back to work next week.....

1lumpor2 · 30/06/2011 10:07

poor you caesar, ive got a few months off yet but am not looking forward to work after an interrupted nights sleep. ive tried food to help keep things moving like apricots and prunes but they dont help and even just plain old carrot affects his sleep so dont think its the type of food. someone must be able to offer some advice or at least let us know there is light at the end of the tunnel!

caesar04 · 30/06/2011 20:00

1lumpor2
I know am dreading work now, was fine about going back while she was sleeping but cannot imagine how I am going to function. Going in for Inset Day tomorrow so can at least snooze through that!

And its only 3 weeks till summer hols (only going back to get paid over summer!!) so am going to see how it goes and might have to do CC over summer if it doesn't get better. Not exactly the way I wanted things to turn out

I am starting to think the attempts to crawl are maybe more of a factor, she has been trying so hard to move today and getting really cross when she can't so she might be processing all that?

Positives today - a good nap 12.45-2.30 and went down perfectly at 7pm so fingers crossed for an ok night for DD and all those cheeky babes!!!!

Original poster

Catabelle · 01/07/2011 09:51

Hi guys, it's been a little while since I last posted but wanted to let you know how things are going. We've had some success! I made the descision to only give DS his solids in the mornings and it immediately seemed to make a difference to his sleep. We've now had one week of him sleeping through from 9.30 till 6! I figured that he would have more time in the day to be digesting stuff and him moving about would help things along. It may of course have been a complete coincidence and I'm sure things will change again but for now i'm taking each night as it comes and just catching up on some sleep!
The plan is to very slowly add a small meal early afternoon but hopefully his little tummy will be ready for it by then.
So just to let you know there is light at the end of the tunnel and early mealtimes might help for a while. There's bound to be another milestone soon and things will go completely pear shaped again but hey, I'll enjoy it while it lasts! ;)

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