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Sleep

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Original poster

Waking every 90mins at night

23 replies

Cocktailsorcakes · 01/02/2012 10:06

hi,

Am really hoping someone can help!

My DD (21 weeks) wakes up every hour and a half at night. She used to go for much longer periods even up to the amazing 6 hours but no more!!

It doesn't matter if she has a big feed or not before she goes down she will always wake up. She is breastfed and so far refuses a bottle or dummy.

She has a bath, a feed and goes down at about 7pm. She wakes at 8:30. If I feed her then she'll go down for another 90mins, if I don't she will settle but only for about 10mins (unless I let her sleep on me). During the night I give in and feed her to sleep as I'm shattered and also have a (rubbish sleeping) 3 year old DS that I don't want her to wake up as I am on my own with both of them. I do know that 90mins stretches aren't that bad and I can get some sleep but it is frustrating when I know she was managing longer!

I know she was due a sleep regression and I think she might be teething but this has been going on for a month now and I was wondering if there is anything I can do!!

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babloogirl · 01/02/2012 10:16

Are you me?

I feel your pain dd is 17weeks and exactly the same

highheelsandequations · 01/02/2012 10:24

DD started doing this around the same time (and used to sleep much better), she's 30 weeks now and still like this most nights. We've just started cosleeping which is at least helping me get more sleep. Sorry I've no advice for you but lots of sympathy.

michelle1979 · 01/02/2012 10:56

Hi cocktail and everyone. I came on here this morning because I feel like I can't carry on much longer with so little sleep. I also have a 3 yr old ds who is rubbish at sleep and my baby son is 5 and a bit months old. We honestly only had about 45 mins sleep last night and this has been pretty much constant since he was born. If i let him cry then it wakes 3yr old up then we have to settle two of them. I try a feed but he only has a couple of oz and then won't settle back down. I have put him in our bed a few times but really don't want to keep doing this. Its affecting relationship with hubby also and we are the strongest couple normally. He is bottle fed with no solids yet. My other son wasn't a great sleeper as a baby but was so much better than ds2! Please help.

Original poster

Cocktailsorcakes · 01/02/2012 12:25

Well at least we can be a support group even if we can't get advice on how to get them to sleep longer!

Meant to add that during the day she doesn't feed to sleep and naps for about 30mins every couple of hours. No idea why she has to feed to sleep at night!! Argh!

Am trying to get her to sleep without rocking during daytime naps (so just holding/patting her while she's laling down) to see if this tactic can then be used at night too... So far has worked for one nap! Will update if it works again!

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EmJohn · 01/02/2012 12:57

At 4 month, we started co-sleeping with our DD. That really changed our lives. I was finally getting enough sleep and although my DH was against co-sleeping at first, at that point, he was just pleased to get his wife back! Moving them in their own cot/room was not too bad either. 3-4 bad nights and then they get the hang of it.

scottygirl5 · 01/02/2012 14:14

I'm in the same situation and my DD is also 21 weeks. Much sympathy cocktail! I don't even have any luck with co sleeping :(

Original poster

Cocktailsorcakes · 01/02/2012 16:01

We dont cosleep but she does end up sleeping on my bed in her sleeping bag at some point most nights! Perhaps I should just start her off there and see how it works!

Btw managed another nap just holding her hand and stroking her!Yay!

I have found that playing some White noise helps (some of the time), don't know if you guys have tried that too?

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scottygirl5 · 01/02/2012 17:35

yeah we have a slumber bear that plays white noise. Works quite well if she's just stirring a little but not when she wants fed which seems to be most of the time at the moment! The most effective thing was the hairdryer but we used it so much it started smoking and died on us a couple of weeks ago!

Original poster

Cocktailsorcakes · 02/02/2012 13:52

Argh! Last night it was more like hourly wakings/feeds!! Although she did settle without a feed at 8pm so maybe there is hope?!?!

My mums solution is to try weaning her early but that made no difference to my DS's sleep so am not rushing to try this yet - unless anyone else has had success?

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scottygirl5 · 02/02/2012 18:54

Oooh, sympathies. Had that for one night last week (slept for 45 mintues then fed or settled for 15 on a continuous cycle) and I felt ill the next morning. We're considering trying rice this weekend as she's showing all the signs of wanting food (though not a loss of sleeping through, never had that!) so will let you know if it makes a difference, not expecting it to though.

AntsMarching · 02/02/2012 19:06

I went through this with my DD. I called the mid-wife and she said that babies sleep in 45 minute cycles and when they get to the "light" sleep if they aren't in the place they were when they fell asleep, it will make them wake completely. I had been feeding/holding her to sleep. She suggested putting her down awake and if she cried, rather then pick her up, talk to her and stroke her face.

I tried it, took an hour for her to fall asleep, was so emotionally draining, but solved the sleep issue. She went back to sleeping for 5/6 hours. Also helped her learn to self soothe. Was never controlled crying as I was sitting right next to her the entire time, but did teach her to fall asleep without being in my arms.

mac12 · 03/02/2012 13:50

Cocktail, that is so familiar. DS2 is now 20 weeks and the pattern is just as you describe during the evening and some nights too. He is breastfed and just didn't seem satisfied, chweing on his hands like crazy, wanting to feed and feed until i felt completely drained. I put it down to a growth spurt but as i started to loose my sanity at the weekend we introduced some solids and it has helped - it's only a few spoonfuls of baby rice and pureed pear or sweet potato but it has given us some slightly longer stretches at night - four to five hours. He's a really big boy, 9 lb 3 oz at birth, and i think he just needed a little something extra - his face lights up when he see's the spoon and he wolfs it down so i think hunger has been playing a role in this sleep pattern. But even with the addition of the solids, he's still no wheere near sleeping through and yesterday was up all evening again. My older two were also poor sleepers for the first year but are now brilliant - he has never disturbed them - so there is light at the end of the tunnel. This too will pass!
Sorry for ramblings - it's the sleep dreprivation...

CharlieLouise86 · 04/02/2012 20:02

Hi all - I am new to here and could do with your help please!!

My DS is 16w3d and we are struggling with getting him to sleep. He is fine when we hold him but wakes as soon as we put him down! We have tried lying him in his cot while he is awake and trying to settle him but he cry's and then screams.... (we have tried for hours some times)! We would just love a little adult time together between 7pm and 11pm.

He will sleep fine from 11pm until 2am ish in his cot (in our room) while we are sleeping in our bed and when he wakes at 2am he just wants a cuddle and to be in our bed (no food) which is fine we are happy with cosleeping !

Any advice with sleep ,,, ???

Thanks

Original poster

Cocktailsorcakes · 04/02/2012 21:28

Inspired by AntsMarching (& as DS was away for the night) I fed DD and kept her awake so she went into her cot alert. It took 30 minutes of me singing, humming, holding her hand and stroking her face but she fell asleep at 7-15! I've heard two squawks from her but she has settled herself both times!
Really hoping it works - I'll update you all tomorrow!

Oh CharlieLouise86 that sounds really hard to deal with! Much sympathy! How is your DS at nap times? I have been trying to follow the EASY guide for the past week or so and I feel it's really helped DD's naps (and has probably helped her settle into the new routine tonight).

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AntsMarching · 05/02/2012 18:22

Oh well done Cocktails. I hope it worked for you!

SkiBumMum · 05/02/2012 18:56

My 20w DD2 is similar too (although last 2 nights were better). She is fine at settling herself but wake frequently. I think what may be helping us is wrapping her up a bit more as i am sure she was waking from cold.

sleepybump · 05/02/2012 19:10

If its any help my dd started (reverted back to) doing exactly tge same at about 16 wks, i took hv advice and didnt start weanibg (like everyone kept telling me). And my hv was right, its now 20 wks and shes started settling again! This is apparently THE worst growth spurt and it happens any time between 4and6 months and can even run in to the 6m+ growth spurt to make one huge one! Most people mistake this one for needing to wean but somehow my milk is still plenty enough! She's started to immitate our eating since she started again settling to 3/4 hourly 10-20min feeds so i think she'll be well ready to wean soon, but not juuuust yet :) xx

sleepybump · 05/02/2012 19:17

by same as everyone else i mean she was fussing for 3-4 hours before bed and during what should be, first sleep time before 10pm, then waking/needibg feeding every 60-90 mins with a couple of 120min sleeps between midnight till 4am xx

SenoritaViva · 05/02/2012 19:20

Cocktail - what is the EASY guide?

highheelsandequations · 05/02/2012 19:51

Those who are wondering about weaning, we started weaning DD at 25 weeks and it has made no difference AT ALL to her sleep! Best solution so far has been starting to cosleep a week and a half ago, although I still have some awful nights (struggling to get comfy with 3 in a bed!!) she at least seems more settled.

Senorita EASY is baby whisperer. You organise your day in 3 or 4 hourly (depending on baby's age) cycles of Eat, Activity, then Sleep during which you get You time. Sounds great but I coud never manage to establish it!

Original poster

Cocktailsorcakes · 09/02/2012 12:01

Hi all!
Sorry for the delay in updating, I thought I'd give her another night to see if it was a fluke before posting and then she came down with Chicken Pox!

So it's gone a bit pair shaped as I'm just trying to make sure she is calm and as content as she can be when covered in itchy spots, and I confess I have fed her to sleep a couple of times

But the stroking/white noise etc is definitely helpingI DD has all her naps and night sleep in the cot and she generally goes in awake. She has woken a couple of times and managed to settle by herself, and sometimes I have managed to settle her without a feed. We aren't getting as long stretches as before but she will now go from 7-10:30pm which is lots better than she was doing!

I'm hoping to start the sleep training again properly when she is better!

Re: EASY I don't follow any other of the baby whisperers guidelines as I haven't read the book!! I just saw someone posting on here about it and it seemed like a useful guide!

OP posts:

AntsMarching · 09/02/2012 13:28

Oh poor love, so tiny to have the chicken pox. Hope it doesn't bother her too much and she's all better soon!

Original poster

Cocktailsorcakes · 09/02/2012 18:35

Thanks AntsMarching... Hope tonight is the last of the bad nights...

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