sleep training when noise is not an option? please help, feeling like this is ruining my life

[used2bthin]

I know how dramatic I sound but dd2 has never slept well and it is making me depressed. Dd 1 has sn and I can't have her woken. And. We live in flats with a not very sympathetic neighbour.

She is 7.5 months and waking every two hours minimum with periods of every twenty mins screaming and sitting up. She keeps her eyes shut and doesn't stop till I feed her. Except in the twenty min phases where someones the dummy will do. She is same whether in my bed or in the cot.

Dh sleeps downstairs so I can safely put her in with me and so he doesn't wake her by snoring, I barely see him even in the evening as she rarely settles for long enough. This is ridiculous we are all shattered including her.

[used2bthin]

Tonight is worse. She goes in cot ok then twenty mins or so wakes. screaming and arching her back. Can't get burps out of her except when I pick her up screaming she seems to choke. Bit worried now..

[Genasai]

I agree with whoever said to put her to bed later. DD used to go to bed between 21-21:30 and would sleep roght through 12 hours, only occasionally waking around 3-4am.

I used to give her a 9oz bottle right before bed then sneek in around 11 before I went to bed and "sleep feed" her another 4-6oz. Maybe you could express and try this? Or maybe OH could do this and you go to bed afyer DD1 is down. Let hin deal wih the pre-sleep feed, putting LO down and then feed again before he sleeps.

If you went to bed at 8pm and he did that, even if she woke 2 hours later you'd have had 5 hours sleep.

[Iggly]

No point doing later bedtime.

This baby sounds like she's got reflux. Tackle that and it will improve.

I would also so to GP and get ranitidine.

[Fairylea]

The arching the back is typical for reflux. I'd definitely go back and bug your gp for something else.

[MumOfMissy]

Yes agree OP the arching is classic symptom.

By the way, I wouldn't cut dairy - or anything - out of your baby's diet unless on the advice of your GP or a dietician.

[Iggly]

Cutting out dairy for a week isn't a big deal for a BF baby who's quite young. I would be careful with an older child who has less BM.

If she cuts it out she can present any change to the GP as further evidence. In my experience with both of my dc who are both intolerant which carried through to toddlerhood, GPs just dont understand until you point it out to them.

[MavisG]

I agree re dairy & soya, no big deal cutting anything when they're mostly bf. It can take longer than a week to clear symptoms -
6 weeks or so I think - but hopefully you'd see a big improvement inside a week. Dietary changes are so much easier when they're working. Almond milk's nice in porridge, so is oat milk. There are more 'free from' products than ever in supermarkets now, Saino's & waitrose are especially good.

[used2bthin]

Thanks everyone, I think as she doesn't have much dairy yet it'd be ok short term anyway so will give it a go . Would I need to be extreme for me, ie no products (cakes!) With even small amounts of milk? I had milk intolerance as a baby which is why I think it's worth a try too.

Oh and just saw the gp who said she can only prescribe gaviscon. Dd1 had ranitidine at this age after having an ulcer so I know she could have it but that was prescribed by the hospital. I will try again with gaviscon but it didn't help before.

[Iggly]

Can you see another GP? One told me I couldn't have it after faffing about trying to work out the doses. It was obvious he couldn't do the maths another GP prescribed it no problem when ds was 12 weeks.

[Iggly]

Yes I would go extreme. It's only a week. You can have bourbons (dairy free)...? It'll be like a mini health drive