22 week old waking every hour in the night.

[hopeful31yrs]

DS has taken to waking every hour and needing the dummy to be out back in or is throwing his legs up and waking himself up. I'm guessing it's with his sleep cycles but it's infuriating. I've been in since starting this thread and he only went to sleep an hr ago (he's just woken again). Prior to this he was down to 2 feeds a night before one at wake up time of 6:30 (when the alarm goes off in our house).

I've been gently sleep training him for a few weeks because I took this as being a sign that he couldn't self settle but it's hit and miss at the start of the evening and his sleep is actually getting worse like he's not reaching a deep sleep. I'm putting down in his cot as he's tired - he unfortunately gets very upset extremely quickly when he's tired (he had colic for 12 weeks and was hysterical most days between 2pm and midnight) and so without leaving him to cry I'm having to do a gentle pick up put down approach. This still leave him crying out in his sleep as he's "settling" so we can't leave his side at all (just had to go in again to settle him).

For full disclosure we have weaned him slightly early (into second week) as he's been persistently after our food, got good head control, lost his tongue thrust and he also has reflux. He sometimes strains and has become a lot more windy again and this reminds me of his colic - so have cut out fruit and am sticking to basics.

Finally his daytime naps have become a hassle also unless we go out in the pram - therefore I'm walking everywhere in a zombie like state! He fights us to stay awake even if he's tired.

Anyone have any suggestions- the first 3 months of his life were horrible- not his fault poor little boy but horrible to watch him be so distressed and not being able to help. I don't want to have to do it all again

I think he needs more calories and more calories means more milk.

Are you giving solid food when baby could be having a bottle of formula or a breastfeed? Early weaning can be a very tricky time. Due to increasing gross motor skills (sitting, crawling, standing, walking) and babies need for calories is continually increasing.

The most calorie dense foodstuff baby can have is milk. Ounce for ounce, baby will get significantly more calories from, say, 4oz of milk than 4oz of anything else. For example instead of buying a 100g jar of baby food, baby would get more calories from 100ml of formula milk.

As well as early weaning foods being low calorie (fruit, vegetables and lean meat), an early weaned also doesn't usually have the portion sizes or cover all the food groups in enough calories.

By "early weaning" I mean 6-9 months old, not just people who vhoise to wean and 4 and a half months. So this will be the case for a while.

In early weaning, milk intake needs to be maintained as it was pre-weaning. In fact milk intake may well increase in early weaning, shouldn't be decreasing. Food should be in addition to all normal milk feeds, not replacing them.

This drop in milk causing a calorie deficite is often the reason a for babies to start sleeping more lightly, waking more easily. It is often the reason for an increase in night feeds around this age.

So what to do? Give milk feeds more frequently in the daytime. Maybe even 2 hourly. Give milk as a priority, solids mostly as play or tastes and certainly not instesd of milk. If you are breastfeeding and have weaned because you feel you cannot give more breast milk, formula would be much better for your baby than food good at this age. So buy a tin of formula rather than baby food.

Thank you. Hes bottle fed due to all his issues - colic/reflux. He seems to be taking the same feeds and I'm not giving food before a bottle just after as extra calories but he is wanting these extra calories so additional milk maybe required. As he's in prime developmental leap territory I guessed all sorts might be going on. Will try upping his calories and will see.