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Original poster

weird thing happening with 9 week old in middle of night

26 replies

bumbly · 23/09/2007 10:27

been having lots of problems with LO inc sleep

but one thing been happening for a long time now is

manage to get him to lie down late at night for a tiny bit in grobag after feed in moses

then after second feed in middle of night he sleeps for a bit but on the clock EVERY single night at 4am he starts thrutching, wriggling etc

i have attributed to wind/colic/reflux you name it

but it has made no difference with whatever med i give

is it a mental thing??? he then will only sleep on my belly...although last night did put him on his belly and he did fall asleep but i didnt know what to do re keeping him safe as i knew i would dose off

so why does he need to go on belly? why does he thrutch every time this specific time at night?

argh!!

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LyraBelacqua · 23/09/2007 10:28

What is thrutching?

Pennies · 23/09/2007 10:31

Not sure but I wouldn't put a newborn to sleep on their belly due to risk of SIDS.

LIZS · 23/09/2007 10:34

I'd say wind especially if turning him over helps (relieves pressure perhaps ?). Ours didn't really respond to wind meds, although fennel tea helped dd a bit. Chances are it is a digestive reaction to the middle of the night feed which disturbs his sleeping pattern and he can't easily resettle himself yet. Lots of babies do this and maybe when he starts to drop one of the night feeds it won't happen so often. It won't be long before he gains enough strength and control to move himself around and get into a more comfy position.

funnypeculiar · 23/09/2007 10:40

Bbaies have wierd, powerful internal clocks, ime. My little bro woke up on the dot of 4am from the age of approx 1yrs to approx 5yrs. No-one ever figured out why
Not that I'm saying your lo will do it for long - I know it doesn't feel like it, but it's very, very, very early days & he won't be settled in any true patterns yet. It could be that this is when he comes into a light sleep (you know we all cycle through different levels of sleep, right?), and he's just not finding it easy to resettle himself yet.

I THINK I've read other thread from you about the putting to sleep on tummy thing, as I think you know, there are other mners who've ended up doing this, despite the SIDS recommendations. It does sound like it could well be a tummy thing if he's uncomfy/better on his tummy. Have you done any baby massage? clockwise circular movements on his tummy, and also bringing his legs (holding them together by calves) up to his tummy & rocking his legs there) can all help - try different things & see if any of them help.

Good luck

Original poster
bumbly · 23/09/2007 12:19

sorry thrutching means - he tries to scrath face, moves legs up and down, grunts..basically acts like little boxer..in a semi sleepy state

baffles me why it is always at 4ish am

and not with other feeds???

OP posts:
LIZS · 23/09/2007 12:25

Maybe it does but he is sleeping more soundly so it doesn't disturb him as much or is being held in a different position. I really would n't read more into it. Are you going to try CO ?

mmelody · 23/09/2007 14:18

Hi Bumbly.. My DS is 9 weeks and does EXACTLY the same as your LO. He goes to bed at 8pm is and then wakes between 2-3am for a feed and then generally wakes around 4am and is awake hourly from then..sometimes hour and a half if I am lucky! He feeds every time and I normally bring him in with me at 4am so that feeding him is easier. He grunts and groans and wriths around and makes so much noise that I can barely sleep through it... I thought it may have been wind but he doesnt appear to be in any discomfort.. more unsettled and not fully asleep. Its like he is just less sound asleep for the latter part of the night I think and I have my fingers crossed that one day soon he may be more settled. Like your LO he will settle ok when close to me. I hope you get some peace soon.. Its tough this baby buisness!! I am knackered!

Tipex · 23/09/2007 15:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

edam · 23/09/2007 15:15

Mine used to do the weird grunting discomfort thing too. As do lots of other babies I know. Sympathy!

CatIsSleepy · 23/09/2007 15:23

my dd used to do the grunting and wriggling thing too...
she would sleep quite soundly and quietly after her feed at 11ish then around 2ish would start with the writhing and arm-waving.

I couldn't really work out if she was awake or doing it in her sleep and I certainly couldn't sleep through it although dh managed no problem (surprise). I used to go and sleep in a different room until she woke up properly and needed feeding. It bothered me for a while then I decided not to worry about it as there didn't seem to be much I could do about it...and once she was in her own room it didn't bother me at all...

D2Jenx · 23/09/2007 22:35

Sounds like it is a common thing, which makes me feel a whole lot better.
My DS goes down at 8 and then wakes at around 4. He will have his feed and when i put him back down, as your child, he grunts and trashes around. Last night he continued this for two hours till he tired himself out. I cant sleep thru it so it drives me mad cos i know there is nothing wrong with him.
If i get him to sleep he sleeps thru till about 7.30. which is a good send, but this is the IF part.
As you have all mentioned, if i put him on my chest he will drop off no problem, but i dont want him to rely on this.
As for the sleeping on the belly thing, i dont think there is anything wrong with it as long as you dont smoke and change the sheets regulary. My DS often prefers it and sleeps for longer.

controlfreaky2 · 23/09/2007 22:38

i think its to do with the pattern of their sleep cycles through the night.... and isnt much you can do about that...... sympathy.

Tipex · 24/09/2007 13:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bumbly · 24/09/2007 13:56

wow thought i was alone on this fornt

yes 4 am dot on...moving all the time in a semi-sleepy state but it looks so uncomfortable that i pick him up and he zonks out

if i leave him to see if he tires out nothing!!! - i have waited 2 hours then give in..

OP posts:
Tutter · 24/09/2007 13:58

omg me too

well, ds2. but you know what i mean

sleeps well for first 'chunk' of night (10pm to feed somewhere around 3am-ish) but then restless and grunty for rest of night

am upo and down settling him like a blardy yoyo

Original poster
bumbly · 24/09/2007 14:00

join the club!!!!!!!!!

this is most odd - anyone can shed more light on this...why would such late second feed cause so much dicomfort???

OP posts:
Ellieo · 24/09/2007 18:21

My DS2 of 7 weeks does EXACTLY the same thing - how weird. Sleeps pretty well from about 8ish to 11 (albeit on my chest) then feed, then sleeps till about 2-3, but from then on is a complete nightmare, writhing, grunitng, groaning. I assumed it was wind/wanting to do a poo, but it is bloody tiring as there's definitely no sleeping through it. I am knackered too, so can totally sympathise

Original poster
bumbly · 24/09/2007 20:49

wow this is getting ewvne weirder

OP posts:
LadyTophamHatt · 24/09/2007 20:53

ds4 used to to this and would always finsih off the night sleeping on my chest.

everynight, without fail.

It meant I didn't have to keep getting out of bed so I let him sleep there (plus I loved having him sleep there...too big now, he'd squash me flat)

Tutter · 24/09/2007 20:54

yup, ds2 inevitably ends up cwtched up next to me for the last couple of hours

Original poster
bumbly · 24/09/2007 20:57

this is truly weird as every eve Lo sleep son my chest cuz otherwise he is grunting moaning non stop!!!

when does it sotp and why? what causes this??

OP posts:
suwoo · 24/09/2007 21:19

Yep, mine does this too at 4am on the dot, I thought he'd grow out of it too, but he's 9.5 bloody months and is worse than ever Great eh!!

ChubbyScotsBurd · 25/09/2007 09:04

Right folks, this is getting beyond a joke. As some of you will know I've been having a struggle with my LO and lack of sleep in any form. Well, he started doing this thrashing and grunting last night at half 3 and kept going until now when he's had a big feed and gone back to 'proper' sleep! I was thinking of this thread and grumping because I think you've all jinxed me!

It was weird, I couldn't work out if he was awake or asleep, if I held him he flaked right out but as soon as I put him down again he was screwing up his face, wriggling and wafting his arms around like a little starfish. And what a bloody racket!

LIZS · 25/09/2007 09:12

ds was a noisy sleeper and when he could manage a decent stretch at night and was too big for his moses basket we moved him into his room, as soon as we dared about 12/14 weeks iirc (with monitor and doors open). That way his restlessness didn't become so much of an issue unless he was hungry and cried. dd on the other hadn despite her reflux slept mroe soudnly(when she finally did!) and didn't disturb us so much aprt from feeds and settling so lasted much longer in our room (we also had room for a cot by then)

halfkiwi · 25/09/2007 09:14

Me and DH used to call our DD "the creature" in the moses basket cos of the racket that she made!

I read somewhere that just before they go into deep sleep, babies get very restless and thrash around a lot. If you pick them up in this state they don't learn how to get into deep sleep state. My DD is a 3.30am girl - I lie awake listening to her and she does settle into quiet sleep again without me having to do anything.