Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Original poster

Post Jab Mayhem!!

33 replies

Becky77 · 13/09/2008 08:46

My usually good sleeper DD had her 12 week jabs on Tuesday and since then her sleep has been just awful, waking 5 or more times and not settling easily. Is this normal and how long does it usually go on for? I'm a zombie

OP posts:
sarah293 · 13/09/2008 08:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Becky77 · 13/09/2008 09:01

Do you think 4 nights is too long then? She doesn't have any other symptoms?

OP posts:
sarah293 · 13/09/2008 09:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Becky77 · 13/09/2008 09:41

OK thanks... Anyone else have a view on it before I start panicing?

OP posts:
Lemontart · 13/09/2008 09:46

Becky77 - don?t panic just yet
It is normal for a little one to have a couple of nights disrupted sleep if they feel out of sorts - and that might not even be the jab, it could be all sorts of reasons. Equally, if something has thrown your DD out of her good sleep pattern, sometimes it can take only a couple of night?s disrupted sleep to form a bad pattern for a short while.
When we went away and stayed in a hotel for a weekend, my two were not sleeping properly until the following weekend - knock on effect of disrupted and late nights of only 2 nights!

12 weeks is also really little - chances are that she may be having a growth spurt and sleep can so often be affected by this. I know my two (now 5 and 7 yrs old!) did this in the first year. Would be great sleepers for a few weeks and then slope off - sometimes explained others just because!
I would give it a bit longer before you panic - especially as you don?t see any other symptoms through the day

Lemontart · 13/09/2008 09:49

Does she seem hungrier than usual? or perhaps needs more for her last feed to keep her going through the night?
As the temperature drops, babies can sometimes need more food. How warm/cold is her room at night?
Just a few other things to think about rather than focusing on a very very very unusual chance that this could be a mysterious jab related thingie that is only manifesting at night with no other symptoms

(I am not dismissive of your jab worries - OMG, I was a wreck after a couple of my children?s - symptom watching etc. Even had the GP out middle of the night once as DD1 temp went through the roof and were sponge bathing her down in the early hours of the night as could not give her any more meds. She was fine in a couple of days.)

Original poster
Becky77 · 13/09/2008 10:01

Thanks Lemontart... It's so difficult to know what's the cause... I've also been working on her daytime naps this week and putting her down in her room during the day rather than just on me... She's been doing well so I had hoped that'd help her night sleep but obviously not!

She doesn't seem hungrier during the day and doesn't normal drink loads for breakfast but this morning she did seem more hungry than normal at her 7am feed.

Should I just stop worrying and wait for it to pass and prop up my eyelids in the meantime??

OP posts:
sarah293 · 13/09/2008 10:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Lemontart · 13/09/2008 10:24

If she is feeding well, interacting and happy when awake and alert, her nappies are normal and fine, not running a temperature no rash etc, it is only the disrupted sleep worrying you then... YES Stop worrying.
Obviously, monitor her carefully as you have been doing, but try to relax a little and rest when she rests. Hopefully she will settle down and fall back into a more humane sleep routine for both of you.

Few years down the line and you will be in my shoes - catching my 7 yr old at 10pm with her lamp pulled under her covers so she can carry on reading her Beano magazine!! Boy is she grumpy this morning. tc x

pudding25 · 13/09/2008 11:03

If I were you, I would just pop along to the dr to get her checked out. I am sure that she is fine but it will put your mind at rest.

TettyLouBar · 13/09/2008 14:08

Hi there Becky77! I remember you on the pregnancy threads from the days when we were both overdue and awaiting the arrival of these LO's of which we speak! Glad to see your doing ok. My LO's 13 weeks tomo and only just had her 1st jabs this week as we were away visiting family for 3 weeks and missed the first appointment.

I was under the impression that the 1st set of jabs weren't to bad and that the reaction to the 2nd set would be worse but she's been totally thrown off by this 1st set.

She had them on wednesday and the 3 nights sleep since: we've had screaming for no apparent reason, hot flush on first night, vomiting last night, and generally waking up 5-6 times through night. Totally out of her routine. (last 4-5 weeks shes been almost sleeping til 4/5am and goes down for naps and bedtime like a dream) so it's been a bit of a shock.

I suppose some of it could be down to growth spurts maybe? If it continues I will seek advice from Doc, I'm not really concerned just yet, just hate seeing her upset.

Let me know how your little one copes, hope it goes ok

Original poster
Becky77 · 13/09/2008 15:10

Awww thanks TettyLouBar and God yes those days of desperately waiting to give birth seem like a lifetime away don't they!?

Well I suppose in a way I'm comforted by the fact I'm not the only one but also sorry to hear you and your LO are going through such a rough time. Our daughters do seem to be very similar in their behaviour... I also thought it could be a growth spurt... Who knows! Let me know how you get on too...

Out of interest how long is your DD sleeping during the day? Mine does 3 45 minute naps but I'm desperately trying to get her to increase her lunchtime one a bit.

OP posts:
TettyLouBar · 13/09/2008 21:50

Well the morning nap she'll sleep for roughly 45 mins but has been known to stir after 45 mins and then go for well past 2 hours! Lunchtime she'll usually sleep for 2 hours and then she'll have 45 mins ish around teatime.

I found that I was trying to get her down for naps when she was still too small and she just wasn't having any of it. Then suddenly something clicked about 3 weeks ago and she started becoming really sleepy after being awake for 2 hours or so. and the naptimes just fell into place.

Leaving her when she stirs after the first sleep cycle doesn't always work. It's really up to her at the moment. I try to resist going to her when she stirs for as long as I can but its hard to tell whether she's properly awake or still sleeping and just in a lighter sleep for a few minutes.

Let me know how she gets on, DD's been down tonight since 8pm and things are looking much better than last night but we'll soon see!

Original poster
Becky77 · 14/09/2008 08:19

Oh I'm very jealous of your 2 hour lunchtime nap! I'm hoping she starts doing that soon... I try to resettle her when she wakes but she's just too awake and ready for action.

Well last night was even more odd. She was just so awake even though she would cry with tiredness... she was fussing on the boob and just not getting sleepy. When we put her in her moses basket she'd just lie there sucking her fist then cry after 10 minutes. Finally we decided to give her some calpol and it seemed to do the trick as she went down until 11pm and the rest of the night wasn't as bad as Friday night. She woke at 11pm, 1am, 3am & 5am but settled easily at the first 2 and the third after a feed.

How was your evening?

OP posts:
TettyLouBar · 15/09/2008 11:49

The last two nights she is beginning to settle again but it seems like we've taken step backwards as she was only really waking once during the night for a feed and now its 2-3 times. I'm sure it'll settle again soon.

The lunchtime naps are hit and miss, sometimes I think I've cracked it as she'd have 5-6 days of sleeping for 2 hours and then she'll go backwards again and only sleep for 40 mins or so.

I'll just have to be patient I guess. She is only 13 wks and thats still very small and I keep forgetting that I suppose.

Original poster
Becky77 · 15/09/2008 11:55

It is easy to get caught up in it and forget how tiny they are! I'm glad it's got better for you!

Well last night was back to normal pretty much for us... DD fed nicely at 6.30pm then went down easily until 12.40am, then only woke up 2 more times, once for a feed and once at 5.30am and settled quite easily back down... So I managed to get a good few hours sleep and feel much more human. Just hoping it continues!

SO when do you have your second set of jabs? Is it all just shunted along?

OP posts:
TettyLouBar · 15/09/2008 12:27

yeah, she'll have her 2nd set in 4 weeks. not looking forward to that!!
never mind.
So whats your bedtime routine? do you do dream feeds etc? we haven't done that yet. She's BF, but she gets one formula feed from DH at bedtime. She was going down at 8pm and sleeping til 3am ish! so we didn't feel the need for it. I was only getting up the once with her and then she'd go through til 7/8am.
I'm not sure whether to change the routine and add a 10pm feed.

Original poster
Becky77 · 15/09/2008 13:05

That sounds like a really good sleeper you have there! I thought ours was good! Ours is breastfed too with 1 FF for flexibility

DD gets grouchy at around 6pm so she gets a bath and boob feed and she's normally asleep in her moses basket by 7pm. She normally wakes at around 1am but settles quickly with a dummy. Then she'll wake at around 3am for a feed then she's back to sleep until about 5.30 or 6am when I normally have to bring her in bed for a cuddle to get her through until 7am. She used to co-sleep up until a couple fo weeks ago when we visited the inlaws for a few days and had to use a moses basket... I was very worried but she slept really well so we've stuck to it.

I considered a dreamfeed too but as she's always gone down so early and slept for a long chunk of time I didn't want to disturb it... We'll just wait until she elongates her sleep by herself. The times I have given her an extra feed because she's missed one I do manage to pick her up breast feed her and without her opening her eyes! Pretty amazing really... But it doesn't effect when she wakes up so not worth doing to reduce night wakings. SOunds like you've got it sussed though

OP posts:
Original poster
Becky77 · 15/09/2008 13:06

Oh and DD is having her lunchtime nap now.. She woke after 45 minutes so I went in picked her up and just held her for about 10 minutes while she dozed back off... She's now been down for almost an hour and a half!! Can't believe it!

OP posts:
TettyLouBar · 15/09/2008 13:11

Well done mate, thats the ticket! DD's just done her classic lunchtime behaviour, went down at noon, woke after 45 mins (you could set a clock by her) screamed for 5 mins, ( I nearly went in this time convinced she was awake) then she just groaned and rummaged around in her basket (could hear her on the monitor) then fell back to sleep. DH was home for lunch from work and was traumatised that I was letting her scream, but 4-5 mins passes and she's sparko again!

Original poster
Becky77 · 15/09/2008 13:17

That's the thing they're not really awake when then cry like that are they? She does that in the morning as well, she cries and then when I switch the light on she wakes up all smiles

OP posts:
TettyLouBar · 15/09/2008 13:20

we're considering starting a 10pm formula feed and boob feeding her at bedtime like you do. But last time we tried that we just couldn't wake her up enough to take a feed. "dreamfeeding" just isn't her thing. She nearly choked when I tried to feed her whilst she was asleep last time!

I think DD's similar to your LO, she'll have a massive chunk of sleep before her first night feed is needed.

Gonna trial a 10pm feed again tonight and see what happpens.

TettyLouBar · 15/09/2008 13:23

Yeah DD does that, winges and whimpers first thing in the morning and then falls back to sleep if I dont pick her up. But if you disturb her little cries she wakes up and smiles at me
She's normally trying to poo in her sleep, I hear her straining in the mornings, its hilarious

Original poster
Becky77 · 15/09/2008 13:45

So if you ignore that they just go back to sleep? I might consider doing that in the future... Mine always wakes herself up trying to fart or poo... Aren't they supposed to stop pooing at night at some point?

OP posts:
TettyLouBar · 15/09/2008 21:00

She tends to only do that first thing in the morning around the time that she wakes up. Normally if I do ignore it, she wakes up a few minutes later anyway.

But I do leave her for a good 5 minutes when she wakes up after 45 mins of napping during the day cos usually she's still asleep and just in a light sleep for a few mins. (Especially at lunchtime nap)

Tonight is the first night I've put her down at 7pm after BF, and we're gonna try getting her up for her formula feed at 10pm. Wish me luck! Fingers crossed she might even sleep through til 5!