Battling sleep - help!

mumzee · Mar 31, 2008 11:36AM

My dd is 3.5 months old and a couple of weeks ago was starting to learn to settle herself to sleep. However that has now all gone out of the window and if we put her down she starts off fussing then eventually turns into full on hysterics. Also if she does go off to sleep she'll wake up an hour later usually crying. This is going on every night now for anything from 6pm to 11pm and i'm starting to lose it. What can I do? She's also started teething and have resorted to using a dummy but even that didn't work tonight and she bawled for 3 hours.

pixie_woo · Mar 28, 2008 6:35AM

My LO is older than yours (8 months) and is usually a great sleeper but when he's teething its a NIGHTMARE.
I would try something to ease her teething pain. I use Ashton & Parsons Powders, liquid Anbesol, Calpol to reduce teething-associated temperature and Calprofen to take pain away. I don't often use all at once but by LO has just cut a molar and I used a combination of all the above and he still woke twice a night cos the pain!

Other than that, lots of cuddles and patience are needed.

Hope the pesky tooth arrives soon x

mumzee · Mar 28, 2008 2:01PM

As far as routine goes she usually has a bath, play/wind down then bed when she is tired. She was managing to drop off to sleep after a bit of complaining but now that turns into crying which gradually gets worse and becomes impossible to settle until she is absoutely exhausted and passes out - that can take hours! When she is at the point of dropping off to sleep she either startles herself awake or starts rubbing her face (she does have a bit of eczema as well). We were swaddling her but now she' s so strong that she gets her arms and legs out really easily.
If she does manage to go to sleep she then wakes up an hour later in a semi sleep state (eyes shut but crying), in a really bad mood and unable to calm down. It's got worse since teething as she is fist chomping as well and she is particularly bad today! I'll try a bit of Calgel and poss Calpol tonight before bed to see if that makes a difference.

pixie_woo · Mar 28, 2008 2:23PM

Fist sucking can be a sign of trapped wind. I assume you wind her thoroughly before putting her down but she might still have a bit stuck.
Other than that I'm not sure what else other than trying the pain-relief, hope that works for you tonight.

jules2 · Mar 28, 2008 4:27PM

Hi my lo is 7 months old and we are having the same problem! She screams the place down when you put her down awake, then is unsettled all night, she wakes almost every couple of hours all night, it is so tiring, she just cries and cries when she wakes til you go to her!

mumzee · Mar 29, 2008 10:19AM

pixie_woo, it's funny what you said about trapped wind as yesterday she was fussing after waking up from her nap as usual, I picked her up and she burped. Then hubby came home later on, [ut her on her front on his lap and there were quite a few farts stored up! She was still moody though lol.
Well last night we had to wait a bit later for the bath as she was really ratty. Played with her a bit after and then she got tired and also started rooting, so I bf her and she fell asleep in the middle of her feed at 9.30! So I didn't get a chance to give her any calpol. She moaned a bit in her sleep then woke up again at 12 so I fed her again and she went back to sleep. Shall have to see how tonight goes....

kentucky · Mar 30, 2008 6:51PM

Gosh, getting teeth at 3.5 months! My baby is the same age, no sign of any teeth but a nightmar sleeper. Any advice very welcome as she is truly testing my mothering skills!(Actually she's not that bad) I put her down at 7.30 usually with no problems. She sometimes shouts but soon drops off. I then wake her at 11ish and give her 3-4oz of expressed breast milk(i find that she won't wake up enough to feed off me herself). She then sleeps till 5ish when she wakes for a quick 10min feed and then sleeps again til 8.30ish.
How can i get her to sleep longer - either from 7.30 til 5 (sometimes i can barely keep my eyes open long enough to make the 11pm feed) or from 11pm til 7am.

I had none of this with my 1st daughter who has always slept like a dream (not with any help from me i might add) so i am completely at a loss. I have visions of having one of those babies who still wakes in the night when they are 1,2, 3 aaargh!!! Help

pixie_woo · Mar 31, 2008 5:56AM

Kentucky, your LO is only 3.5 months and BF, it would be a near-miracle if she slept through! I think she's doing brilliantly by sleeping 11pm - 5am. When my LO was a similar age to yours he would very often wake at 11, 2, 5 & then 8.

Give her another month and she'll probably start to sleep a little longer. You could always try dropping the dream feed and see how long she'll sleep but be prepared to be woken in the early hours, LOL.

Good luck
Liz & Spencer, 8 months

leona2 · Mar 31, 2008 11:36AM

my lo is a year in 2 weeks and i'm still having a problem with sleep!!!!
i have never been able to put her down awake as she gets hysterical, so i have always cuddled her to sleep.
when she wakes she starts getting worked up straight away coz i'm not with her...usually about an hour after going down then again at 2 then sometime between 4 and 6. at 2 i try not to pick her up, just put the dummy back in and rub her back and the next time i bring her into my bed with some milk and she usually goes back to sleep for an hour or so. i have made bedtime about 9pm recently as she will be wide awake from 4am if she goes to sleep earlier than that.
i do very occasionally have a night of her sleeping through 9-6ish but thats very rare.
she's been worse recently tho because i have just split from her dad and i get so tired i give in and bring her to my bed if she plays up at 2...she knows this now and is playing on it!!! also teething, bugs and colds haven't helped.
i've forgotten what sleep is!!!
xxx

Battling sleep - help!

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