Early Riser

mollies_mummy · Jun 30, 2008 4:58PM

Hi all, Mollie has decided to become an early riser. For the past few mornings she has been waking at 4.15am for a feed (having had previous feed at 8pm) which I am delighted with. What I'm not so delighted with is the fact that once the feed has finished she thinks it's getting up time. Imagine this is to do with the early sunrise (we have a blackout blind but it's not perfect as the room door has glass panels).

She then has a nap about 6am (and again at 9am) for an hour at a time but as a 'colicky' baby she will only go to sleep in my arms so no rest for me! Thinking of feeding her an hour earlier tonight in the hope she'll only sleep til 3am before needing a feed and will, given its still dark, then go back to sleep.

Know most people recommend moving bedtimes by a quarter of an hour every few days but given she's not yet in an established routine will it matter moving it by a whole hour in one go? Any advice appreciated.
Liz

Hollys_mummy · Jun 30, 2008 5:01AM

Hiya,
How old is Mollie? (such a cutie btw) Have you tried just putting her back in her cot and leaving her? Or if you brought the 8pm feed forward to 7pm you could try a dream feed about 10pm? Have you tried infacol or colief drops for her colic?
Amy xxx

mollies_mummy · Jun 30, 2008 6:24AM

Hi Amy, thanks for the reply. Mollie is 10 weeks tommorow and is just about getting over the colic. We tried Infacol (still using it) and Colief but GP has now prescribed low lactose formula milk so I've had to stop breastfeeding. Seems to have settled her. Think she's just got into habit of being rocked to sleep during day as it was only way to comfort her during the tough weeks!

Does a dreamfeed really work - would be worried she would wake up and never (ever!) go back to sleep!
Liz x

Hollys_mummy · Jun 30, 2008 6:30AM

Its sooo easy to get into habits isn't it? I bf Holly and for a week or so she would only sleep whilst feeding and it was soooo hard to get out of it!! Has Mollie got a bouncy chair? Some nights Holly just would not settle in her cot no matter what we tried so i used to put her to sleep in her chair and then once she was asleep put her in her cot.
I personally never tried a dream feed but I know a lot of women who did and it seemed to work for them so maybe worth a try?
xxx

mollies_mummy · Jun 30, 2008 6:38AM

The bouncy chair was the saving grace during those awful weeks when she just cried and cried at night. It was the only way she would sleep - got one of those vibrating chairs and it was like literally flicking a switch!! Now trying to get her into the habit of settling in it for naps when she's drowsy during the day.

Might try the dreamfeed and see how we get on. Thanks again for your advice.
Liz x

Star11 · Jun 30, 2008 6:52AM

my lo who is now 6.5 months was very coliky and had reflux... i thought it would never end but it does!!!

your lo is doing fab for 10 weeks - like you it seems good them going that stretch my lo started that stretch at 22 weeks.... but like your as it's very close to morning as many babies wake for day at 5.30ish they dont feel tired enough to go back to sleep! I would try what holly's mummy said just lay back in cot and try resettling - only hold to feed then straight back, it will take a few nights but you will find that the naps in day will be better aswell as youll be able to put her down!!!

also we did the dreamfeed from about 10 weeks... my hubby would stay up and do it at about 11pm so i went to bed and got a good stretch... first few nights he was soooo sleepy then when went to put back he woke but then think day 3 he just stayed asleep, sucked milk, when stopped sucking or slowed down hubby just pulled bottle out and lay him straight back down! if he on the rare occasion did wake we'd put dummy in and leave and he would be full and tired so would go off!!!

my loi also never slept in day - like NEVER would be awake for 14 hours a time... only time he would sometimes was if i sat at rocked for what seemed like hours but then couldn't move! so then started putting back down in cot 2 hours after waking blinds shut... etc no talking just dummy, musical thing and leave room... would have monitor on downstairs but get on with somethinh as not nice listening to him cry... after only a few mins i would go back up and just but dummy back in and walk out - first few times i had to pat bum aswell as he's worked himself up then when calm dummy and left! after about 3/4 days the crying only lasted few mins id put dummy in and off he'd go for up to 2 hours...

also then found that it was easier to tackle the crying thing in day as things dont seem as bad as at night - then when tackeled that started putting down at night the same way..

hope this helps xx

mollies_mummy · Jun 30, 2008 3:52PM

Thanks for all your advice ladies. Star 11 - when I look back to the early weeks when she was only sleeping for a couple of hours max then having 3 or 4 hours awake during the night crying I thank my lucky stars!!

Still not sure about the Dreamfeed though as she suffers from a lot of trapped wind and often wakes up crying with it. She actually stayed in her cot from 4.45am (when I'd finished her feed) until 5.45am this morning - at which point I couldn't put up with her whinging any more and had to get her up.

Have put her to bed at 7.30pm tonight after a final feed at 7pm (and she's still asleep so fingers crossed) and hope she will wake for a feed around 3am when it's still dark and go back down.
Liz x

milliemia · Jun 30, 2008 4:58PM

Hi mollie's mummy.. my lo is now 20 weeks old was colicky with reflux too.. i have always given her a dream feed between 10-11pm we then as a rule have to wake her at 8!! Dont know how you feel about books but i would totally recommend The Baby Whisperer she is full of good ides on how to deal with issues.. good luck x

Early Riser

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