7mths baby - waking more often

fennho

fennho

Registered User
hi mommies

lately, my 7mth old baby gal has been waking up slightly more often in the night. In the past, she'd sleep at 7-ish up till about 1-3am, wake up for one feeding, then sleep till about 4-5am, feed again, then will sleep to about 7-8am.

For the past few weeks, she still goes to bed at about 7-8pm. But will wake up at around 11-12pm (always crying), and then sleeps till about 2-3am, then another round at 5-6am. And then she'll sleep again till about 8-ish. She has just started solids, giving her up to 3 teaspoonful of rice cereal and some veg puree in the evening. I have also just started to give her jus 1 teaspoon for breakfast. She's also sprouting one tooth out. :)

Her naps in the daytime is about 3-4hours. Usually around 11am (for about 1-2hours) and then 3-ish (for about 1-2hours).

I'm wondering if these wakings are due to her

1) teething....or
2) she's not getting enough food, hence do i need to top-up her solids to more meals?
3) too much naps in the daytime?

Will be grateful for any comments! Thanks!!
 
1) teething, could be.
2) not getting enough of food... umm, i guess the veg puree at evening helps her to digest faster. I remember I gave 1/2 bowl or 5 spoonful of cereal to my son in the evening when he was 7 months old and sleep till next morning at 5.30 or 6am for another feed.
3). too much nap? No, just right.
 
thanks mscheerful!

I am still breastfeeding her and would like to continue. Her last nursing session is at 7ish (nurse to sleep) so will giving her so much so late makes her doesn't want to nurse or nurse less ie not getting same amount of milk since she's oredi feeling full? Her bedtime is 7ish...is it good/ok to feed her so late (I'm asking based on the assumption of our practices of not going to bed with a full stomach health theory)
 
My son does exactly the same thing, same waking hour almost. I just put in down to anxiety.
 
I was also nursing my son to sleep when he was your girl's age till 9 months but I do start to give him formula, once in a day time. His dinner, cereal is at 5.30pm and nurse him to sleep at around 7.30-8pm, he slept till the next morning with occasionally waking up between 11.30-3.30am for another feed. When he has his last solid at 5.30pm so by 8pm, he is more or else digested well yet feel full and have a good night sleep. as again, every baby is different.
 
it seems to me that MANY babies start to wake up more often when they hit about 6-7 months. BOTH of mine did. I found with mine it was more about the fact that they could now roll over and sit up on their own, they would 1/2 wake up and either roll over or sit up and not know how to get themselves back down into a comfortable position to sleep.

they both eventually outgrew it, as will yours.
 
oh yes, carang you are right, my son sits up when he turned 6 months and oh boy, he decided to sit up middle of the night to play and went back to sleep of cause with me nursing him. But not too often as he prefered to sleep through the night and play the next day. yes, Fennho, she will soon outgrew it and the next is waking up at 530am, not bad during summer but winter - let me sleep!!!!!!!
 
carang/cheerful
thanks but at 7mths, I still dun see my gal sitting up on her own. She can roll over both ways now but when she wakes up at 11ish, I can see she was not trying to roll over. So what gives? Maybe moving about caused her to wake? *puzzled*
 
My son is 7 months old as well and his first tooth broke through last week. After a 7pm put down, he woke up at midnight (we didn't feed) then again at around 3am. He would go to bed on a full stomach too...sounds like yours just might be teething and he's just in discomfort.
 
Seems like I'm not the only one. My son who is now 6 mths old is waking up at least 2 or sometimes 3 or 4 times during the night after he goes to bed around 7 ish. I've also just started solids so shouldn't he be sleeping better?????
(My husband says that it's because our son is soooo in love with his mother that he misses me and needs to see me all the time !!!!!)
I'm still breastfeeding and I give him pureed vege and fruit puree mixed with rice cereal for lunch / dn. Followed by bf just before he goes to bed at 7 ish. 10.30 pm I give him a bottle of 6 oz of formula milk (dream feed). Between then and 7 am sometimes he wakes up 2-3 times and each time he gets up, I give him the breast and he goes back to sleep. Can't figure out if he is really hungry or just sucking for comfort?
ps: I tried the controlled crying method and he's now able to go to sleep in the evening on his own (sometimes he still cries and sometimes not). But when he wakes up during the night, he does not go back to sleep on his own.
Any ideas on why ?

thanks ...
 
Developmental stage

Both of my 2 did the same thing. In my opinion they were simply more aware of their surroundings, could roll and were learning to sit, and had not yet learnt to put themselves back to sleep. So it was a developmental stage. They wake up and shout for mum (or dad). Best thing if you can is to try and encourage them back to sleep without nursing, or picking up. Saying that - I did both of those things until they were abit older. Not tough enough I am afraid, but my friends who were willing to use controlled crying or some other technique had more sleep than me. :)
 
thanks mel
for the life of me, i dont think i will EVER be able to let my baby CIO or any form of controlled crying. I'll do with the sleep deprivation for now. Tat's a mommy's sacrifice. :)
 
Well Mel, when my baby woke up the other night I tried to pat him back to sleep, even gave him his pacifier but he went on wriggling about and screaming refusing to go back to sleep. I think he wanted to play and after spending some time talking to him and finally giving in, gave him the boob !!! He went back to sleep. What a disaster !!!
 
I tried not to pick him upm as someone here suggested but then what do you do when he decided to sit up and hold on to the rail! I can' see him let go of it and lay down all by himself! Any suggestion?
 
I tried controlled crying last month and it didn't work. As most of have said, my 7 month year old now crawls up and down his crib and can even stand. He definitely was teething, but occassionally he would have complete outbursts, but still be asleep which leads me to believe he was having some sort of nightmare. I would just pick him up and shush him back to sleep.

I am weak and have failed miserably at any type of crying down techniques. At first, I am very into it, but then by the 3rd night I just cave in....

I figure my son will sleep through the night when he's good and ready - - i hope it's just not when he's 3 years old!
 
OMG, for the past 3 nights, have been having panda eyes. The worst was yesterday night. My gal kept flipping back and forth in her cot. She'd flip and then do push-ups on her hands and she kept trying to sleep again. So i pat her and she went back to sleep only to wake a few mins later. Around midnight, i picked her up and brought her into my bed. She snuggled close to me and slept next to me. But barely 30mins later, she jolted awake and it all went downhill from there. She kept flipping back and forth and crying louder and louder. It's like she wants to sleep but her body got a mind of its own, jus flipping over and over and she got so frustrated. Her butt jus kept arching up like she wants to get on all fours. I'm guessing she's trying to sit up on her own (she still hasnt learn this yet altho she can sit pretty well now if we lift her up). Or maybe she's trying to crawl?

I dunno...all i know is finally, she only went to sleep if i carry her in MY arms. Once i lay her down, she'd be flipping and crying again. Even if i attempt to nurse her. But she'd calmed and go to sleep in my arms without even nursing. By then it's almost 3-4am, and i can only sleep sitting up. Only aft she's in REALLY DEEP sleep, that i manage to put her down and get some sleep of my own.

Can anyone tell me what's going on? I really hope it's not going to happen again...
:thanks
 
it sounds to me like your girl is in some serious discomfort. she probably has some teeth coming out. my girl was/is always a nightmare for a couple of weeks before her teeth erupt, then she settles down and is back to normal.
 
Maybe try some baby panadol or baby ibuprofen to see if pain is the issue? If it's difficult getting her to swallow the liquid, you can get suppositories prescribed by her doc that are ok for a young baby. When they are really in pain it can be better to use these as they don't want anything near their mouths (maybe that's the reason she doesn't want to nurse??).
 
thanks carang/LeahH
My fren also suggested it might be pain related to either teething or she even said her baby once cried painfully due to constipation! Anyone of u had this experience? Can a baby be in pain due to constipation?

Also, if it's teething, when do i know when to feed her baby panadol/ibuprofen/tylenol if she's not running a fever? I'm not sure if it's really teething, cos there was a point in time where she cried herself to full wakefulness (before that she was half sleep/half awake), and then she wasnt crying anymore as long as i carry her in my arms. If it's teething, she would be in discomfort either way rite?

She already have 2 of her bottom front tooth out by half, will this continue to cause pain as it continue to sprout? I dont see anything on her upper gum though.

Leah
She didnt refuse nursing, jus didnt root for it. I didnt offer anymore (after the first round where i know she had her fill and it's not hunger anymore) cos she was lying in my arms contentedly but will kick up a fuss by twisting and flipping around her body and crying miserably when i put her down.

Jus now tried putting her to sleep, nursed and fell asleep promptly within 15mins. Her arms are all limp and i tot she's in deep sleep, tried putting her down into the cot, and she quickly wake up, and WAILED! Struggled in the cot, so i picked her up and again she fell asleep in my arms. This repeated for 5times, and at times i can see she was crying with her eyes close. Poor gal, obviously tired. Now i'm wondering if it's separation anxiety? But she's wailing like she's in pain! HELP!

Comments again pls?
 
she can be teething and you NOT see it. the teeth don't just spring up out of no where, they can take weeks or even a month to cut.

she stops/slows down the crying because you are comforting her. if she sounds like she's in pain, try a little panadol. it won't kill her and it might ease the pain a little.

fennho... i can tell you something very personal... when i was a child and i was feeling very nauseous, i can remember sitting in front of the toilet and my mother sitting on the side of the bathtub beside me slowly rubbing my back. TO THIS DAY i hate to get sick without my mum there to comfort me. she couldn't take away the discomfort, but she DID help, just her touch. i've talked about this with my younger brother and he has EXACTLY the same memories and the same feelings about it.

it seems to me that your baby is looking for comfort and by picking her up and carrying her, you are providing that. she truly sounds like she is in genuine discomfort and if a little panadol might help, then give it a go!

it is unlikely that it is separation anxiety as such, it's just that she needs your comfort to help her through her pain.

good luck!
 
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