Frequent waking!!! PLEASE HELP

[Anonymous]

My 4month, 3 week old daughter, Paige has been doing great with her reflux and MSPI. She is in a Tucker Sling in her crib. Since I moved her to her own room I am miserable!! She wakes 5-10 times a night and wants her pacifier. The problems that I am having are….First off she is addicted to the Miracle Blanket. I have tried and tried to get her out of it. If I leave one hand out she knocks her pacifier out and then wakes herself up. If I put both arms in I get scared that she is going to suffocate. Last night I went to give her her pacifier and the blanket was over her head. I ordered a SwaddleMe this morning hoping to gently transition her and hoping that, though I LOVE the MB, that this would be a little safer at her age. Any other suggestion would be great. I am exhausted!!!! She has been a great sleeper (from 730pm till 3am) until she grew strong enough to break free. Also, my dr. says no more night bottles. So….I have been waking her at 10pm and giving her a bottle and then putting her off till 5am. Thanks for any help…..

[hellbennt]

4 months sounds too young to stop night bottles???

I’d research this…

And there are babies who are swaddled way into 6 months, so I wouldn’t try & stop it if it helps her sleep…

[Anonymous]

No more night bottles at 4 months!? That seems WAY early. I think Owen probably got them on and off up to 6 months at least, and he definitely still ate in the night every once in a while even up to a few months ago. During growth spurts definitely, etc. I would never have given them up at her age – she’s probably waking up hungry! It’s at least worth a shot to give her one and see what happens…

[hellbennt]

from here: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/0/T000100.asp#T031009

purple empahsis is mine

How much formula do I feed my baby, and how often?

As you develop a bottle-feeding routine for you and your baby, the two of you will work out which formula is best, how much, and how often. This routine may change as your baby grows. As a general guide:

Between birth and six months of age your baby will need an average of 2 to 2.5 ounces of formula per pound per day. So, if your baby weighs ten pounds, she will need 20 to 25 ounces per day.

• Newborns may take only an ounce or two at each feeding
• One to two months: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding
• Two to six months: 4 to 6 ounces per feeding
• Six months to a year: as much as 8 ounces at a feeding

Small, more frequent feedings will work better than larger ones spaced farther apart. Your baby’s tummy is about the size of his fist. Take a full bottle and place it next to your baby’s fist and you’ll see why tiny tummies often spit the milk back up when they’re given too much at one time.

[Anonymous]

I agree that four months is way too early to give up night feedings, especially for a baby with reflux who needs to eat smaller and more frequent feedings. Myles still had a bottle at night until he was five months old.

Waking her at 10 may be interrupting her sleep cycle and causing more waking later on. At her age I would just put her down when she’s tired and feed her when she wakes and seems hungry. When she gets a little older you can tweak her schedule a little, but she’s pretty young right now.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all so much. I agree. I will start feeding her at night again. That was MUCH easier. I was up 30 minutes and that was it. Now I am up ALLLLLL night. Christine…. I also agree about waking her at 10pm. This was advise from a friend who’s baby sleeps 12 hours. However, I forget sometimes that she is on THIN Neocate and spits up. She is different than average. She is a good size though. She is about 14 pounds. Thanks again. Wish us luck tonight….

[Anonymous]

I guess both of my daughters quit the night bottle at 2 months. I don’t remember exact details from my oldest but my youngest, now 3 1/2 months, has been going from 9/10:00 at night until at least 6:00 every night since she was just over 2 months. Sometimes, since I went back to work, I even have to wake her up to take a bottle before I leave for work and quite often, she only takes the bottle with 1-2 ounces with her Zegerid in it. She is drinking between 22 and 28 ounces (4-6 ounce bottles) throughout the day and really drinks a lot in the evening. Maybe I am just lucky but I am sure all babies are different. She is in the normal range for her weight right now which tells me she is getting enough – much chubbier baby than my first

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Good luck! I hope she sleeps better.

My first two stopped eating at night by two months, so with Myles I was so anxious to get him sleeping through the night and I thought it’d never happen. But by five months he finally could make it from 9 pm until about 6 am, and since then has gradually gone to bed earlier each night, and is now in bed by 8 and doesn’t get up to eat until 7am. So, it will come….

[Anonymous]

I hope you are sleeping better by now….just wanted to add even though it’s late in the game….that my son bfed WAY more at night than what is considered “normal” because of discomfort from reflux and severe night wakings…. All babies are different, but your refluxer is VERY VERY different from average, and especially from your friends babies who sleep for 12 hours! I had the same problem of getting advice from moms who had normal babies and it just didn’t work for us. Even pediatricians, in my own personal opinion, can fall prey to assuming that your refluxer, because they are on meds, etc., will react like other “normal” babies. It simply isn’t necessarily the case. I really hope things have improved!

[Author]

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