Author Topic: Desperate for sleep-please help!  (Read 1118 times)

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Offline rachaelcole

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Desperate for sleep-please help!
« on: January 27, 2015, 06:50:06 am »
My LG (14.5 months) started EASY from birth & is an absolute joy. She slept through from 8 months, and only goes 'wonky' with illness or teething. She's never been a great day sleeper and we are currently in the midst of the 2:1 transition with 80% of days on one 1.5-2 hr nap between 12-2.

She uses a dummy for sleep only and up until recently has found it in the night with no problems, so it's never been an issue.

She goes to bed at around 6.45-7pm & gets up at 6-6.30am.

Since just before Christmas (timed with the eruption of all 4 molars!!) she began whinging in her sleep 3 times a night, always at the same time. We would replac her dummy to give her mouth something to do other than whinge, and go back to bed thinking it would be short lived. Well it's steadily got worse, last night was 8 times! That's & times getting out of bed, probably 12 individual episodes of whinging.

I know her molars are cutting the second ridge and we medicate if she seems really uncomfortable before bed.

I just don't know if it is the dummy that's the issue as she seems to have lost the ability to find it (probably because she's not really awake!), if it's the teeth or if it's habit now. I've tried leaving her knowing she is asleep but she ends up waking herself up which then requires a full on resettle rather than a replug. If it's teeth I don't feel we can really medicate much more than we do. And if it's habit, it's now so frequent that I wouldn't have a clue what to do about wake-to-sleep which has worked for us before.

I'm 20weeks pregnant and hubby works shifts, so I'm on my own some nights. Plus I work and try to protect hubby's sleep if he's been on pages or nights so I am truly exhausted. I've had one stint of a 4 hour block of sleep in weeks! Usually it's blocks of 2-3 hours.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom? I was so tired and fed up of it last night that I nearly shouted-I didn't but that's a sure sign I'm teetering on the edge of insanity!

TIA x

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2015, 07:52:39 am »
Is she low sleep needs do you think?  That's a long day on quite a short nap for a toddler of her age considering she's only just gone to one nap. Have you tried EBT in case she is OT?

The medication probably only lasts 4 hrs (assuming it's paracetamol) so I'd give another dose after that time if she wakes again.  Or what about teething gel?

It could be that the dummy is a prop and the teething is waking her and then she needs the dummy again. If she has been teething since Christmas then hopefully it shouldn't go on much longer.

You could also concentrate on getting her to re plug her own dummy in the night by guiding her hand to it rather than doing it yourself.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline ewabear

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2015, 11:57:49 am »
I'm with you. 3 months and 3 bottles of baby nurofen, that 's how long it took for those molars and I think she is teething again.
My Lo very LSN 10-11 hours at night and 1 h during the day.
How does dhe resettle? Do you pick her up? Feed?
Or dummy only and she is fine?

Offline weaver

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2015, 13:24:09 pm »
If it's teeth, I would definitely try using ibuprofen rather than paracetamol - the ibuprofen targets the swelling as well so it's more effective.  Just read the label carefully as it's usually a very different dosage regime from paracetamol.  Paracetamol does nothing for teeth in our house. 

Whimpering in her sleep does sound like discomfort to me.
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline rachaelcole

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2015, 18:51:48 pm »
Thank you for your replies. Since she was tiny she has been a good night sleeper (12 hours-ish) and a bad day sleeper (45 min naps until 9 months old, then 1 long 1 short, then couldn't fit 2 in without APOPing in the car so have moved to one nap since just after 12 months).

My instinct tells me that its molars, I'm just very conscious that i could be 'making excuses' so to speak - i guess i hadn't anticipated that it could/would last this long - i thought it was a few days at a time rather than consistently every night. I have medicated with ibruprofen tonight and will probably dose with calpol 2 at the 2 hr mark just to make sure i can tick discomfort off the list if she wakes late evening.

We will do EBT when she has had a bad night and only one nap (today for example, she got up at 6 having woken up at 8.30, 9.30, 10.30, 11.50, 12.20, 02.20 & 04.10 last night and had one nap of 1hr 45 mins just after 12 and went to bed at 6 and has gone straight to sleep) I try and aim for  a12 hour day if its been a bad night with one nap.

With regards to resettling, if she has fully woken and is crying and sitting up asking to be cuddled I will pick her up for a minute or two to calm her, then lay her back down with her dummy & teddy. A resettle like that is only needed maybe once or twice a week.  The rest of the time the dummy will do it - we don't interact with her at night & she has never slept in our bed so I don't think its AP in respect to that. Often she doesn't even seem to be awake properly, which i guess would explain why she can't 'think' to find her own dummy.

Having chatted with a friend this evening the only other thing i can think that changed at about the same time (except the one nap transition) is the full move over to cows milk. She has had cows milk in food since 6 months and hasn't shown any signs of a problem with it, but the full move (and so bed time bottle as cows milk) happened at roughly the same time. Is formula more filling and is she hungry? We do baby signing and so she is very able to tell us if she is thirsty or hungry but never 'says' she is during the night if she does wake up, and when we get up in the morning we wait until 7am to have breakfast and she seems fine with that.

Maybe it is the molars and we just have to ride this out for a while longer whilst maintaining trying to not get into any AP habits?

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2015, 10:24:01 am »
Formula is more nutritious (all the added vitamins and minerals) than cows milk but calorie-wise they are similar.

Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline rachaelcole

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2015, 19:08:08 pm »
Interestingly last night we had a VEBT at 6pm-gave Her neurofen before bed, a small 3oz bottle & put her in a slightly longer sleeping bag. Then gave a 'dream dose' of calpol at 8pm & I went to bed. Woke up at 02.20 to some whimpers (she wasn't awake) that lasted all of about 20 seconds & that was it until 05.45 this morning. Hurrah!! But I wish I knew how/what/why! 😄 Have done the same tonight although bed time was nearer 6.30pm, but have given neurofen & small bottle & am hoping for the best!

Last nights success would suggest it's not habit related?

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Desperate for sleep-please help!
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2015, 20:17:38 pm »
Yes it definitely sounds like teeth and/or OT.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011