Help! My 3 month old baby wakes every 45 minutes at night!

curtains

I have a 3 month old boy who has been fussy and pretty difficult since he was about 3 weeks old. The dr suspects he has mild reflux (he does not spit up or vomit), but gets the hiccups a lot, along with some digestive issues-you can hear his stomach gurgling and just see that he is uncomfortable. He still eats and sleeps very much like a newborn, eating 2-4 oz, usually more like 2-3 oz every 2 hours or so during the day. I was exclusively breastfeeding him but it was just too constant and I also have a 2.5 year old who gets very jealous every time I feed him, so we have been introducing formula over the last 2 weeks. He now drinks half and half bottle for every feeding but the morning feeding when I nurse him and will continue to do so so he gets at least some of my antibodies. He usually naps for about 45 minutes and is awake for about an hour all throughout the day. Bedtime can range from 7:45-10:00-I am following his lead on this. Some night he'll sleep 5, 6, or 7 hours and then wake up for a feeding, and some nights he'll wake up every hour or two. Either way, after the 2 am feeding, he wakes up every 45 minutes for the rest of the night until he's up for good at about 6 or 7 am. Sometimes I just give in and put him in bed with me at that point, but even cosleeping, he still wakes up as often, he's just easier to soothe since I'm right there. Generally, he only eats 2 times during the night, even though he's waking up way more often then this. I'm hopeful that his digestive system just isn't mature enough yet and that things will improve in a month or so. He sleeps fully swaddled in the miracle blanket in his swing in his room at this point. I tried unwrapping him, thinking maybe this was causing him to be uncomfortable, but it didn't help, and he won't go to sleep unless he's swaddled. We try pacifiers too which help sometimes, and hurt us sometimes, because then he spits them out at some point and this wakes him up. He also has a sound machine and his head is always elevated which my dr suggested. We are going to try using a hot water bottle in the swing with him tonight. He's also on nutramigen formula which is specialized for fussy babies. I also cut all dairy, chocolate, soy, and nuts out of my diet about 10 weeks ago which helped some. He is pretty pleasant when he's awake during the day and just started laughing out loud yesterday, but I just don't think he's sleeping or eating enough and it's effecting all of us at this point. Does anyone out there have any advice or experienced anything similar to this?!! My daughter was an absolute dream and was nothing like this, so I feel like a first time mom all over again, and am just so tired of the constant exhaustion. Thank you in advance for your help!!!

Skeemer

Darbie914 said:

At 3 months old, I would look into getting him into a routine every day, instead of following his lead.  At this age, it could be extremely beneficial to him to have a regular sleep schedule/pattern.

Start with setting a bedtime for him.  Then about 30 minutes to an hour before, do bath, lotion/massage, low lights with some music/white noise, and nurse/bottle.  When he is finished eating, rock/lay him down to sleep.  During the day, you will want to pay attention to his naps.  He should be able to stay awake a little longer than 1 hour between wake-ups so if you want to try a nap schedule, this could be a good time to do so.  

^ This exactly. With DS he was KILLING me by being awake every 2 hours around the clock. It was so stressful.

At 2 months old we got this video

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Hulls-Common-Sense-Solutions/dp/B00329RIJC

& followed it. It worked magic. DS was sleeping through the night at 3 months old. He did go through a brief 1 month period around 6 months where he got up again during the night but I think it was teething or something. He has slept through the night ever since.

But even if you don't get the video, routine is key. Play, eat, sleep. Repeat. We give DS a bath before bed to relax him too. Good luck.

katychessher

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flockofmoosen3

How warm is your LO at night? You said he is swaddled, but maybe he still gets chilly if there aren't enough layers? 

I say this because my DD was sleeping great when she was in full PJs and we double swaddled her and also lay a blanket over her legs and feet. Then I spent a couple of weeks worried that she was getting too hot (no evidence of this) so I experimented with reduced layers and she slept poorly. Last night we went back to old ways and she was a dream.

I also pull her into bed with me after her 6a/7a feed so we can both keep sleeping in. 

katychessher

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