Night sleep vs wet diapers

mihaelams1

My little boy is almost 6 weeks old and during the night he sleeps in stretches of 2h, sometimes 3h. However, I feel he is able to go longer (he slept 4h once), if not for the wet diapers. He always cries when he senses a wet diaper, even when it's only a few drops, so we go through ~20 diapers a day! He cluster feeds in the evening before me putting him to sleep between 7pm and 8:30pm. He doesn't refuse the breast when he wakes up (wet) during the night, but I have a feeling he doesn't know that he's full, so he overeats and then spits out milk. I can still cope with such a schedule, but if it's possible to avoid the wakings caused by wetness then I'd definitely appreciate some advice. Also, should I try only changing his diaper when he wakes up if he doesn't seem hungry? 

tracij12

Maybe try a different brand of diaper? I know a few people who use cloth at night only for this reason.

dalzien

tracij12 said:

Maybe try a different brand of diaper? I know a few people who use cloth at night only for this reason.

We use cloth and the moment baby gets wet they feel wet. You could put a fleece liner in the diaper to wick away extra moisture, but trying a different diaper brand might be best. You can also try pumping your LO's legs after eating/burping. This will help to move around any extra gas and might cause your LO to have a bowel movement for a quick change before bed. Gas can also be causing all of the spitting up... or you might be confusing your LO's rooting for comfort sucking. When this happens with our DD I pass her off to my husband most of the time because she can smell my milk and will overstuff herself/spit up like crazy.

millereliz13

Idk if they are made in the little size, but there are diapers made for overnight.

rue:D

millereliz13 said:

Idk if they are made in the little size, but there are diapers made for overnight.

The Huggies overnight diapers start at size 3. Not sure about other brands.

mihaelams1

Thank you all for the suggestions! Funny thing, the past night he slept 6h, like never before, and woke up with a dry diaper still (which got wet immediately after, so he wasn't dehydrated). I didn't sleep as much because of the engorgement, but that's another story. I'm still trying to figure out what helped, so that it can be repeated. I'll also look into other brands of diapers, but I've read that the one we've been using all along, Pampers Swaddlers, is among the best at absorbing pee.

Regarding gas & bowel movements - he's only crying after peeing, with no reaction whatsoever after a poop, which is strange since that one is pretty wet as well (tmi, sorry). I was also feeding him after every waking, regardless of the hunger signs. This made for a pretty fast diaper-feed-sleep cycle. Maybe I should indeed try to put him to sleep by other means first. 

mandala1107

Trying another diaper brand may work, but if you're already using pampers, you may be out of luck with other types. I ran out of pampers the other day and had to use Huggies, and I used twice as many diapers due to them not absorbing as much and leaking. Some babies are just more sensitive to moisture than others. Do you use a balm or salve at every diaper change? I use A&D ointment (the preventative kind, not rash treatment) at every change to keep the moisture away from his sensitive skin. I can tell a difference in my son's demeanor if I don't use it and he gets uncomfortable quickly with wet/dirty diapers. Maybe try that? My daughter would always wake up to be changed at night. I started feeding her every time she woke and realized I was over feeding. I would use a pacifier for a few minutes so she would comfort suck and she would spit it out after a few minutes when she got sleepy. I've been doing the same thing with my son who tolerates the pacifier even less, but it helps calm him enough to sleep when he doesn't exhibit hunger cues. We EBF so I have to be very patient with the pacifier, as I offer it to him just like I do my breast, he plays with it with his tongue, sucks it in, spits it out, and we try again. But it works. No nipple confusion with the patient approach.

mihaelams1

Thank you! I'll check the A&D ointment. Last night we were back to square one (max 2h in a stretch) so I'll definitely try some of the suggestions.