Settling Baby after 5am Feed

[Charlie:-)]

During the night Maia generally wakes at 20am and then again at 50am for a feed.

At 20am she goes down again no problem and is straight back to slep but at 50am she struggles and it takes me about an hour to hour and a half to settle her back down.

I have tried all sorts. When she wakes I change her nappy which is usually always soilled and dirty then I feed her, then get her wind up and try to put her down, she is usually asleep/falling asleep when I have finished feeding and winding. I dont stimuate her with bright lights or a lot of conversation, I have a nursing chair and I usually rock her to sleep but sometimes she still doesnt go off into deep sleep and when I put her back into her moses basket she starts to wake up. She makes this very strange grunting noise and makes a big stretch when shes left in her basket to fall alseep and im sure she's doing it to wake herself up and to stop herself from falling asleep. I can clearly see shes still tired but fights it to stay awake. This morning after trying all the usual to try and get her off but she just wouldnt go down so I left her in her basket and from 60am till 80 she was drifting in and out of sleep and making the grunting noise to wake herself up until she had had enough and started crying.

I have even tried putting a top into the basket that I had worn the previous day to try and help.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get her off to sleep again?

BTW I should mention that Im not keen on on co-sleeping so dont really want to give it a go, but willing to try other things.

 

[LisaJ1986]

I read somewhere that changing a nappy in the night may wake them up more, so i try and hold it off til morning!
I have a rocking moses basket stand that does seem to do the trick. She gets disturbed when i've put her back to sleep them move her from my arms.
But if all else fails i lay in the middle of the bed and lay her next to me and offer her more feed. She'll suck for a short time then drift off. I just leave her there. It worries me having her in bed with me but i don't sleep deep enough. I try not to do that 1 though if i can help it.

 

[Charlie:-)]

I read somewhere that changing a nappy in the night may wake them up more, so i try and hold it off til morning!

Yes I did wonder whether this might be the reason but she has no problem falling asleep while feeding which is after her nappy change. She just doesnt settle when I put her in her moses basket.

Also im not keen on leaving her in a dirty nappy from 20am till around 110am when she wakes. When I change her at 50am it is always soiled.

 

[loz]

Emms is the same quite often - I dont really have any advice apart from it's got to get better at some point! I would be grateful for anyone's advice too!

 

[LisaJ1986]

I just noticed your baby is only still really tiny, so the nappy thing is hard, especially when breastfeeding. As they get bigger they poo less in the night. I was up 4 times in the night with Angel in the 1st month, and had to change her every night. I spoke to my HV as i was pulling my hair out with lack of sleep, they just told me the 1st 6 weeks are the hardest then things will get easier. It is very frustrating but they are right. Even now we have our bad days but more good 1's.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Crikey - no wonder your so tired you poor thing!

I was fairly lucky with lady bug - i would feed her a bottle (Formula baby) then most of the time she would fall asleep in my arms and i would be able to pop her back into bed.
I would suggest that maybe you could pop her in a bouncer or something and rock her back to sleep like that then put her into bed??

I sympathise with lack of sleep - and hope she gets into a routine soon for you - I dont want to suggest forumula as your a bf mum, leckershell supplesmented formula with her bf baby, Valentine is a bf mum and she may be able to giver you a better answe then I!

 

[Gem & Leland]

read back my posts , leland wouldnt either after his 5/6 am feed ,

im afraid he still doesnt , its like 'play' time

when he was abit older ( about 3 months i think ) i gave in and what we now do is , after his 6 am feed he now goes into his cot in his room ( his still in withus before then ) , he then can play with his toys and watch his mobile and altho i hear him laughing on the baby monitor it doesnt disturb me as much as him being next to me !

tbh i think hed be better in his room full time but i aint ready to let him go

 

[Bloom]

My DD is the same she sleeps right through to 5am but always wakes for her feed but then its very hard to get her back to sleep if anyone finds the answer then let me know. It doesnt help that its broad daylight outside and i dont have a blackout blind.

 

[Charlie:-)]

Thank you for all your replies and words of support. Im so glad to read im not alone.

Some great suggestions and I think we will just carry on with the nursing chair and persevere with what we have already been doing. If she continues to be so lively and not settle then we will try G3M's sugestion of putting Maia into her cot, but we will wait till she's a fair bit older. Hubby goes back to work next week so I will try and nap during the day when Maia naps to catch up on my sleep, sod the housework and other bits and bobs that need doing as I cant do very much either after my c-section.

Thanks again for your replies.

 

[DebbieM]

Does she need to be winded? If she doesnt then leave it. I always winded Luke and it really woke him up so now I dont during the night and he settles loads better

 

[Charlie:-)]

Does she need to be winded? If she doesnt then leave it. I always winded Luke and it really woke him up so now I dont during the night and he settles loads better

Almost always needs winding despite all the books saying breasfed babies dont need winding as much as bottle fed. Its catch 22 with winding if I put her down she wakes from squirming and crying in pain or I can spend up to 30 minutes trying to get her wind up by which time shes sometimes awake afterwards. Been using infracol since Monday and it does seem to be helping her get her wind up much easier but she's still being a little madam at 50am!

 

[LilysMummy]

If madame wakes up before normal time to feed, I feed her and but her straight down in her cot after awake or not and everytime she gets herself off to sleep.

 

[kalia]

Try putting something to heat the mattress and covers before putting her in her basket. We use one of those wheat bag things that you microwave or you could use a hot water bottle. Stick it in while you are feeding or nappy changing. When it's time to put her down take it out, check the mattress isn't too hot and pop her in. It works best for us if the bit where her head will be is warm too. After all, who likes getting in a cold bed? Good luck!