Hitting a Growth Spurt
The past three nights have been grueling. The baby has woken up usually around 11:30, then 2:00, then 5:00. Last night, he was up from 1:00-2:30 a.m. 
There’s something disconcerting when you realize that you’ve had about 4 hours of sleep over the course of two days.
I’m starting to wonder if this is another growth spurt. He’s almost five months old, and I just question what I’m doing wrong. Is he not getting enough to eat? Is his room too cold at night? Has he been “conditioned” to wake up in the middle of the night, whether he’s hungry or not? With my firstborn, I was able to coax him into taking a pacifier instead of nursing. With this baby…he rips the pacifier out of my hand and tosses it across the room. Let’s just say that my little man knows what he wants and it ain’t a pacifier. 
I’ve also tried giving him water in a bottle.
What did you do when your baby kept waking up in the middle of the night? I’m open to any and all suggestions. And if whatever you suggest happens to make him sleep from 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. with no interruptions, I will send you an autographed copy of every book I’ve written. Plus, you’ll have my undying gratitude. 
Michelle posted in Writing @ 6:29 am | Viewed 1932 times
beth Says:
All I can offer you are sleep deprived hugs. Mine is at this same thing and has been for the past…four or five days. Maybe it’s something in the air? (I already checked…it’s not the moon. We’re nowhere near full.) But hey, since mine isn’t nursing at least you know it isn’t to do with that, right?
I’ll be checking back and keeping my fingers crossed for some good suggestions that don’t involve crying and alcohol. (Because those are the two things my addled brain is comign up with.)
Treasia Says:
Not sure if you are already doing this or not but I suggest giving the baby a bottle with a little rice cereal mixed into it. Sounds to me as if he needs more than just his bottle alone and needs something more filling. I know most doctors say not to do this, but it never hurt my two children or anyone else’s that I know.
My daughter was a big baby when born and it took more to fill her tummy up than milk alone.
The benefit of it: my two slept all night long from around 9pm till 7am.
Judy Pacuk Says:
My lil man met his match. Or maybe I had more patience for him. His older sibs, a set of twins and a single were my training for the late niter. Added an evening meal of rice cereal and topped off with a late evening bottle. If I got lucky he’d sleep maybe 5 hrs. Today at 23 he is still that late nite kinda guy…
Crystal* Says:
Michelle, hon, I hate to break it to you, but that may be just the way he’s made.
I was spoiled with Oldest Chicken. We had a routine. Up at 7:30, breakfast, lunch, nap, dinner, bed at 9:00. Middle Chicken blew that right the hell out of the water. She would stay up all night (She’s 13 and STILL does). Forget naps. Forget routine. Forget any semblance of sanity.
Um…hugs.
Grins*
Anna J. Evans Says:
Hey, just randomly found your blog while googling, but had to respond.
My son was the same way, up all night every night until he was about 10 months old. Ugh, it was awful. My sleep patterns were just starting to return to normal three years later…and now we’re pregnant again.
What did help sometimes, however, was elevating one side of his crib. He had acid reflux and it would act up about 4-5 hours after bed, then another two hours later and so on. Propping him up often helped, as did ignoring him. I hate to say it, but that’s the only way we finally got him to sleep through the night, was when we just let him stay in there and cry for however long he wanted to cry. It took seven nights and he sobbed so hard her threw up once (we changed the sheets and put him back in be), but he finally started sleeping and has been a happy boy and fabulous sleeper ever since.
Good luck! I know how horrible the no sleeping can be. I’m already dreading that first year of nights a bit myself,
Anna
Robyn Says:
Another vote for a little rice cereal at dinner or before bedtime. It helped my son sleep through.
Missie Says:
Pick up Dr Richard Ferber’s book Solving Your Child’s Sleep Problems. It is fantastic. He introduces a modified type cry it out method that isn’t cruel or hard on the parents or child. He also addresses other sleep concerns to be sure that all those are taken care of before you try his plan. I heart him.
Michelle Says:
Treasia–I agree that he needed something more. I have been giving him rice cereal and baby food. Hoping that it eventually kicks in.
Crystal–ack, no! Say it isn’t so!
Anna–I’ve heard of doing this, and I may have to go there, but I’m going to wait until he’s a little older before I do. He only just turned 5 months old. Maybe in 2 months?
Missie–I’ll give it a go and see. Thanks for the book recommendation!