Our 5 mo. old baby has always wiggled and writhed at night in discomfort and this causes him to not sleep very well. My wife has to nurse him through the night just to get him to sleep. We've tried every book and idea out there and the doctor's just tell us "Every baby is different." He is on two antacids, but never really sleeps much more than 30 minutes at a time. We're worried he might have developmental problems if he doesn't get enough sleep. We've been to a pediatric gastroenterologist and got the antacid prescriptions, which seem to help some, but he still isn't sleeping very well.
We are now going to a pediatric neurologist. Any ideas as to what would cause him to not sleep well?
Again, please don't recommend popular books or methods- we've really tried them all. I am trying to find out if this could be a medical/neurological condition.
Thanks in advance! If she's having to nurse all night to keep him asleep it sounds like he is using her for a pacifier. If you don't already have one buy them. It make take a few tries before you find one he likes. Sounds like he would benefit from the wedge you put under the crib mattress so he would be a little elevated and might help his acid reflux. If you're feeding him rice cereal try a different kind. My daughter would get a really upset stomach from the rice cereal, but had no problems with infant's oatmeal. If he is crying a lot, it could be colic. They have colic tablet you can buy over the counter, they are found in by the tooth aid medicines, rub tablets on his gums and this might soothe him. It sounds to me like he has a gas problem, this should help. Actually, have you been to see a lactation consultant? Call your local hospital and ask if they have an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant--"IBCLC" on staff, or where you might find one. And NO, a regular lactation consultant does not count (they are often just a nurse who has had an extra class, not certified to board standards.)
Before you go down the neurological road, you might want to visit the IBCLC to assess his latch, and to evaluate nursing positions, etc. It might be a simple fix, as opposed to a more involved medical one.
You might be interested to read this:
"So I Nursed Him Every 45 Minutes"
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/elizab...
Frequent Nursing (how to cope)
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/freque...
I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to the neurologist, of course, but perhaps simplicity over the far side of complexity might yield a result. Most doctors have no idea how nursing works and might suggest an intervention when none is needed. I hope you find a solution, I know how hard it is when there is no sleeping for everyone. He he just breast feeding? Our son had problems sleeping and was diagnosed with acid reflux. They reccommended we put him on medicine. It didn't help!! He was up all hours of the day crying like he was in pain!
We discovered he was having problems with his formula. Maybe lactose intolerant or too much iron. We had to put him on isomil (soy formula). He was like a new baby after that and has been doing fine ever since.
If your baby is only taking in breast milk... maybe your wife is eating something that is not agreeing with baby.
Our little guy has trouble sleeping when he is teething (his first tooth broke thru at 3 months). Does he have teeth yet? How long has tthe sleep disturbance been happening? If it is something that just started... I would think you shouldn't worry so much about serious medical interferrance.
The doctors are right when they say all babies are different. Our baby has gone thru many changes in his ten months of life... we wooried too. He is now sleeping from 7pm to 7am most nights and is as healthy as could be.
I wish you the best... sweet dreams,
Lisa I don't know what to say about the neurological implications but I think the baby will get enough sleep whether you believe it or not. It is just the same as parents freaking out about their toddler not eating enough. My niece never slept like your child and she is 9 and is just fine. She did not have the medical issues that he has but she didn't nap during the day since birth. The 30 minutes that he gets may be all that he needs. Is he crying or just writhing. He may be an active sleeper, maybe he just moves a lot while sleeping. If he is not crying I would just leave him be for awhile and see what happens.
With my second boy he was just to stubborn to sleep and I kept him wrapped up like a little burrito and that helped him sleep. I know they make those blankets it think they are called swaddlers. Have you tried the mommy's shirt in the crib, he may be not sleeping because he has gotten used to sleeping next to mommy. Have you wife wear a shirt all day then put it in bed with him at bedtime, he will recognize the smell and it may help him. Are you sure he is in pain or does he just miss him mommy. 5 months old is plenty old to get used to sleeping with mommy and daddy. Do you play music? Hi,
I think the most important thing to start with is to get your baby into a good sleep routine. I had massive problems with getting my 5 month old son to sleep. He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again! Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!
It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Josh into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!
If you want to take a look, the site for the audio program is at http://www.babysleepsolution.com
Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.
Good luck! | 