# Really bad sleep in a 6 month old



## pabboo (Sep 29, 2007)

Help! 

DS is 7 months old on the 4th of next month. Once upon a time, at around 4 months, he was sleeping for 6-7 hours and waking twice in the night for a feed. Oh, those were the days. 

In the last month or so, he has woken, sometimes every hour, for a feed. Usually it is every two hours. He also does a huge poo at anywhere between 3 and 5am, requiring a nappy change (and sometimes clothes too - doing this (the poo!) wakes him up as he thrashes about and complains bitterly about it. Sometimes he will nurse back down, sometimes he needs rocking in our arms). 

So, to add to the 4 or 5 (minimum) feeds he has a night (not usually full feeds, but nothing else will settle him, he will sometimes just suckle for a few minutes then roll over and sleep again - if I am lucky!) he has now started waking up screaming. 

It has happened for 2 nights in a row now - he wakes up screaming (but his eyes are still closed) and it seems nothing will stop him. I have tried rocking, feeding, cuddling, changing his nappy.... after up to 10 minutes he just stops and goes back to sleep - usually if he is being held close by his Daddy. Changing his nappy stopped it, but I think it is because he fully woke up and started smiling etc. He is arching his back and thrashing while he screams, but there are no tears. 
Accompanying this is a throw-up of undigested milk. He does that first, then screams. Although sometimes he will just scream without doing that, but when he does possett like that the screams seem to last longer. Th first night it was loads of milk (or seemed to be) last night not so much.

Finally, coupled with this, he is just a terrible sleeper now! I am constantly having to pat, shush and reassure him as he grizzles in his sleep and thrashes about. 

He sleeps in a cot attached to the bed (so it is like a extension of the bed). I often bring him in with me in the early hours so we can cuddle and feed that little bit easier.
He has just started to crawl.
He started solids 3 weeks ago (baby led weaning), but doesn't eat much. 
He eats reasonably well (BM) during the day - every 2 or 3 hours. 
Temperature of the room is fine, around 20. 
During the day he seems good - a little more possetting than usual but fine and smiley in himself. 
Naps: He used to sleep twice in the morning for 30 mins a time then a 2 hours nap in the afternoon, but that suddenly changed a couple of months ago and he is now really unpredictable - sometimes he'll still do this, other he just has a couple of 30min naps. But he won't be persuaded to sleep unless he wants to. I nurse him down or wear him in a sling during the day if he rubs his eyes (and then usually hold him til he naturally wakes). More or less naps don't seem to alter his nights though.


Please, any advice you can give would be appreciated. I am so knackered. 
I am thinking of taking him to the doc if he does the throwing up and screaming one more night, but doubt he could help tbh. It's also just the sheer quantity of feeding and restlessness - and the poo - that I can't cope with!

Thanks for your time

Boo x


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## gerbera (Aug 4, 2008)

sorry have started a new job. mail me if still having issues. A quick thing tho I have found that babies doing baby led weaning often dont sleep well as they arent getting the calorie intake.
andrea


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