Normal?
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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Topic: Normal?
Posted By: mrshouse
Subject: Normal?
Date Posted: 08 June 2007 at 2:45pm
my almost 7 week old baby has odd sleeping patterns. In the first couple of weeks she would be up 6-8 hours a day and then now can be awake up to 12 hours some days. lately after her long waking spells she would then sleep 6-8 hours. a doctor said its normal, and my midwife said it wasnt normal,maybe its wind so weve tried boile water and infracol and nurse said we're feeding her too much- she is now having 150mls every 3 hours and sometimes 50ml top ups in between,s that too much?. she is crying thru these waking spells with maybe ten minutes sleep here and there....everyday is a waiting game thinking "is this when she wont go back to sleep?" is this normal?</P> 
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Replies:
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 08 June 2007 at 3:00pm
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sorry i dont know much about formula feeding and how much is normal but i wouldnt think that top ups after less that 3 hrs should be necessary if she was getting all she needed/wanted from the initial feed. i'm sure some of the lovely mums who do formula feed will be ablt to let you know what they do tho.
i just found this on www.peacehealth.org. Average feeding amounts by baby's age Age of baby Formula feedings per 24 hours Amount of formula per feeding Birth to 2 weeks 6 to 10 2 fl oz (59 mL) to 3 fl oz (89 mL) 2 weeks to 1 month 6 to 8 4 fl oz (118 mL) to 5 fl oz (148 mL) 1 to 3 months 5 to 6 5 fl oz (148 mL) to 6 fl oz (177 mL) 3 to 6 months 4 to 5 6 fl oz (177 mL) to 7 fl oz (207 mL) 6 to 9 months 3 to 4 7 fl oz (207 mL) to 8 fl oz (237 mL) 9 to 12 months 3 7 fl oz (207 mL) to 8 fl oz (237 mL) A baby drinks from a bottle of formula for about 5 to 25 minutes at a time. Pay attention to your baby's nutritional needs and cues. Don't be concerned if your baby doesn't eat much at one feeding. He or she is likely eating enough over the course of a day or two. Forcing your baby to drink more formula than he or she needs can cause tummy aches and spitting up ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 08 June 2007 at 3:27pm
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Hi I'm not sure either, I would have thought that all 7wo babies needed more sleep than that. Count on a growth spurt every 2 weeks for the first 2-3mos. -------------  |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 08 June 2007 at 5:59pm
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Hi MrsHouse. Sounds like your having a rough time, sorry to hear that. My daughter was just like yours in terms of the awake time and very short naps. Around the same age she would only sleep in 10 or 20min blocks depsite us doing everything "right". We tried everything but in the end only time helped. She eventually extended to 40mins and then to 1.5 hour naps. One day at 7 weeks of age she was awake for 22 hours straight and was not at all happy. We still don't know why she was that way but it did eventually sort itself out.
If you've covered the obvious such as the feed/play/sleep order, winddown routine, ensuring she falls to sleep independently (without being fed or rocked to sleep) etc then just keep up the good work and hang in there. If you're having trouble getting her to sleep independently feel free to PM me or contact your local plunket family centre as there are some things you can try (and by things I don't mean leaving her to cry :)). If you need a break, your local family centre is a great place to start. Some little ones just have a hard time getting into a good sleep routine but they do get there. It's probably no consolation right now but our girl sleeps very well now so you will get there. Hang in there and feel free to PM me if you want to chat about it some more.  ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Peace
Date Posted: 08 June 2007 at 8:21pm
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The feeding your baby is doing is ringing alarm bells in my head. Olivia was much the same although she was having 150mls over 2hrs (bits of bottles, I called her a snack eater) then down for a 30min nap. She would constantly grizzle the whole time she was awake unless I entertained her. She would sleep ok overnight then every couple of days she would have a break of exhaustion and sleep the whole day. Olivia also had hiccups, making little squaking/swallowing noises when she wasn't being fed and had terrible trouble with passing wind. I had a Karitane nurse take me to task and give me a lesson on winding because I was doing it wrong. What a load of bollocks, I was doing it fine. The symptoms ended up being silent reflux, I strongly suggest that you have a look at:
http://www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz/Symptoms.htm - Crying over spilt milk - symptoms of reflux It really sounds like your baby is feeding to soothe. I would also like to say that there is no real trouble having a reflux baby, the trouble is diagnosis so get onto it if you can. Best of luck ------------- DD1 May 2006 DD2 March 2011 DD3 August 2012 |
Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 08 June 2007 at 9:44pm
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Ok your bubs sounds just like my ella...she refused to - and still does - sleep during the day but slept beautifully at night. No reflux, sometimes wind, but otherwise happy to be awake and seeing the world....
Have you tried taking her for a walk, drive in car etc??? I know motion for Ella sends her off and 30 mins plus is better than stressing at home...we go to mall and she will sleep 3 hours but at home nothing!!! Like Fiona above Ella didnt have anything else - she just doesnt want to sleep during the day thankyou very much!!! You just might have that baby too! Im no sure how your midwife can say its not normal...plunket and doc reassured me that it is ok...she is getting good sleep at night and growing well (really well!!!) so if all else ok just persevere... BTW I BF exclusive so no idea re formula but in an expressed feed Ella can down a 120 ml bottle and still wanted boobie for 30 mins!!! |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 09 June 2007 at 9:27am
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The difference between Ella and Elle is that Elle (my one :)) was not happy to have such little sleep. She cried much of the time. She was also breastfeed and took one good feed every 2.5 hours at that age so she wasn't really a snacker.
Let us know how you are getting on Mrs House. If it is any consolation at all - week 7ish was the hardest for us and it gradually got better after about week 10. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: mrshouse
Date Posted: 09 June 2007 at 1:42pm
| Thanks Fiona,Peace and bombshell for all your help. Yea my Ane is just like Elle.i read up on the info about gastric reflux that Pece gave me and im positive my Ane has all those symptoms but when i took her to a different doctor today- he said she didnt have it.its now 1.34pm and shes been up since 2am. I want to go ahead and change her milk like it advises for gastirc reflux but i dont kno.... |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 09 June 2007 at 2:18pm
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Reflux is a tricky one. My GP was good and put my daughter straight onto Losec (supposidly the best treatment for reflux) just in case. She didn't improve at all after 2 months of treament (from 5 weeks of age until 14 weeks) nor did she get worse when it was stopped. We also tried Infant Gaviscon. They usually say that the main way they diagnose reflux is by trying the meds...if they work, then the baby has reflux, if there is no change then they possibly don't. Naturally that is not 100% accurate all the time but it is a general rule. Elle does spill a lot and it is acidic but it would seem that it doesn't really bother her.
We tried everything - reflux meds, seeing paediatricians, going to the plunket family centre once a week for several weeks, sleep consultants etc. In the end it just took time to come right. I totally understand how hard it is though and know that as a Mum you just can't rest until you've had things checked out again and again. I do hope you find a solution soon. Is she growing well? Does she seem more unsettled after feeds? There is always a chance it could be reflux or it could be the formula. You could try changing to something like soya formula for a few days to see how she goes?? If she improves, you could then revisit the GP to talk about what formula to use on an ongoing basis? Elle is breastfeed so I'm not sure about formula. I think trying to aim for 2.5 hourly feeds, or perhaps 2 hourly at a min, without top-ups in between is a good place to start. Naturally you need to be flexible during growth spurts etc but aiming for 2 to 3 hours between feeds is usually best. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: mrshouse
Date Posted: 09 June 2007 at 4:58pm
| Thanks Fiona- i tried to pm you. I have brought goat milk to try her on that. she stil hasnt slept yet but she is so so exhausted. will keep you posted but i feel like im trying to be a know-t-all when the doctors say nothing is wtong but im still persisting...we'l see.... |
Posted By: Leish
Date Posted: 09 June 2007 at 5:55pm
Hugs  Hope you get some answers soon and things start coming right for you and little Ane. Poor little thing must be miserable being so tired - not to mention her poor mum. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 09 June 2007 at 8:35pm
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Sorry! Inbox is now empty if you want to resend.
Hope you're wee girl has settled to sleep and you can get some rest too. Don't hesitate to persist with the doctors...I'm sure they understand and are used to us Mums :). A day at the family centre may be a good idea so the nurses can observe her...they will be able to help with any feeding / settling issues. They are also used to dealing with refluxy babies. If nothing else they can support you and let you have a rest. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 10 June 2007 at 3:37pm
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Hi MrsHouse, and welcome to OhBaby! Don't worry about feeling like a know-all when you're at the Doc's... You do know stuff other people will never pick up on about your wee girl, 'cause of that wonderful Mummy Instinct you've just naturally got! That sounds really tough - that's a heck of a lot of staying awake for a wee 7-week-old. Let me get this straight - she's up for 12 hours consecutively?!? Wow. I take my hat off to you if you even manage to get dressed on any of those days!! Plunket were a great help to me with my little girl's sleep (well, lack of). I called PlunketLine a couple of times, and talked to a nurse at the family centre, too. Chances are you'll be well aware of how different and conflicting all the advice you get is, so my only advice is to listen to the lot, but don't drive yourself crazy trying anything that you just know isn't going to help. Take on board the stuff that rings true for you, and if that doesn't help Ane, then that could be time to try some of the other approaches. I hope it's sorted for you soon - sounds like hard slog. Hang in there - I'll get easier! ------------- Andie |