I need some ideas on WHY bubba is so restless!!

[Nadine216]

I have been having trouble lately at night with dd. And after being such a good little sleeper, I am stumped!!! She is now almost 11 months and still in her cot in our room.

She is waking constantly through-out the night. I have begun (please don't judge) to give her a bottle at odd times at night just to get her to calm down.

She will not wake up and want to play, she is just restless. She cries and gets into a sitting position and when I pick her up, she will throw herself backwards and arch her back and just cry. She will not be held and will climb out of my arms and to tell the truth - its dangerous, because I am not fully awake 80% of the time and are clinging on to her for dear life, kwim?? So when I put her back in her cot she will still be crying and I will offer some milk. She will take about two to three sips, spit out and go back to sleep. She wakes anything from 8 to 20 times a night. Sometimes, when I am lucky, she will settle on my breast (not boob, she is ff), but as soon as I put her back down, she cries again. We co-sleep sometimes when I am just not up to getting up, but that does not help and she is restless with me in bed.

Ok here comes the brain picking. I have ruled out the following:

1) earinfection - she has no problem with me touching or pressing on her ears
2) teeth - no swelling, no bumps, no redness
3) cold - if I throw a blanket over her, she wakes up
4) hot - if I put the a/c on, she wakes up
5) hungry - I give her dinner and a bottle and I offer milk through-out the night
6) tummy ache - I gave her something for that, but that did not help
7) gas/wind - I gave her something for that too, but that also did not help
8) I even tried throwing a blanket over her face, she just pulls it off

I am trying some anti-acid medication tonight, but I don't have much hope of that being the problem.

Please, if there are anything you can think off, anything. Any ideas, tips, remarks, let me know.

My mom do take her sometimes, so I do have somebody that can take her and give us a night's sleep when I really need it, BUT it's my baby and I can't give her to my mom EVERY night, that would just be unfair. And I want to get to the root of this problem. I want dd to have a good night's sleep as well.

Thanks in advance

[Tracey]

hmmm, initially I thought night terrors!? But after reading I am not so sure... Maddy suffered bad night terrors & would wake hysterical but cling onto me & refuse to let go, it was so scary as she was terrified... BUt your DD is not wnating to be held, from reading your post....?

Indah wakes & maons/cries in her sleep, rolls over & re settles by herself but maybe 5 or 6 times a night, we dont hear her anymore as it's quite a brief cry...

I would perhaps co sleep for a week or so to help her get back into a routine of sleeping all night & then try transitioning her back to her own bed!???

Sorry I cant really think ATM, I have a bigger kid calling me!!!!

[christy]

WOW you have done alot trying to find out what is going on with your little mite. Sometimes around 11 months is a developmental stage as well, I found Jovie woke more than as well. They are going through major growth mentally so yes this could disrupt her sleep. I like Tracey's idea of co-sleeping.

Also another thing that came to mind is have you introduced anything new into her diet? Is the bottle new? Maybe she's having a reaction to the formula? The cows milk content in a full bottle of formula probably isn't something her gut is used too yet (unless she's been drinking cows milk)... and sometimes its a shock to their system.

*hugs* you are doing a great job.

[Tanya]

It sounds like she is tired.

Have you tried putting her in her own room? Sometimes they toss and turn and grizzle and having them so close we think they are wanting out but thatey are still tired.

Might be worth a try and see how you go.

Good luck

[LisaL]

Hi Nadine, I was having trouble with my little one (lots of wind/consitpation pains) so I took her to the chiropracter to get it sorted out (im into the natural healthcare thing), anyway, I noticed that once she started the chiro, she started sleeping right through the night. There are a range of things for which chiropractic care for kids can help such as, colic, hyperactivity, consitpation, bad sleeping, ear infections and even bedwetting. Might be worth looking into if all else fails?

Best of luck sweets,
Lisa

[Nadine216]

Tracy - I think I need to try that. The thing is she goes down anything from 7pm to 8:30pm and I go to bed at 11:30 ish. So I need to put her in her cot for that time, just to be on the safe side. But I will talk to DH about kicking him out for a week Don't think he would like it

Christy - She has been doing this for a while now. The only "new" thing in her diet is her formula that has been "new and improved" (and became about R 60 more expensive ) But I started the new tin on Thuesday and before that she was already restless. Do you think apple juice can have something to do with this?? I dilute applejuice 1:1 with cooled boiled water and give that to her for a quick sip, expecially now in summer. Maybe I should just give her some water? The other thing is that on Thuesday for dinner they gave some sweetcorn at day-care that did not get digested properly. I told them not to give her sweetcorn and that we can try again in about two months. It still feels to early for me to give her sweetcorn. BUT she has been restless BEFORE the sweetcorn. Other than that - nothing new that I can think off ... what about cereal?? I bought some honey-flavoured cereal (I never buy the same cereal twice - to give more new tastes) that has to be made with water, but I miss read the package and made it with milk ... BUT she does not have that everyday. She gets that over weekend mornings and say about two times during the week for dinner, but also not everyday

Tanya - have not tried putting her in her own room, maybe I should move her out over the weekend *sob sob bawl* I don't want too though!!! I love having her in the same room with me, but she is almost a year, so I can't keep her small forever I agree with you that she is tired, but she is not sleeping throught the night and she has just dropped her afternoon nap, so that is why I need to get to the bottom of this ... so she can get some serious sleep

LisaL - Thanks hun, I'll phone a ciro and speak to him/her about that. I have heard that they are doing wonders for some childern, especially c/s kids. Just that it is going to cost a fortune, so I'll use that as a last resort

Ok, so my wonderfull mom jumped in last night. She took her for the night so that me and DH could get some rest. I think I am coming down with something. She said dd was quite restless last night too and only really settled sometime after 4pm!!! She did try the ant-acid, but that did not help. The lady at the day-care said I must try and fully wake her. She said that it could be that her brain does not shut-off and she still thinks she is in day-care and then missed me? Don't really know, but I am willing to try. So tonight I am waking her up when she cries, so she can hear that I am there and then I'll cuddle her back to sleep. What do you think??

Thanks sooooooo veeeery much!! I really appreciate the input

[aussienic]

Just wondering how long she cries for before you get out of bed? I am not saying leave her to cry or anything but maybe she is just making noises ect and not really awake therefore thats why she arches her back when you try to pick her up.. Maybe just say shhh shhh and talk softly to her ...

I hope you get some sleep soon.. Sleep deprivation is cruel

[Nadine216]

Thanks Nic, but I do lay and listen a while - just to make sure that she in not only tossing in her sleep. The thing is she will get me up with a screetch. She will just start screetching, no eeh eeh before, just suddenly a loud cry and by the time I got up she is sometimes already sitting up. I do try and settle her with a shh shh and a pat, but that only works for 1 out of 10 times. I try giving her her dummy with some sweet stuff on, but also that does not work everytime - more so than just the pat. I also does not pick her up everytime, only when she is not settling and getting more restless and bawling louder.

I got some sleep last night, but now my body is sooooo tired I can hardly keep my eyes open - silly thing sleep!!!

[aussienic]

ah ok.. My eldest was like that.. I am no help then.. He was a "bad" sleeper from birth though.. It wasn't a sudden thing.

just a thought. is she hitting her head on the edge of the cot or anything?

[PinkPalace]

THe best thing we ever did was put dd in her own room.
It was an instant change.

I found in our room even DH turning in bed would wake her and if she knew i was close that she could see or touch me she would think about that instead of sleeping and cry.

She has been in her own room since 3 months and i get great sleep. SHe sleeps the whole night throw without a stirr now (i mean occasionally i hear her cough or something through the monitor).

Now also she will go to sleep on her own during the say when she is in her cot, i put her in there - give her a good night hug and walk out, she may cry for 5 minutes but then she goes to sleep....

id give it a go!

[Nadine216]

Nic!! Of course she bangs her head against the cot, but that is only AFTER throwing a tanty!! I have a cot bumper, so that rarely happens that she would toss so rough that she would hit her head and start crying, so thanks for the thought, but no, don't think itd that. Also I am a light sleeper, so she hitting her head would wake me before she starts crying.

OMG I don't really want her out of my room!!! But if nothing else works ... *sob* my baby!!! I know it's inevedable (sp) but, really?? I thought I could keep her there till she is 21!!!

[aussienic]

I know the feeling. I hated moving my babies out..

[Tracey]

I'm gonna breastfeed Zyon til he's 21!!! ;-)

[Nadine216]

ROFL!!! THAT I would come all the way to Australia to see!!!!!!! Go Tracey!!!!!

Last night was a shocker, again!! She had a bad night day before last, so I decided that I am going to give her some meds that the pead prescribed a while back that would make her sleep better and would calm her down. I just want her to have a good night's sleep So EVENTUALLY DH got her to sleep at 8:45 after a crying spree of 45 minutes. I had to bail, because I was irretated, so he took over for a while, just so that I can have a good cry ... and go to the loo!
Then she slept without waking, she was tossing some, but not that much and no crying or moaning till about 11:30. Me and DH were just in bed and has just switched off the light and BAM!! she is awake, crying, screeming, arching her back. I waked her properly. I went with her into the bathroom and she woke up and she registerd that I was there and talking to her, but she kept on crying and wanting to get out of my arms. I tried placing her in her cot again, but as soon as I put her down she yells even louder. So now I am standing with a bub that does not want to be held, but does not want to sit or lay down either.
So I checked her diper for worms (see I am getting desperate!!) but nothing. Don't really know what to look for but a worm look like a worm right?? I changed her and she started to get a bit calmer (I started sining) and I notice that her nose has bled!!!! Is that normal for babies to have nose-bleeds???? Must I worry about that?? It did not bleed much, just a faint smudge on the sheet and some dried blood caked on her nose. I did not dare clean her, because she had just calmed down and touching her nose would have set her off again.
So we went and sat on the couch for about 5 min and she started dosing off. Just when I wanted to get up, she started again. Screaming and yelling and just making my heart shatter into a kazillion pieces. I don't mind not sleeping, but I do mind HER not sleeping. She is a baby she needs her sleep MUCH MORE than me!!!!
Ok at this moment DH was outside smoking a siggie and acting like a idiot, because he does not know what to do and what is wrong and I am on the verge of spilling like 80 gallons of tears. So we called the hospital. The lady told me that this is a fase they go through- I did not want to hear that!!!! It does not sound like a fase, it sounds like ouch mommy, I am hurting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So at about 1:45 she calmed down and went to sleep, me hanging over her cot and stroking her hair and crying to myself (DH don't like crying ) She slept till about 3, woke for about a half hour. Yes crying and screaming and then went down till about 6. Awake for about 15minutes, thank heaven no screaming, just moaning. And she got up just before 7. I'm bushed, she is bushed and DH is bushed.

So I am phoning her pead this afternoon. I want to know what is WRONG!!!!!

PS. last night put DH off, so he will be off my back for a while for TTC for #2!! THANK YOU!!

[MistyFying]

Nadine I hope you can get to the bottom of your daughter's discomfort soon.

[Nadine216]

So I went to the dr today, partly because after the pead told me he is 99% sure it's just teething, I needed a precsription for some of the meds (he is on holiday and not in his office *oops sorry - NOT* AND I have not been feeling well since yesterday morning.
Turns out dd has airwayinfection and that is the cause of the nose bleeds. Her little throught is blood red and the dr says she think her sinuses is also infected So lucky I know now what is wrong, but now we are going through the third course of anti-biotics for this year!!!! If she is not 100% better by thuesday, follow-up at dr's.
Turns out I have stomach infection - lots of infections going aroung Pain is killing me!!!

Thanks for all the support.

Ok have to go, she is wrecking my home-office filing system

[Beach Mama]

Oooh Nadine I just read this thread - you poor thing and poor Lelani. Im so glad you found out what was wrong with her so you can fix it but the poor little tyke, no wonder she was upset and like you said, you knew something was wrong and you were right - silly woman at the hospital. Hope she gets better really soon hun.

[Tracey]

I'm hoping these AB's sort her infection/s out for once & for all!!!

Good Luck!

Always trust your instincts!