Almost 8mo with night time sleep struggles.. why??

Ok I've been battling with this for the past 5 weeks.
DD has always woken up for night feeds 2 -3 times a night; I had no problems with this.
But in the last few weeks she has been waking up every hour, crying, not falling asleep on boob, waking up the instant I put her back down (even if she was in deep sleep).
I've eliminated these causes:

Solids (taken her off; no change)
Teething (I just really don't think this is it)
Eczema (It started around the same time, but I don't think this is it)
Hunger
Separation Anxiety (even happens while cosleeping/sleeping on my chest)
Hot/Cold
Nappy

Sometimes I've seen her start whimpering and lifting her bum up and down, like she needs to fart. So it could be gas.. Why does it only happen at nights? What is making her so gassy all of a sudden? My diet hasn't changed.

Or growth spurt or wonder week.. I don't know.
Anyone experience this with their little one at this age, for so long?

That's what DS was like when teethign 8-11 months. It sure was a lot of fun.

My DD is like that when she has an ear infection, the deep sleep when being held but the second I put her down flat she would wake up and scream. Doctor explained it as the fluid puts pressure back when laying flat. Have you have a doctor check her ears?? Have you tried nurofen with her?? That is the only thing that would work for DD with teething and ear infections :)

mm marcellus, I guess it could be normal teething behaviour.. how come it only hurts during night sleep? Extra parental torture, I suppose.
DD is a belly sleeper, so I don't think ear infection, although i hadn't even considered it.
If it's just teething.. SIGH. Guess I'm in it for the long haul!

I don't know, but DS was always fine during the day. HE's like that with illness too, unless it's more severe. Seems fine during teh day, then up all night. :dunno:

I didn't know that DS2 even had an ear infection (about 3 weeks ago) - it was diagnosed when DS1 got bronchitis and i have to take him with me to the dr. He was a bit extra grumpy, but i had put it down to teeth, which were coming through. The teeth are through now (and getting well used!) and the ear infection is better and yet he also wakes a lot at night. Some nights he will sleep for 4 hours then the next night it will just be 40 mins at a time. I am just putting it down to him being a baby, and them being puzzling creatures!

It's so hard to know isn't it!! DD goes through stages like that. She was really bad recently and then I discovered she had an ear infection :wall: She is a belly sleeper too. She's been better since having anti-biotics but is now starting up again and I really think it is teething because I have eliminated everything else.... Ear is better, she doesn't have a cold, isn't hungry etc.

When DD had a nasty cold/cough a couple of months ago I took her to the doctor after a dreadful night where she screamed most of the night. Of course while in the waiting area at the doctors she was as happy as anything, smiling waving and chatting away to everyone and proceeded to do the same to the doctor. When I explained that this isn't the child I have at night time the doctor just smiled and said it's very normal behaviour. When something is bothering them (they are sick, teething etc) they are easily disctracted during the day and can often appear fine yet come night time and there is nothing to distract them then they realise that they are not well or that something is hurting and they become very distressed. Makes sense I guess...

I hope your little one starts sleeping better soon though, it's so hard when they are like that!

Fi

Turtle my DD is a belly sleeper 2 and it doesnt help them to be more comfortable with an ear inf, if it hurts it hurts no matter what. Less so if they are on an angle...like being held in your arms or something, but it is still there :) My DD doesnt pull on her ears most of the time when she gets an ear inf and doesnt get a temp with some of them....just gets them due to fluid build up after a cold or teething or etc!! Very very annoying! The only tell tale for me that she has one is the sleepless nights...ick...I put up with two and then we go off to the Dr and sure enough it is another one!

DD did a very similar thing at this age. She went from 1 bf a night and straight back to sleep, to waking up 4-5times a night and the bf would not get her back to sleep - she'd comfort suck (it definately wasn't a feed) and then be bright eyed for 45mins :wall: After trying varios things, we just had to change how she was settled when we put her to bed, and also, instead of me going in and her wanting a feed, for a week or so, DH went in to settle her. What we did was put in place a proper bedtime routine, and moved her last feed earlier in the routine, so I think it was something like dinner, bath, pj's, feed, story, bed. We put her down awake, and then sat and patted her and shhed, if she cried we'd pick her up, calm her down and put her in the cot. The first night I think it took about an hour, but with minimal tears and then by the end of the week, it was about 20mins. DH would do the same in the night, so pick her up to calm her down and then pop her back down.

Moo was like this for a couple of months. He went from 2 feeds overnight to waking several times each night. It was very stressful & everytime he woke in the night my heart would sink!
I tried everything but in the end the only thing that stopped the constant waking was cutting out all night feeds, including the dream feed. After a few hard nights of not feeding him, only comforting him, he slept through! And has continued to do so ever since.
Not saying that is what you should do - but that is what worked for him. Good luck!

:hug: hon, it's so hard isn't it? My DS went through a similar period at about the same time. He'd been sleeping through consistently from about 12 weeks, then at around 5.5months he started waking during the night, at first it was only once or twice, but as time went on it became more and more often. By the time he was 8 months I was getting up to him 7 or 8 times every night and each time I would rock him back to sleep. Like you I wondered about teething, solids etc, but nothing seemed to make any difference. Personally I think it is developmental as they learn to crawl and pull themselves up, but that doesn't help you does it. Hopefully things will improve soon for you.