Three month old thrashing and screeching at night, waking up more frequently

[Blanca78]

Sigh. This is what I get for resting on my laurels. From 8-12 weeks, my DD (now 13.5 weeks) was sleeping great at night, anywhere from 5-7 hours for the first stretch and 2-3 hours after that with just occasional off nights. Then the night before she turned 12 weeks, it all went to hell. Over the past week and a half, with just a couple of exceptions, she's waking more frequently and often seems very agitated. Last night was the worst: after going to sleep very peacefully at 9:30, she woke at 10:45, 1:20, was up for two hours, then slept from 3:30-6:15, and then I thought she went back to sleep after that but DH said she was moving around like crazy and was up for the day at 7. It's now 9:42 a.m. and I've been unable to get her to nap.

I know there is a growth spurt and a "wonder week" around this time, but this has been going on for well over a week and I thought those things were only supposed to last a few days?

My question is, has anyone experienced sleep disturbances like this and did you ever figure out what it was? How long did it last? Specifically, I'm wondering about thrashing and yelling in the crib (we swaddle her and she's slept there since she was about a month old). Lately we've been swaddling her more loosely or with one arm out, which doesn't seem to make much difference in her restlessness. Last night during the two hours it took to get her back to sleep, she would nurse, then drift off, then as soon as I stood up or put her down she'd start writhing and yelling. In the crib, she was thunking her legs really hard against the mattress over and over. For a while, we left her in there (she sleeps in our room) to see if she'd settle herself (which she's done before) and it seemed like she did for a few minutes, but then it started up again. Finally, I nursed her for like 5 seconds and she was out. She's also been sucking on her fists/fingers like crazy but I don't think she's hungry, as when I do nurse her she often doesn't seem very interested or go for long.

[Mamallama35]

Hi! What you eat goes into your milk. It is not uncommon for a person (child or adult) not to exhibit symptoms of a food allergy or sensitivity at all, and then all of a sudden have a physical reaction. Dairy is a well-know culprit, although you can consider corn, peanuts, soy, and wheat. My suggestion is that you remove all dairy from your own diet and any that might be a part of your child's. Remember that dairy includes yogurt, and unfortunately dairy proteins can be found in all kinds of processed foods (I found it in 'normal' crackers the other day!). Give it a week and see if your baby begins to sleep better. Good luck! I've been there.

[OSUvet]

Just want to second the food sensitivity advice in the PP. My now 5 mo DS used to sleep like that and still does if I consume anything that irritates him. The main culprits for him are anything with corn or dairy. Goat milk has been ok with him. But there are other random things that aren't (peanuts, chocolate, etc.) Good luck!

[Mamallama35]

I tried to post a minute ago, but it didn't seem to go through. Sorry if this is a repeat!

Both adults and kids can fly under the radar with food allergies and sensitivities for a long time before showing clear symptoms. I read recently of a child who had the same sleep issues yours does. The description of the behavior is uncannily similar, actually. That child settled back into contentedly normal sleep patterns when the mom removed all dairy from her diet.

Try taking foods out of your diet (and your child's if it applies) that are known to cause food allergies and sensitivities. Dairy is well known to cause physical reactions, but you can consider corn, soy, peanuts, and wheat, too. Read labels, because dairy proteins show up in weird places (I found them in 'normal' crackers the other day). I'd start with dairy because it is so often the source.

Good luck! I've been there.

[Blanca78]

Hmm, I do like dairy. I will consider this--thanks for the replies. It does surprise me that they would come on so suddenly, but at the same time the symptoms do seem like they could be digestive--the other night it stopped after she pooped, and her dad has digestive issues (ulcerative colitis), though no real food sensitivities.

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by Blanca78 

 It does surprise me that they would come on so suddenly

     First, I just wanted to say that I remember THE DAY my dd first started complaining with such vehemence, and mucous appeared in her stool at that same time. However, she did better at night.  Not necessarily great; she did toss and turn a lot.  But she nursed much more calmly.  Nursing during the day was hell, screaming, pulling away.  It got to the point that I could only nurse her when she was at the beginning of a nap, or at night.  Because of my experience, I'm not entirely convinced that yours is an allergy, but so many moms I know find relief just from eliminating dairy that I think it's worth a try.  I didn't figure it out for a long, long time and I feel awful that my dairy consumption was causing her so much pain, and that life would have been so much easier.

[LittleBirdy]

I would certainly try eliminating dairy to see if it helps, but don't drive yourself crazy over it.  Food intolerances are a very real thing, for sure, but it's important to remember that they affect a relatively small percentage of babies.  (I believe there is a statistic in one of the Sears books and I want to say it's less than 10%, possibly much lower, but don't quote me on that.)

My son slept very much like your daughter, and I know this is not what you want to hear, but it lasted until he was 11 months.  I always thought he had dairy issues but he now he drinks cow's milk all the time and has no problem at all.  Granted, he could have grown out of the dairy issues but eliminating it from my diet made no discernable difference in his sleeping so I really don't think it was dairy, after all.

I know how it feels to be in your shoes.  I am the type of person who likes to take action - I want to read, and tweak, and troubleshoot and fix problems.  It was very hard for me to hear someone tell me, when my son was younger, that there was likely no real reason for his poor sleeping.  But now that I've been through that whole long year and now that he STTN (not ever night; but most) I realize they were probably right.

It's a really, really hard thing to go through but it does get easier.  You will find ways to cope and the nightwaking won't be as bad.  And then it will become less frequent and you'll find yourself peeking in on your sleeping angel 5 or 6 times before you go to bed, just so you can marvel at the fact that she's ACTUALLY SLEEPING :)

Oh, and in regards to the Wonder Weeks, perhaps you'll find this chart helpful: http://www.thewonderweeks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120

[Blanca78]

Thanks, SweetSilver and LIttle Birdy. I agree, I'm not convinced it was a food problem. I'm happy to report that over the last week her sleep seems to have returned to its previous more peaceful state. So I do think something was bothering her, and it might have been gastrointestinal, but I haven't made real changes to my diet and it seems to have passed on its own. My personal guess is that it was a combination of growth/developmental stuff and maybe being overtired as well, which made her sleep more fitful. It seems like now and then she just has an off night, and for whatever reason the off nights were particularly acute/clustered. Her four month appointment is coming up so I am going to see if the pediatrician has any ideas.

THanks for the input! She'll be four months on Sunday so I'm a little terrified of a possible regression, but we'll see--at least now I feel more confident that things can return to normal after these disturbances, hard as they are at the time.

Now if only she would nap for more than 30-45 minutes at a time...