a new worrying trend

[laurenj]

My DD is 3 months old as of Friday, and up until last Sunday, she was a really good sleeper (we're lucky, I know). She was going as long as 6 hours at a stretch. Now all of a sudden she's been awaking every 2 hours for the past few nights - the first night I fed her every time she awakened, but last night I just gave her a pacifier and soothed her back to sleep until she woke at 4:30, then I fed her. I don't think it's a growth-spurt because she's eating every 3 hours during the day - does anyone have any ideas as to what's going on? I'm worried because I just started trying to get her into a sleeping routine last week...

Thanks for any and all insight!

[SnuggleBuggles]

At 3 months old it's most likely too early to expect to get her into much of a sleep routine. There are so many big physical and emotional changes coming at her. It's pretty normal to have like 2 week cycles of things. Just when you can't take a current phase it ends and you have a new (hopefully better) one. Just tell yourself it is all a phase and it will make infant sleep stages a bit easier to take. :) (That was the mantra I adopted with #2. #1 was a fabulous sleeper from 2m-6m then it was all down hill so I no longer really think there is a magic solution that works for every kid). At the risk of missing a growth spurt I would probably feed her. At 3m I personally don't think you are setting up bad habits. I think that at this age that message doesn't really sink in. That is a later part of the 1st year thing and you can decide how to address it then. I think that quality sleep for all of you is most important now...however you have to get it.

GL!!
Beth

[laurenj]

Thank you so much. I think you are right; I was probably stressing out too much. And last night she was better - she slept from 12 to about 4, and then I fed her and she went right back to sleep until about 6:45. So I will just go with the flow and give her what she needs right now.

Again, thanks for the insight!