Infant restlessness

M

Manmohini

Cathlete
My 3 month old is a great eater who wakes up every three hours in the night to dine at the breastaraunt. After he is done feeding in 5 or 8 minutes, he conks out solidly until the next feeding. At least he did so for the first three months anyhow. This past week, he has been so restless, flipping in the bed and rubbing his face all night long. I thought maybe it could be one of three things--too hot, too cold, or too congested, and I have made adjustments for each of these. Still, he is thrashing and flipping, never really getting in to the deep sleep. I returned to swaddling again, but that didn't work. He just jerked his head from side to side and matted up the hair on the back of his head. He doesn't seem sick--no temperature and he's eating well. Anyone have any experience with infant restlessness at three months, and if so, what can I do to help him (and me!) rest better? What might be the cause of the restlessness?
Manmohini
Manmohini
 
Hey Manmohini,

I don't have any sage advice for you since Nico is the same age, but perhaps Tamal is starting to teeth. My cranial sacral therapist, who is also an LC, says that they can start that type of behavior a couple of months before you may see any teeth coming to the surface (in other words, as early as 3 months). I also remember Steph mentioning that Sienna is starting some teething behaviors.

I have no idea if this has any bearing on Tamal - but I hope you two get some rest soon. If his face is itchy, you may want to try some hydrocortisone cream (Nico has very sensitive skin, so we go through a lot of it - a 1% cream is safe everywhere on the body).

Good luck!
arancini
 
I have no advice for you - my girls didn't do this,
but I wanted to say I've never heard the term "Breastaurant" before and you gave me a great chuckle!!
 
Hi Manmohini,

So sorry to hear about Tamal's discomfort. It sounds very much like what Sienna has been experiencing with both her pre-teething behavior and her incredible congestion. Have you tried nose drops and the nasal aspirator when he's like this? It might help him get through the rest of the night, I also heat up the shower and bring her in to nurse so she has to breathe the steam through her nose. It usually settles her and the heat conks her out. Let me know if it works.

Things got so bad for Sienna on Monday night that she woke up choking on her phlegm. It was pretty alarming. She had a high temp so I didn't go back to work or send her to daycare the next day.

When we saw the doctor they gave her some tests and she had a 102.4 temp and an elevated white blood count. They sent us directly to the emergency room last night, we were there until midnight. Poor Boo, they gave her chest x-rays, a catheter for a urine sample, an RSV nasal swab, and then finally an I.V. for a bacterial infection...it took 3 tries to find a good vein (!). She was a trooper through so much poking and prodding.

We went back today for a follow-up and she's doing okay, sleeping now. But I may have some in-home care for her for the next 4 weeks so she doesn't have to be immersed in daycare germs while she's trying to recover, and so I can go back to work without worrying. I also don't want the other kids to get whatever she may have.

Meanwhile, I haven't slept in 3 days and am fighting a throat infection myself, feels like it may have spread to my lungs. I just changed insurance companies so I have to get a new primary care physician so I can be seen. Oy!! When it rains it pours.

I hope you and Tamal get through this soon. I know how tough the sleep deprivation and trying to settle a little one can be.

Be well,
Steph
 
Maybe your baby has an ear infection? Have you had Tamai's ears' checked? My first son had chronic ear infections (with no fever), and they hurt especially bad when he'd lie flat because of all of the pressure that accumulates.
 
Thanks everyone. Yes, I think I need to consider teething as the culprit. He has been drooling a lot lately and sucking and chewing on whatever comes in range of his hands. I probed his gums with my fingers for signs of teeth, but none have poked through yet. And I had hoped to get a break between the colic and the teeting. No rest for the wicked.

He had a good still sleep two nights ago, but last night he was restless again.

Steph, so sorry to hear about Sienna's trouble. I think when the Spring and warm weather arrive, it should give her a boost. This winter has been hell on all of us. There's a major flu outbreak in my town right now, so I've been keeping Tamal out of public places.
Manmohini
 
Hi Manmohini,

Sienna hasn't been sleeping well either, it's tough, she's very uncomfortable at night. The doc has us now trying Pedialyte to get some of the mucous out of her system and to prevent it from building up. So I'm nursing but instead of supplementing with formula I'm using Pedialyte. We just started last night and it did seem to make her less phlegmy. We're supposed to do this for 3 days, apparently I could give her just Pedialyte and pump and save, but I don't want to go that extreme. Pedialyte doesn't seem to be very filling! She's no dummy, it's like offering a kid water instead of a milkshake.

I've used it to clear her throat after nursing and also when she awakened in the middle of the night, it does help!

Our doc says she's "pre-teething" too. I guess the tooth is formed underneath the surface little by little the calcium builds up etc. You're not born with teeth under the gums and they just pop through. But any medical folk out there can correct this if I've been misinformed. :)

Anyway, I hope Tamal gets through this rough patch soon. You too!!

Are you going back to work soon? What are your plans? ...very curious.

Take care,
Steph

p.s. I did ask for a nebulizer but her lungs are clear so they said it's not appropriate for what she's experiencing. Only if it moves to her lower lungs.
 
You are describing how my DS was when he was an infant. He was very colicky, and it would drive us nuts. I had breastfed, so I would adjust my diet, according to the ped. suggestions. We also tried various formulas. We tried swaddling, "Happiest Baby on the Block" book (I remember taking my DS out to the bookstore right after I saw the author on the morning talk show, and there I was buying this book and he was screaming his head off:) , etc. One night, he woke up 17 times (I kept a journal so I could find some type of pattern)! As he was teething, it got worse, but then it eased up. Tylenol and those natural teething tablets were our best friend. He's almost 3 now, and he is the funniest little boy ever. He started being more pleasant around his 1st birthday. Hang in there...it will be o.k.
-JEn
 
Sorry I haven't written sooner. I cannot believe how tremendously difficult it is to do even the simplest things these days. Most important, Steph, how is Sienna doing? I'm still praying for her to spring into robust health. As I said, I'm sure the warmer weather will help us all. You have gotten a crash course in how to care for a sick baby.

I start teaching again in two weeks, but only on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and two afternoons a week. I'm teaching Tuesday through Thursday only. Those days will be tough, and I still haven't figured out how I will manage to get all the grading and course preparation done at home with the little one around. He consumes my every moment! My husband's FMLA ran out, and he went back to work last week. That has been a huge adjustment. I realize several of you ladies have been on your own since the beginning, and I don't know how you did it. I hope my mother-in-law comes here for my seven-week teaching stint. She said she would do the cooking and shopping. This will free hubby to watch Tamal in the evenings. I just hope we can juggle it all. Sometimes I can't help but think how unhealthy our society is in terms of social support systems. You really feel it when you're off on your own trying to raise a little one. I once lived in a commune and appreciated that level of support. What I wouldn't give for that now.

I have always been a low maintenance person--20 minutes in the bathroom each day, wash and wear hair etc., but I find that I can't even manage these things. The past three months, I have roamed around the apartment in sweat pants, milk stained t-shirts, and unkempt hair. I am stunned that I will need to look presentable for three days a week. I can't even remember what that is like.

Like many of you, I dread going back to work and I am trying to figure out how to maximize my time with my son. The good thing is that when I'm not with him, my husband will be. He is about the only one I trust with him so far because Tamal can fuss for hours sometimes. Hubby knows how to keep him from going around the bend.

Exercise? Ha. Ha.

Let's hear an update from Steph, Arancini, and Fitnurse--that is, when you have the time.

Manmohini
 
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