Reflux or Over tiredness?
Could your baby’s reflux symptoms actually be over tiredness?
This is a really interesting case study about baby Zoe, who at 12 months old was still waking her mum every 1-2 hours over night, and only getting on average 6-8 hours sleep in total each night.
Mum came to us basically feeling like a broken woman.
She had been surviving on this amount of broken sleep for 12 months, and recently her family and friends and even her boss had started to notice the way it was affecting her mood, and just general well-being.
She was needing more and more sick days due to the exhaustion, and her friends felt she had lost her spark!
We had a big chat about Zoe’s sleep habits and mum explained she was feeding Zoe to sleep as that worked so well when she was a newborn, she had never really expected she would need to change anything.
Everyone told her the sleep issues were a phase or regression, or teething, and then reflux, but everyone she asked for help assured her the phase would pass.
Mum had seen a few Dr’s concerned Zoe had reflux because she had begun a habit or back arching and screaming whenever mum tried to hold her and rock her, and not feed her to sleep. She would then scream when put back in the cot, and this linked to her poor sleeping habits mum felt it must be reflux.
A course of losec at 10mg a day and Zoe’s symptoms hadn’t changed.
Since mum had tried medication for what she believed was reflux, we decided the next step was some gentle sleep training to see if actually the symptoms were more sleep related and lack of sleep related!
I did feel that the back arching can actually be a babies frustration and even anger at you when you are not giving them the sleep association they are used to such as feeding to sleep.
I wasn’t surprised she cried and screamed in her cot when mum tried to not feed to sleep, 12 months in Zoe only knew one way to sleep, and that was to feed to sleep.
Gently does it...
We decided to go with a more gentle plan than a cry it out based plan, even though mum was desperate for a fast solution.
The gentle sleep training is often better suited to children who have been fully assisted to sleep for a long time, as they have never had the opportunity to naturally develop any self soothing habits, therefore they need a bit of time to do this, and in that time they need a bit of support from mum, as she is all the child has known in terms of sleep.
Nights before Naps
Zoe was having two short naps a day in the car, and we decided to not work on those until mum was getting at least 6 hours sleep at night.
Our focus was night sleep for mum and Zoe, while still trying to get on top of the accumulation of sleep debt that Zoe had, which was contributing to her frequent wake ups at night.
We moved Zoe’s bed time forward by an hour!
Mum thought I was crazy the first night I spent with them.
But that night after just 25 minutes of sleep training Zoe slept until midnight!
She responded beautifully to the earlier bed time, and the new bed time routine which meant stories happened after dinner as mum felt these were winding Zoe up.
Her new bed time routine meant she went from the warm bath to her bedroom with dim lighting for a quick massage, PJ’s, breastfeed and teeth brushed in her room and into bed wide awake, but happy!
Zoe did a little back arching and screaming when picked up, but actually settled better when mum picked her up less, but spoke to her and sung to her more.
The reflux symptoms calmed right down as Zoe began to use her bunny comforter and move around the cot to settle herself. She only needed to be picked up 3 times, and was really only grizzling after 15 minutes.
Mum was pretty shocked that it did appear over tiredness was appearing like a reflux symptom.
Middle of the night
After Zoe’s mammoth sleep, she woke expecting to be fed to sleep, but instead was giving a feed, and then popped back to bed awake.
This time she had a little more sleep in her tank and a little more awareness, this meant the sleep training took an hour, and she was asleep just after 1am!
Phew!
The back arching and pulling away from mum was a little more intense this time as Zoe desperately wanted to be asleep, but also was convinced she needed to be fed to sleep. remember your baby is tired, they want to go to sleep, and this can look like a very frustrated baby in the middle of the night.
Mum stuck with her mantra “Zoe honey it’s sleepy time, mummy is here.” And by the end of the hour Zoe was lying herself down and responding beautifully!
Mum went back to bed, and we thought we would see each other in an hour or so!
Zoe surprised us again and didn’t wake until 4am, at this point we were confident she was not hungry again, so mum was feeling more confident and like she had more resolve to see this through. Zoe was back asleep by 4.45am, and mum had to wake her at 7am!
Success in one night!
Night two was just as fun for mum and I.
We stuck with the same bedtime routine and since Zoe had still only had two 40 minute naps that day, we had the early bed time.
This time Zoe put up a bit more of a protest and took 45 minutes to settle, but her crying was much less intense and she was hardly arching or kicking off mum when picked up for a cuddle.
She was picking up her soft cuddly bunny more herself, and mum already felt she had done “less” to help Zoe settle herself.
Zoe slept past midnight and didn’t wake until 3am!!! Since we were sticking with a feed at night for the first stage, mum gave Zoe a feed and put her back to bed awake, but happy and calm.
This time it was only 20 minutes until Zoe was fast asleep. We crept out of the room and mum was ecstatic.
She could really see this working!
It was 3.40am, so blurry eyed we both crept off to bed.
I heard Zoe call/cry out at 5am, so mum and I stopped outside her room for a minutes and listened. It really sounded like a half asleep mantra cry and we were both happy to leave it and see if Zoe went back to sleep.
She did! Until 7am!
Two weeks after my double over night with Baby Zoe, and mum has discussed with the GP and is taking Zoe of the losec.
She was only put on it as a trial, and it turns out what cured her screaming and back arching and kicking was some sleep and beautiful self settling skills.
Mum is thrilled to not be needing the losec and even more so that both Zoe and herself are getting a full night’s sleep.
We dropped the night feed after week 1!
Zoe is a changed baby, she was pretty happy prior to sleep training, but mum can’t believe the difference, even her friends and Zoe’s day care staff have noticed.
We are still working on her second nap at the moment, but considering it is the final sleep hurdle in a massive gentle sleep program, mum is happy and Zoe will have consolidated her big nap in a week or so, she is just trying to work out her equilibrium of sleep that she needs.
Our Baby Sleep Program helps tired parents TO DEVELOP HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS BY FOCUSING ON NAPS, SETTLING AND NIGHT SLEEP.
- Empowered: Feel empowered as a Mum as you learn to understand your growing baby's needs and cues.
- Simple effective settling: Gentle, proven self settling, evidence based techniques.
- Content happy baby and parents: Better sleep creates content babies & happy parents.
- Freedom: Predictable routines and longer nights creates freedom. Solve your sleep problems for more freedom.
- Work with your babies circadian rhythm: Work with your babies biological clock for faster easier results.
- Awesome naps & nights: You'll create consistent naps and nights with our support.
Try our online sleep program, complete with FREE email support.
My baby has reflux can you help?
When your baby has reflux, feeds can be difficult and your baby can be in a lot of pain both during and after feeds. This pain can cause feeding aversions and failure to thrive. This is why true GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) needs to be treated by a doctor. Once your baby's doctor is satisfied your baby is feeding well, and you have the right medication or formula then we can start a sleep plan and you will be successful.
My baby has colic will this help?
Colic is defined as 3 or more hours of crying per day in infants. Crying subsides in the second second trimester. If you are still experiencing colic symptoms speak to your baby's doctor about whether this could be reflux, an allergy, or over tiredness. We can help you work on better sleep with this program at the same time as your doctor investigates the pain and crying.
What if the program isn't working?
We have a dedicated help line to ensure your success. Just email our team via the details in your program and a certified, experienced and friendly sleep consultant is ready to stare you in the right direction to ensure your success!
My baby was born early, can you help?
Sleep is neurological so we always work off your babies neurological age, that is their corrected age. When you look at our sleep programs purchase the program that your babies corrected age fits into.
What if I have questions or need more help?
Our sleep programs come with private email support. You don’t have to post in any public forums or groups, just email the exclusive helpline that our team of certified sleep consultants look after and we’ll answer all your questions and help you on your way.
Can this program help with my babies night sleep?
Yes, all our online sleep programs contain night sleep plans. We will teach you how to move from multiple night feeds to 2 or 1 or none (depending on what is age appropriate and appropriate for your baby.) Don’t worry we will show you to figure this out too. If your baby is unsettled at night but not feeding, our plans will help you with consolidate night sleep and self settling when age appropriate.
My baby is cat napping can you help?
Cat napping is a very normal physiological stage that your baby goes through. At this stage (3-8 months old), cat napping can start to be a long term issue and compound into over tiredness and affect night sleep and your babies happiness. Good news, this is a great age to work on re-settling, self settling and better longer naps!
I have 3 children, can this work with my family?
I totally understand how busy life is with 2, 3 or more children! Even if you need a flexible schedule we can still work on settling regular naps (some on the go!), and better evenings and night. Flick our consultants any specific questions about your family's schedule of activities and we can help you work out what is possible nap wise.
I don't want a fixed routine, can you still help?
Yes. A fixed routine is one option, regular naps and regular awake times is another. Both are valid and you are welcome to do what works for your family. We understand you are all different and what works best for one family won't be best for another.
I'm formula feeding, can you still help?
Yes we have specific advice for formula feeding parents, and we support your decision to feed any way you choose. We even have a special video series on formula feeding and everything you need to know. Just ask our consultants about this extra if you need it.
I'm exclusively breastfeeding, can I follow your plans?
Yes! While breastfeeding babies need to feed frequently they still need quality sleep day and night. We have specific advice for breastfeeding mums and an exclusive discount on Julia Daleys breastfeeding course if you need extra help.
I'm bed sharing, can your program help me stop?
Yes. We often fall into bed sharing, we call this reactive bed sharing. Or we have simply changed our mind, and moving on from bed sharing we need some support. Our programs and consults will guide you through gentle sleep methods, which are more appropriate for most bed sharing babies who are moving towards independent sleep in the cot.
I'm feeding to sleep, can you help me stop?
Yes. Feeding to sleep is a common sleep association and one that works well for lots of newborns. Often we need to move on from feeding to sleep when it starts to cause short naps, or prolonged settling or frequent night wake ups as baby looks for their association to go back to sleep over and over again at night. We can teach you how to teach your baby to self settle and move on from feeding to sleep when the time is right.
I'm rocking to sleep, is their a solution?
Yes. These are common sleep associations, we refer to this as assisting to sleep. Let us show you ways you can develop independent sleep and settling strategies with our online sleep program, or one on one consult.
Is this program based on Cry It Out?
No. Cry it out is the common name for a sleep training method where you put baby down and don’t respond or check until they are fast asleep. There is no CIO involved in this program as we feel this should be only done under proper supervision. Instead we have included all our very gentle approaches and more mainstream techniques for you to choose from.
Is this based on Science or Art?
Both! As a scientist I (Emma) have spent over 8 years researching the science of sleep. I have educated and certified over 500 consultants around the world as sleep consultants, and have worked with thousands of clients. I love the scientific explanations of why we see the sleep patterns we see, and this science helps us to shape plans and solutions that we know will work. But there's an element of art to getting a baby to sleep, understanding the right combination of things that will work best, and this is where your instinct comes in.
“Thanks so much Emma! I can’t believe how easy this whole process has been and how well Zoe has responded to it – and with hardly any tears! I was starting to feel like I was going crazy with these short short naps, broken nights and an unhappy baby all the time. So thank you thank you thank you, you’ve given me my sanity back and made me feel like I’m more in control now than what I was. Honestly you’ve given me my confidence back.”
“Emma, you have really been a life saver!! Peter and I just can’t believe the turn around in getting up 8 times a night only a week ago til now and hopefully the situation will just keep improving!! We haven’t had blocks of sleep since before James was born, its an amazing feeling to have a taste of what other parents talk about……sleep and adult time when baby is in bed!!! So we are confident that we are heading in the right direction with the nights, it’s just the days that are hard but I keep reminding myself that you said they are harder to break.Looking forward to feedback” – Melissa
“I can’t express my thanks enough, after 8 months of inconsistent Naps and wake up after wake up at night, we finally have a baby who easily naps and is happy to sleep all night. Your approach is unique and worked so quickly, we couldn’t be happier! Thanks again” – Sarah and Robb
“Hi Emma, We are now on day 3 of your recommended routine for Levi to help him sleep through the night and all I can say is THANK YOU! We have followed the suggestions in your assessment to the letter and it has changed our lives! Last night he slept from 6.15pm to 7.15am. So far I don’t really have any questions, I am just hoping it lasts. Thanks again and I’ll be in touch during the week to let you know how we are getting on. Cheers.” – Sara
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