Strangest day

[bb]

I need someone to tell me not to worry ... unless I should be worried, and if that is the case, please tell me (can you tell I am a little stressed ??)

Today has been the strangest day for my 16 week old baby boy. He woke, as usual, at 6:00am, and had a feed, but by 7:00am he was grizzly and rubbing his eyes, so I put him back into his cot to see if he would sleep. Sure enough, he fell asleep immediately. This is unusual, as generally he stays awake for two or three hours in the morning, going to bed at about 9:00am, and waking again at 10:00am for his feed.

After going to bed at 7:00am, however, Hamish slept until 9:45am, when he woke, and showed some interest in his "morning tea bottle" although, not his usual self at all ! After that feed, he went back to sleep at about 11:00am. This time he slept until 2:00pm. After his 10:00am sleep he usually stays awake until about midday, and then has a one hour sleep, waking up one hour before his 2:00pm feed.

Usually, he is a bugger to get to sleep through the day, so this was all very strange. He usually only ever sleeps for 45mins - 1 hr.

After the 2:00pm feed, he was awake until about 4:30pm (a bit more like his unual self) and woke up 45 minutes later. From 5:00pm he started to cry. He cried and cried, and grizzled, until eventually we fed him at 5:30pm, a full hour before his usual night time feed.

What is going on ??? It is really worrying me because I am sure I remember hearing/reading something about how excessive sleepiness can be a symptom of some sinister sicknesses. I am at home by myself tonight, as my husband is working night shift, and I am freaking out !!! If anyone can help ... please do ... any advice is very much appreciated !

Thanks in advance.

Belinda

[drewid]

Hey :)

You said your bub didn't seem like his normal self, in any way other than sleeping a whole lot? Did he seem out of it, not eating enough, not interacting when awake?

It is true that excessive sleeping can be a marker for illness - it is the bodys way of fighting off illness to sleep and conserve energy for the fight against the germs. It could also be teething. I find that on the days i think andrew is teething, he does tend to sleep more.

Having said that, it could also just be a growth spurt and your bub just needs a bit of extra sleep to do the growing.

My bub sleeps a fair bit during the day, but then some days hardly at all. And then some days it seems like he sleeps all day except for feeds. Generally, I only get worried when he seems otherwise unwell - feverish, not at all happy, glazed eyes, not interested in food.

Try not to stress out!! It could just be one of those days when sleep is all he wants. Having said that, just observe all the other signs, and if he seems unwell, or if the behaviour persists tomorrow, I would probably head off to the GP for a check up to rule out any illness.

I think the important thing is to not stress - you know your bub better than anyone, so follow your instincts! If you think he's not well, hightail it to the doc.

Take care

[bb]

Thank you for such a speedy reply !

He has not exactly been himself today - he has been half interested in his feeds and has consumed less than he usually does (ie, he generally has about 220ml for each feed, and he has been having about 120-180ml. He has also been grumbly, and he usually isn't (generally only cries when he is hungry or tired).

The thought of teething has entered my mind, and the only thing that makes me doubt it is that when I feel in his mouth, there is no sign of teeth coming through. Can their teeth hurt before there is any sign of them coming through ? He does not have a temperature, so that is good, at least !

I think that I will wait and see how he is throughout the night, and tomorrow, and if he is a little sleepy man again tomorrow, I will take him to the doctor.

Thanks again for your help ! Fingers crossed the night goes ok !

[drewid]

Hi

I have heard that the teeth can move around in the gums before they erupt through the surface, so i imagine they could feel pain while this is happening. I can sympathise - i have had the last year had my wisdom teeth trying to emerge and the pain!!! so if the pain bubs feel is ANYTHING like that, i can totally understand grumpiness and wanting to sleep to forget about it :)

Andrew has had an off day too - not really feeding as much as usual. He feeds at the same times, but just not taking as much i feel. Tho its hard to tell cos he is breastfed, but he just seemed to not take as much in. I figure as long as im' offereing, then he has the opportunity to eat, so just musn't be too hungry today.

It is a bit tricky when they cry, when its usually just hunger/tiredness. I tend to go with boredom as the trigger these days. So most of my day is spent trying to find different things to amuse him. Its exhausting!

Anyway i hope your little one has a good night and is back to normal self tomorrow :)