5 month old regression for 2 weeks? - Reassurance needed please

[LauraRW]

Hi,

My 5 month old DS has started to wake up every 1.30/2 hours during the night. He was sleeping very well until 3 months and then he started to wake up every 3-4 hours. The last two weeks, however, this has started to be worrying.

I am copying more or less OK depending on the day. I co sleep with him so what I do is breastfeed him for a few minutes and then he goes back to sleep. If I don't do that -as many websites recommend- then he wakes up completely and takes me much longer to put him back to sleep (which means I sleep much less too). So I really don't know what to do.

I've been reading a lot about sleeping and I'm sure that I don't want to do the crying out method although at the same time I think it's the only method that works quickly. My main worry is that after reading so many websites of sleep training I'm starting to think that maybe I'm doing something wrong and to question if my DS will sleep properly one day...

I would really appreciate if you can let me know how you managed this stage (because it is an stage, isn't it?). Will my baby be OK even if I breastfeed him every time he wakes up? My instinct says so but I cannot stop question myself after all the comments and websites!

Thanks so much for your help!

Laura

[CitrusyOne]

My dd did the same Laura. EBF and at about 4 months was only waking twice then at 5 months starting waking every 2 hours. I was demented. Then went to see HV who told me to stick with it, grit my teeth and feed through it. She said there's a huge growth spurt at that age and they just need feeding. The reassurance that I was doing the right thing made me feel a good deal better, and lo and behold at around 6 months we were back to two feeds, then by about 7 months she didn't want milk in the night any more and started sleeping through- not reliably but sometimes.

Everything's a phase with babies.

[nibbysmum]

We seem to be going through this too. My son is 18 weeks and sleep started going downhill at 14 weeks. Initially he was just waking earlier ( he would normally have 11 hrs at night..It dropped to 9). He's always woke for one feed since 5 weeks old but suddenly in the last fortnight is getting up 3 times a night to feed. I believe he us going through the 4 month sleep regression that typically lasts 6 weeks although I've been on other forums where mum's have suffered it for 11 weeks before any improvement. I'm no expert but I'm seeing it as a phase tbh and doing what I need to do to get through it. I do feed him to sleep but as he's bottle fed I know he's taking 6oz a time so it is hunger rather than comfort. I worry its not a phase so I know how you feel but they say sleep training isn't all that effective til 6 months anyway

[Kittymalinky]

My DD had the mother of all sleep regressions, every 45mins for 3 weeks. We did the same, BF and coslept.

She's always been a rubbish sleeper but at about 12 mo she started sleeping through.

I tried some gentle sleep training at 6mo bit it made things worse so I just went with it.

She's still with us, in her cot next to the bed with the side off but we all sleep a whole night (unless she's poorly)

My advice would be to keep going just remembering it won't be forever (and I do know just how hard it is)

[LauraRW]

Hi all,

thanks so much for your messages. It is really reassuring to hear other people's experiences.

Thanks!
Laura

[curious000george]

Also going through the same thing with my EBF DD who is just over 5 months. Although saying that the 1-2 hours have improved to 2-3 hours so I'm hoping this is the phase coming to an end. I know you said you have read a lot of websites etc but this article is one that really helped me:

sarahockwell-smith.com/2013/08/29/help-my-4-5-month-old-is-sleeping-like-a-newborn-again-aka-as-the-4-5-month-old-babies-from-hell/

It makes a lot of sense to me so we are just grinning and bearing it and cosleeping for naps during the day :)

[Dontfencemein]

My DS's sleep went haywire at about 3 months, and although we have some good nights, it is still pretty hit and miss. I too have trawled the internet.

As you know, what you read online will be heavily loaded, depending on the parenting camp occupied. Kellymom provides some reassurance that what you are going through is entirely normal. Others would have you believe that by responding to your baby, who "should" (sic) be sleeping for longer, you are creating terrible habits from which you and your child will struggle to recover.

I think there is a lot to be said for making a firm decision about what you can tolerate and for how long. I have decided to roll with things and review at 7 months. From what I have gleaned from other parents (also breastfeeding) there is a time and place for sleep training with older babies, but it requires nerves of steel and absolute consistency, so it is really important that you are really ready to go down this road before you start. A breastfeeding counsellor recently told me that until after 6 months, babies are still very much working like little animals, bless them, and are not lying in their cots working out how to manipulate you.


If you really listen to your gut instincts, you will know what is right for your baby and your family. You are not alone!

[claremoss]

Hey,
I had 2 months of it from 3-5 months!! It will end I promise!! After a month I started to settle to sleep when she first woke (around 10pm). This could often take up to an hour, but after a week she no longer woke at this time. I just knew she wasn't hungry, mother's instinct. If you feel that you can't do this though, it is fine, just feed baby for now. My only thing to say that I believe my LO did it for so long it became habit, and once we broke that first wake habit, she is much much better. The first wake was the easiest to manage because I wasn't completely knackered at that time of night, whereas when she wakes at 3am, you just have no energy to try these things! good luck :o)

[HazleNutt]

DS was a beautifully sleeping baby who turned into an hourly waking and feeding one at 4 months. I also heard all those "oh he should be sleeping through by now" and "oh just leave him to cry, he will soon learn". Well thanks but no thanks. And no, all other babies are not sleeping through, waking is totally normal at this age www.isisonline.org.uk/how_babies_sleep/normal_sleep_development/
Sure, was a little difficult, considering that I also work full time, but I managed. Looks like he's finally getting over it, waking now just twice per night - he's 7 months old.

[Laquila]

We're in a very similar situation to you, OP. I am so so tired and just don't know what to do for the best. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

My EBF 22-wk old slept quite well in his bednest until about 17 wks (was often put to bed whilst still awake, slept for a block of around 3-4 hrs from 7.30 onwards, then woke around every 3 hrs for feeds).

From 17 weeks-ish onwards it went completely pear-shaped. For weeks he would only sleep 1.5hrs at a time, and it was practically impossible to put him down in the first place - I'd feed him to sleep and he'd scream as soon as he was put down in his bednest (or indeed as soon as he was out down anywhere). We started having him in our bed and things improved slightly for him, although I think I slept less as I was so aware of him being right there.

On a good night, he's now doing blocks of around 2hrs at a time (and generally needing feeding each time before he goes back down) but we have to go up to replace his dummy and soothe him about four times during the first block, and several times during each subsequent block. He's very hard to put back down after his 2am-ish feed, and after around 5.30am it's practically impossible to get him to sleep again - he's just full of beans, load and shouty (not upset - just v excited).

He has a good bedtime routine - quiet time from 6.20ish onwards, darkened room for pjs and stories with daddy. We stopped bathing him at night as he was having so much fun in the bath I worried it was getting him overexcited before bed.

I've read Nighttime Parenting, Sleepless in America and The No-Cry Sleep Solution. We have Ewan the Dream Sheep, a gro-bag, and a soft nightlight. He naps fairly well during the day although could probably do with longer - we do try to get him to have as much as possible.

I'm so so desperate - first of all for a few hours unbroken sleep, secondly to know that things will improve without us making any drastic changes (because I have no idea what those changes could be!), and thirdly for reassurance that we'll be able to get him in his own room one day. At the moment I just don't see how it can ever get any better, and I feel like it's one step forward and two steps back.

[Gidget16]

Oh my god!!!! I feel so much better after reading this thread! Alot of women in my mothers group don't seem to be experiencing this at all...my bubs is 19 weeks tomorrow. For the last week exactly she's been atrocious and not great for a couple of days prior. Her day time and night time sleeps were just so hard. All the work id done before Xmas with not always having to pick up and rock her to sleep from the cot is firmly out the window. Everytime we now put her into the cot it would take numerous goes before we cracked it....this was never really a problem before....she immediately squirms, smacks the dummy Away every time we lower her into the cot...thankfully since yday her day time napping and putting her down has improved some but oh my lord the night time is stroll ridiculous. All the work of slowly transitioning we from co sleeping and putting her back into the cot is now also out the window as she will not go down in the cot most nights for the past week anywhere from 9ish-12ish onwards for the whole night. I'm waking every hour to feed her as she wakes constantly. Even though most of the feeds she just nibbles then back to sleep....I feel like a vending machine!!!

I'm knackered! As well as the day time naps re other thing that has improved some is her fussiness at bed time...she still has it but last 2 days she's not screaming As much thank god!

When will this end! I'm knackered! Supposd to be napping whilst she is right now but found solitude in this thread and had to join and air my experience. I, too, am worried that the bad sleep habits will return and she will get used to co sleeping and nibbling at mummy all night after this regression ends meaning how will i know the regression has ended or not? Arrgghhhhhhh....but on the plus side-when she's great and happy(ish) In between her day time naps -she's amazing and the cutest thing ever!