To wish there were sedatives for babies 😴

[Breastfeedingworries]

I’m so tired!!! My breast fed babies 4 months old and tosses and turns and wakes so frequently for food like every couple of hours but it could be 2 or just 1 hour. She’ll be in the deepest sleep then wake. Tried topping up with formula but that only worked the first time.

She’s feeding more at night than in the day and no idea how to get her to swap that.

Feeling so tired, I literally hate her at night :( love her so much but this part is so hard.

Please give me hope! She’ll be 5 months on the 28th.

[Breastfeedingworries]

I wished they hadn’t banned it 😭 my mums told me she gave me antihistamine, and that she bought some for dd! But it says 2+ on the bottle and I’m just scared. Anyone used it? I stupidly said what if she’s allergic to which my mum laughed at me.

Last night I’d given her hungry baby formula, didn’t really work. She rejects bottles at night wanting breast. But because I’d given her it early evening I don’t think she was waking out of hunger. She just messed and breast milk soaked the bed 😭😂 I didn’t notice she’d stopped feeding. I didn’t clock watch as I wonder if that’s made me feel worse. But she woke about 5/6 times. I’m still in bed now though so I have caught up on some sleep. I wore ear plugs and eye mask. But my bed is a torture chamber. 😴😴

[SequinsDress]

Just sleep you tiny bastard

Sorry but that made me snort. I have had similar thoughts towards my DD when she's awake for the millionth time in any given night. Tiny bastards indeed!

[SequinsDress]

OP just seen your update. Please don't consider giving a 4 month old antihistamines for age 2+ to make her sleep, for starters how would you know what dose is safe? That could end in disaster!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Antihistamines can have the opposite effect ( affect ?) and you can end up with a very wakeful baby.

[Candleglow7475]

Yes whiteroseredrose medised was withdrawn after it was implicated in the Shannon Matthews case being misused. I only used it a few times, when DS had tonsillitis and a chest infection, but it was a god send.

[Breastfeedingworries]

Yeah don’t panic I’m not giving them to her! I’m just sooo desperate to for sleep. Doing every night alone is hard too. :( parents work away so they can’t help. Her dads ready to take me to court for over night access now so he’s not sane lol.

Tough time right now, glad to read they grow out of it. Those in the same boat as me, hard isn’t it.

Tiny bastard is right! This morning I had a ruder word for her, I said it really quietly and she smiled at me. 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

Now it’s the day time we’re friends again, she’s such a chilled out happy baby. Smiles loves music, we just had don’t worry be happy on. I put bubble machine on and dance in the shower, seems to delight her. So getting ready is easy at the moment at least.

[ShaftOfWit]

[BillywilliamV]

Gripe water still had quite a high alcohol content in the 70’s.

[BoobiesToTheRescue]

The age was reduced way before the Shannon Matthews thing.

It was 3 months and then shot up to 12 years.

OP my very allergic baby was on daily antihistamines from 5 months. It didn't help him sleep whatsoever. They aren't the magic meds people think they are (it does work for some but definitely not all.)

[HugoBearsMummy]

@BoobiesToTheRescue I'm laughing at your brilliantly honest post 😂

[Candleglow7475]

BoobiesToTheRescue it was withdrawn after Shannon Matthew case. I would have used it 2006/7 ish, for a 2 yr old, it was freely available at that time.
I recall it had a picture of a sleeping toddler on the front and an aeroplane - implying you could use it for flights! Not surprised it got withdrawn tbh.

[AuchAyeTheNo]

OP speak to your local pharmacist. Certain antihistamines can be given from 3months+ I’m sure. There’s a boots version that’s very mild with a low dose, I got it when DD has a horrible allergy reaction.

[BoobiesToTheRescue]

Withdrawn as in, it's not even made any more?

I didn't know that! I thought you could still buy it. I could have sworn I saw it. I guess that must have been some time ago!

[Candleglow7475]

Yes boobies, I think it was withdrawn about 7 ish years ago. Not sure if you can buy it online, but tixylix was also at the same time, along with some other cough medicines. For a while you could only buy simple linctus for children. I think it was to do with the decongestants in these products.
I’m not sure there’s anything similar these days, the Op I’d best speaking to a pharmacist like other posters have suggested.

[PotolBabu]

The feeding more in the day time thing? Offer the breast every 2 hours or so. Go into a quiet room and offer a feed and keep offering. It will take a day or two. And keep a diary of the feeds. Then once you are confident she is feeding ok in the day you can set an arbitrary time in the evening and stop feeding then. Say 12-4 or something. (You can stretch it further). She’s using you as a human dummy rather than feeding. So I would also consider an actual dummy or a muslin cloth or something so she can soothe herself. Finally, let her whinge a bit (not full on crying). With my first I reacted to every whinge, yawn, grumble, low level complaint and he was like this (and I shoved a boob in his mouth). With DS2 I ignored a lot of the low level stuff and left him to it. I found that he didn’t always get instantly furious. There were even times when the low level grumbling would go on for 45 mins interspersed with ‘singing’ and he would fall asleep! Hallelujah. Although sometimes there would be blood curdling screaming. But knowing that he could put himself and learning the difference between the baby version of ‘what’s up Mummy? Mummy? Mummy? Mummy? Mummmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy?’ And actual upset crying really helped.

[scaevola]

There used to be something called Medised sold in the same aisle as Calpol. Sadly discontinued by the time DD came along. I'm sure that there were problems with it for some people but it was effective for a poorly child.

Medised was banned much later in UK than in other countries such as Australia. Two reasons, the outcomesin use were much the same as for straight paracetamol. Secondly and way more importantly the antihistamine in it tended to depress respiratory effort and that couid precipitate serious consequences including death.

As there was little /no benefit over paediatric paracetamol, it was (rightly IMO) banned from general sale.

Antihistamine-containing meds can still be prescribed by a doctor or babies. It's OTC use that is no longer possible.

[BertieBotts]

If you don't smoke, have you tried co-sleeping? Frankly that is the only way to go IMO with tiny babies who don't understand sleeping separately.

Some guidance to make it safer/what risks to be aware of here: www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/co-sleeping/

[BertieBotts]

As you're a lone parent if you do it in a double bed with your back facing the edge of the bed and the baby towards the middle of the bed, that's safest in terms of avoiding falling risk. Not so good once they can roll, but OK as long as you're there with them.

[arseabouttit]

Have you got a mate who could just take her for a walk for her lunch/ afternoon sleep? You just need some time off! Hope someone comes to your rescue - but it will get easier - eventually!

[Breastfeedingworries]

Thanks for all responses. She doesn’t use me as dummy that’s the thing, she did do that eat a little and sleep before and I stopped letting her and use real dummy. She wakes hungry and feeds long and hard as she doesn’t enough in the day. I will try the feeding every two hours. I also got sleep night before last as I crumbled and gave her baby porridge, she loved it. Thing is it didn’t work last night. She still woke up a lot but I did get some sleep she woke 12,2,5,8. So I feel okay today.

Know my health visitor will go crackers about porridge so I won’t tell her. Did anyone else wean bit early and it help? I’m not full on weaning just giving porridge as well as milk.

[hammeringinmyhead]

Mine did this for about three weeks at that age, but he's 5.5 months now and down to 2 feeds between 8.30pm and 7.30am. There is hope!

[Neolara]

At 4 months, my dc was horribly distracted during daytime feeds, stopped eating lots and had to top up at night. It worked best to feed her in a dark room with absolutely nothing else going on. Honestly, I couldn't even read a book as she'd make a grab for it and then grin at me. No TV, no radio, no people, curtains closed etc.