To be absolutely raging at my 5mo

[Lammveg]

My DD is 5mo and is waking up hourly and has been for the last week or so. She's fed, clean, is lovely in the day time, super happy etc. Won't settle without boob, but also pinches my skin and bites my nipple when feeding overnight. Refuses bottles and dummies. I'm raging (somewhat light hearted...but also not really). I'm so tired. Tell me it gets better!!?

This only helped me when I'd had enough sleep to drive safely & if you have a DC that will sleep in the car:

Put baby in car
Aircon on
Baby falls asleep in cool with white noise
Drive to drive-thru coffee place, get coffee (see username)
Park on country road, listen to birds, drink coffee, eat cake, mindlessly scroll MN, dance naked around the car whooping with joy that no one is touching you right now
Drive home slightly refreshed ready for all the lovely snuggles/shitshow to come that night

I'm sure it won't work with every baby but it helped when mine went through can't nap-wont nap-too hot-filled with rage phases (they were also contact nappers most of the time)

My daughter was a nightmare. My husband used to pack me off to get some sleep when he got home and took over until he needed to go to sleep. I expressed after each feed so it would still be breast milk.

I loooove your "noone is touching me " phrase! A few we less ago when it was really bad I looked it up and turns out there is such a thing cslled "breast feeding aversion " 😳. Don't get me wrong most people on this thread probably don't have it that extreme but blimey it explains a lot!

Breastfed only might need more regular feeds to keep hydrated.

Lighter mornings might wake them up - check blackouts are fitted/good.

They can get in habits - if it's a regular time for first wake, set your alarm for 10 minutes before, go and rouse them to the point of nearly waking, then settle again - so they are in a fresh cycle at new wake time (this sounds bonkers but I had an issue with this at around 10 months due to light mornings/train schedule and a few daya of this total sorted the early waking disruption!).

Get Dad to settle them if you're absolutely certain they're not dehydrated. Mine was a godsend when I was trying to drop a night feed with 2nd and could shush them back to sleep without smelling like the all-night buffet!

Reassure yourself that if nothing works, even this won't last forever!