16 week old suddenly waking every two hours at night

[summerymummery]

Hi there. I was hoping someone might be able to suggest something to help! My 16 week old boy has started waking up every two hours at night. He is mostly BF, so I am starting to wonder if he is waking because he is hungry. He only feeds every three to four hours during the day (usually every three, but sometimes four depending on when he wakes up from his naps). When he wakes at night he won't settle again until he is fed. Until recently, he was EBF, but I was worried that he wasn't getting enough milk, so I give him one formula feed with hungry baby formula in the afternoon now.

Could it be that he is hungry or is he just waking from habit? His daytime naps range from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours. Any advice would be gratefully received!

I expect he's reached the 4 month sleep regression. See [http://www.babysleepsite.com/how-we-sleep/4-month-old-sleep-regression/ here] Also search on MN, lots of us have been through it. It does get better, at around 20 weeks for us.

Try again

Thanks for the link. I have been looking up other posts this very moment and, yes, it seems it is pretty common... :(

Oh it is, summery, but there is an end to it. You just have to power on through...

I have no 'answers' but will simply say, IME (3 DC) that's just what they do, unfortunately

All of mine were rubbish sleepers (DC1 rubbish from about 6w-6m, DC2 rubbish from 3m-10m, DC3 APPALLING from 3m-13m)

All were EBF. And I have to say, introducing a bottle did chuff all in terms of improving sleep. They do grow out of it (the waking) eventually, or you get to a point where you consider sleep training. Had to do this with DC3.

It's all a phase. Hard going, I grant you... but a phase nonetheless. Good luck

Thanks Pascha and notnowbernard... That is some comfort :) I'll just have to try and get more shut-eye during the day when the little guy is napping...

My DS is 15.5 weeks and exactly the same - I'm exhausted!

Definitely the 4 month growth spurt. I remember it well and it went on for a good while. People often mistake it as a sign their baby needs weaning, when usually they don't.

Sounds like the 4 month growth spurt to me too. My DD had her growth spurts almost by the book, I found I had to just feed my way through them and wait for my supply to catch up...

Give or take a minute either side DS woke every 90 minutes at that age. I feel your pain! It will get better though. Until the teeth start coming

Every 90 minutes?! Lordy! I'll count my blessings then and stop complaining!

seriously! I was so dazed and confused I set the stopwatch on my phone and timed him just so I could be sure I wasn't imagining it. It was regular as clockwork. The only thing that would make him go back to sleep was boob, I was like the living dead.

I got chatting to a local mum while out on a walk one day and she asked which road I lived on and I just stood and stared at her with a dumb expression on my face because I'd forgotten the name of my road!!

luckily she also had a 4 month old and a toddler so understood!