Struggling at 4 months

[mustplant]

Hi,

My baby has just turned 4 months and instead of things getting easier they just seem to be getting more and more difficult. Things were okay from around 8 weeks to a couple of weeks ago but now she just screams for hours and hours a day, I literally can't put her down for 5 minutes to go to the loo and clean my teeth. She will also only contact nap on me, I'm trying to enjoy it but I'm just desperate for some time to get a few bits done in the house. I've resorted to looking at the ICON website and other resources but everything says that crying peaks at 8 weeks and things should get better from there. I know there's a development leap, sleep regression and teething around the 4 month mark so could it be a mixture of these things?

I'm really struggling to cope, is there a chance I have PND? I'm debating going to the GP but I just feel like such a failure and like I need to get a grip and get on with things. I've been sat crying for the last 20 minutes while she feeds on me. I feel stupid saying this but I just really wasn't expecting things to be this difficult 😞.

Gosh I’m so sorry you’re struggling so much.
My son is 1 now but I still remember 4-5 months so well. It’s like suddenly it’s so hard to get them to sleep and then when they do sleep it’s so short and they’re just so unhappy all the time.
I do think it’s a mixture of regression, teething etc that just makes it so hard. It’s a really hard season to get through. I don’t think there’s a huge amount you can do - maybe try wearing baby in a sling so you can get stuff done. Now the weather is nicer will baby sleep in a pram so you can do a nice long walk, get exercise and fresh air, listen to your favourite music or podcast and get some time to yourself? Or if there’s anyone who can take baby for an hour then make sure you let them.

If you’re feeling low you must definitely speak to your HV or GP about it though. They are there to help you can offer good practical advice and obviously can rule out anything medically for either you or your baby.
Everyone said it to me and I didn’t believe them, but it truly truly does get a lot better. 6 months was a real turning point for me.