I need to do something about this don't I? But what?

[moogdroog]

My DD is 5 months old and EBF. In the past few weeks her night waking has got steadily worse. A previous good night was down at 7.30, a dreamfeed about 10.30 and then a further feed at around the 3 am mark.
The dreamfeed has now become a demand feed at about 9.30, and last night she woke at 12.30, 3.00, 5.00 and again at 6.30. I'm getting gradually ground down by disturbed nights.
I normally just pick her up and take her to bed to feed, but I think I'm going to need to take this in hand. I've been reluctant to leave her for fear of waking DS (2.8). She can't need all these feeds at this age, can she?
She feeds every 2-3 hours in the day as it is.
So what should I try? Dummy? She's almost found her thumb, but not reliably yet. I'm not expecting her to sleep through the night, but this is grinding me down. Her daytime naps have improved in terms of getting her to sleep, but her naps are very brief.
Sorry for essay and probable incoherence. I feel like a bloody zombie today.

Hi moog. Not sure I have any brilliant advice but my ebf ds (nearly 5 mths) is also now waking through the night having slept thru from 12 weeks! A close friends ds is also doing exactly the same as your dd and as we both have 2yr olds too I understand your pain in terms of not waking the older one!

Does your dd want her morning feed? If she isnt that bothered then she may not need all the milk in the night? I dont usually feed mine as he is huge and def isnt really hungry (if I do feed him he wont feed till mid morning the next day). We have a dummy that he will suck if held or he sucks my finger for a bit and then will settle. He usually tho ends up in our bed which makes him sleep like a lamb . Might be worth seeing if you can pacify and try to keep to the old schedule for your feeds but its a blinking nightmare when they go so far backwards.

DS is also teething and think this is waking him up and making him more restless. His daytime naps have gone haywire too!!

Sorry not to be more useful. Also sure loads of folk will mention the 4 month sleep regression - def worth having a google and then repeat "this too will pass"

Hi Whitey - thanks, good food for thought. I think I might have to put this down to the 4 month sleep regression perhaps, but I have a feeling I should do something as it seems to becoming habit, and worsening.

She's not ravenous by any means in the morning, so I reckon she doesn't need so much through the night. Think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and settle her without milk for at least one of her wake ups and see how it goes.

Maybe this means I can involve DH in the nighttime palaver - he's got off scot free so far [evil laugh].

I know this will pass, but it does help having someone else remind you of it! Thanks and good luck with your DS.

It will pass, it will pass.

Mine did the same, I thought I was going crazy. Worried myself stupid and in the end just went with the flow, co-slept on the worst nights, fed as much as she wanted. Googles & begged words of wisdom from the (MN) masses.

And eventually... ... it passed.

Hang in there

Hi nearly cried when i saw your post, as my DS is 6.5months and has been doing the same for 2ish months, and my word it's knackering isn't it!! I think when they are newborn and waking all hours you just accept it more, but it's upsetting when they go so far backwards. He used to do exactly the same 10.30 then 3ish feed, but then started a combo of upto 9, 12, 2,3,5 and up at 6.30 yay :( !

Yep I agree about this sleep regression thing grrr...
Even now we're going one step forward and two steps back. It's unlikely that they are hungary so much they have just got used to sucking to sleep, & and tell you they are hungary (mine does this in the day to when he wants a nap) that's what we think with ours anyhow. We're now trying to break this association and get him to sleep by himself using a no-cry method (google no-cry sleep solution), basically removing him when he's sucking to pacify and reducing the time on the boobie. Slow progress but he did 9 & 3.30 last night and i feel half human! Basically they need you to get them to sleep and the sooner they learn they can go back to sleep without you the better! The nap & sleep sections on mumnet are quite good also :0)

Think this is when a lot of mummys start the crying it out, but it's not for everyone.

Good luck lady

Cakebunny - yep, that's exactly it. When they're tiny, it's just par for the course. At 5 months, you expect things to be improving and I feel a bit robbed!

Will look into the No Cry Sleep Solution. 9 and 3.30 sound bearable. Progress, well done!

I couldn't do cry it out - at one point DD was screaming herself off to sleep for her naps, nothing I could do about it. That was bad enough, but doing that in the night? No ta.

Oh well he will learn to sleep again (that's what i keep telling myself) and touch wood he is starting to now (10-6 last night pleeeeease let this be the end of the nighttime madness!!)

Good luck, and the No Cry Sleep Solution is definately worth a gander, as there are some helpful pointers - again not for everyone but definatley more humane.

Am in the same boat (see my thread)

NCSS really helps, I think the key is just minimal intervention but so hard in the middle of the night! It does seem to work though, now I put DD down to sleep at night at 7 and just walk out of the room - she chats and then falls asleep. The awful wakings start at around midnight though....:(

Folks there have been numerous threads on this recently, look over the past few pages of threads for anything mentioning 4month sleep regression or 5month old babies. It's extremely common! It will clearly pass of its own accord but you can accelerate the process with some sleep training if you want. Have posted my experience so many times my fingers are knackered ;-) so won't go into details again.

Hope you all get a good night's sleep!