What the heck happened to my 'good sleeper' baby?

[BusyCee]

DS2 is 19wks tomorrow. Despite problems with feeding since birth (tongue tie; high palate; wind; endless vomiting) he's always been a good sleeper, settling into a 'bed at 7, feed at 4, sleep 'til 730 and sometimes longer' pattern within 8 wks...

..until about a fortnight ago. He suddenly started waking in the evening, crying and unhappy. A feed settled him down. Then waking again two or three times, with a final wake around 539/6. It reached a horrendous spec this weekend with him waking and then staying awake for up to two hrs a time. I got only 8hrs sleep over the entire 48hr weekend.

Last night was slightly better; woke at 1130,330 & 6, but did at least go straight back to sleep each time after a feed. This evening? Who knows. I'm feeding him now, and have been for 45mins, as each time I put him down he wakes...

Any ideas on why, and, more importantly, how to get the loveable good sleeper back?

Sounds like the 4 month sleep regression. Massive developmental leap seems to lead to knackered sleep. There are lots if threads about it and some people use Wonder Weekd ap /book to look out for these things.

You could tough it out and hope it passes in a week or two or do whatever you need to survive ie. co sleep. Good luck, hope it passes quickly for you.

I feel your pain - DD took ages to sleep well, and is now teething, so back to bad sleeping. I think it's worse than if they never slept because you've got used to feeling normal again!

In your case, it sound like the infamous 4 month regression: basically little babies doze constantly, but around 4 months they start to develop the adult sleep cycle of deep & light sleep. But where adults wake up a bit, roll over and go back to sleep, babies haven't learned to do that, hence the wakings. (Isis online is a great resource on how babies sleep).

It's grim, but if you can nudge him towards self settling now it will seriously pay off a few months down the line!

And on an emotional note, it will not last forever, you will sleep again!

X post - at least we agreed!

Thanks. Off to check Isis now. Am having a total sense of humour failure about this, and have totally forgotten what I did with DS1 that's a lie, we did some controlled crying but I know it's verboten on here and also I'm too fucking tired to do anything strategic at the moment

I know, it's horrible when you're too tired to do anything long term and you know that what you're doing now is going to lead to doom later, but you still do it because you're so knackered.

We eventually did gradual retreat, at nine months, and I wish we'd done it before then, huge difference in two days, a week was a different baby (and happier in the day, because she was well rested)

You have my sympathies - and I am notably not saying this too will pass, as I found that deeply infuriating!

He's still up from his earlier wake (so, went to bed at 7, slept until about 945, fed/cried until now). Now asleep at boob, so on e ice finished typing ill see if he'll go down.

Isis site is v interesting, now in off to Google 'gradual retreat'. I
Sure I used to know what that was.

Thanks for all that Weather. Solidarity does make it feel better... (Weak smile emoticon)

Typos are in direct correlation to sleep deprivation...