Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Original poster

SLEEP REGRESSION part 2...Roll up, roll up folks! Swap tales of woe, ideas, enjoy solidarity and get support here

999 replies

cakebaby · 27/02/2014 20:05

Thought I'd start a new thread as I couldn't see another one yet (will get HQ to delete if already up and running).

Tis good to talk.....

OP posts:
keepitgoing · 16/04/2014 08:45

cake/cute were your nights any worse for lack of naps?

CuteLittleToes · 16/04/2014 11:28

I don't think I've noticed any difference to be honest. He has napped better in the past but his sleep was still crap.

I'm actually a bit discouraged by you people with older babies... Grin I don't want to hear this will last for another 2/3 months...

Never ever thought I'll have a difficult baby. But then, who does?..

keepitgoing · 16/04/2014 12:41

I went and cried on the HV today. she told me it's not something I've done, it's normal, and to do whatever works. then to come back at 6.5m when she's on solids and she'll tell me about sleep training. no point doing anything now as they are too little, it's a phase

having said that last night dd didn't wake till 11, dh settled her by 11.30, she woke and I fed at 2.15, 4.30, up at 6. I count that as a good night as I went to bed at 9.

cute that's reassuring in a way naps make no difference. I'm always stressing about her stupidly short naps in case they are the answer. am sat in the garden now rocking the pram for nap no. 3... Smile

keepitgoing · 16/04/2014 12:43

night before last we had 60-90 mins after 1am...

Cakeismymaster · 16/04/2014 13:06

So last night was slightly better here - she did have a nap in the end from 2.30 till 4.30, and I gave her a big dinner.
She woke 11, 12.30, 1.30 (wet nappy though) then 5.30, up at 7.30. Which I count as reasonable. She also slept 2 of those stretches on her front...is that allowed now she is older??

keepitgoing · 16/04/2014 13:09

I think it's fine if she can roll cake Envy at a 4 hour stretch. do you feed each time?

Cakeismymaster · 16/04/2014 18:35

Don't be too Envy keep - I didn't get the 4 hr stretch...she woke at 1.30 but didn't settle down again till 2.30 so it was a 3hr, she always takes ages to settle back after a nappy change. And yes to feed every time, although sometimes it must just be for comfort as after about 11pm it feels like there is no supplies left in there, if you see what I mean!
Wierdly she can get herself from flat lying down to sitting up - but she can't/hasn't rolled front to back?! But obviously can do back to front rolls in a blink.
Crap naps today so see what tonight brings!

CuteLittleToes · 16/04/2014 20:39

I am losing my memory and probably sanity with this sleep deprivation - I forgot to lock the door when I left today (it kind of locks itself anyway when you close it, but still), forgot my keys and forgot DS's toy at children's centre...

And then on top of that the drink I bought in Boots wouldn't open! Angry. I had to ask some random guy to open it for me which he did without any effort at all Blush

However DS made up for that all by being the smiliest, talkative and funny overactive little boy Smile

keepitgoing · 17/04/2014 06:45

aaand we are back to 90 minutely wake ups. gah

Mirrhi · 17/04/2014 10:52

Hi ladies, not managed to post here for a bit, don't even seem to have had time what with non-sleeping baby and 2 DSSs on Easter hols. Been crappy week or two sleep just seems to be getting worse with multiple wake ups at night, taking an hour or more to get back down. Naps are rubbish, he will now only sleep 10 mins max in his moses basket, will only have a decent sleep if he's attached to me :-(
I feel just so utterly drained and demoralised. I've just sat and cried 5 times already this morning. Not sure I can keep this up but I have no choice do I?

Mirrhi · 17/04/2014 10:53

Hi ladies, not managed to post here for a bit, don't even seem to have had time what with non-sleeping baby and 2 DSSs on Easter hols. Been crappy week or two sleep just seems to be getting worse with multiple wake ups at night, taking an hour or more to get back down. Naps are rubbish, he will now only sleep 10 mins max in his moses basket, will only have a decent sleep if he's attached to me :-(
I feel just so utterly drained and demoralised. I've just sat and cried 5 times already this morning. Not sure I can keep this up but I have no choice do I?

keepitgoing · 19/04/2014 08:53

oh mirr Sad Sad I know how you feel. I am basically hanging in there till I can sleep train effectively hopefully, in 6 weeks ish at 6.5m. I just don't understand why she wakes up. last night she was up at 11.30, took dh till nearly 1.00 to settle her, 3.30, 4.30, 5.30, 6.30 Sad I know I will hate gradual retreat or whatever we do but I can't do this indefinitely. I go to bed at 9, hardly see my husband, feel desperate in the early hours of the morning.

and also worry she's not getting enough sleep. I'd guess she had 9 broken hours last night then might get 2-3 in the day. not enough I know but I can't force more!

Mirrhi · 19/04/2014 19:27

It's just so draining isn't it keep. I had a bit of a meltdown on DP yesterday morning because I was so tired and DS wouldn't go down for nap, just screamed and screamed. DS has been bit of a nightmare so far this weekend, hardly any time when he's been awake and happy, which I'm almost pleased by as DP has seen just how hard work he's being at the mo.
I've kept a feeding diary for a couple of days, both for me to keep a better track of how often he's feeding, how long for, whether he's reaching the third stage of feeding to get the hindmilk etc. It's actually quite rare that he does reach that stage, he's often only feeding for 5 mins at a time then coming off and refusing any more. I need to get him to have a full meal, not just keep snacking but how the heck do I do that??

CuteLittleToes · 19/04/2014 20:20

Mirrhi and keep, I feel your pain...

DS is 5 months today. The only improvement since birth is that he can sleep on his own in his crib and not only in my arms/on my chest. That's it. No longer stretches, less wake ups. Nothing at all... Sad

His longest stretch ever was 4 hours... And that happened 2 or 3 times... Even then I'm not sure maybe he actually did wake up briefly during those 4 hours but in my sleep deprived memory it simply didn't register?

I'm thinking if I should cosleep from his first wake up instead of waiting till 5/6 in the morning. He seems to sleep for 3h stretch sometimes - either that or I don't wake up when he does which is good enough for me. However, I don't particularly like cosleeping, it's more of a sanity saving thing than a preference...

CuteLittleToes · 19/04/2014 23:51

Third stage of feeding? What on earth is that? How has his weight gain been?

keepitgoing · 20/04/2014 07:51

mirrhi I think short feeds are normal by this age as they are much faster. and the hind milk thing isn't quite true, it's more gradual. how many feeds are you doing a day?

cute my dd slept better as a newborn...

having said that for no apparent reason she woke only at 11 (settled by Nana) 3.45, 5.45!! I couldn't believe it and was awake from 1... so still tired but v happy this morning.

keepitgoing · 20/04/2014 08:15

turns out Nana gave her some ff at 11, but she only took a tiny amount.

keepitgoing · 20/04/2014 10:31

and she woke every hour for Nana too Sad

Mirrhi · 20/04/2014 12:34

cute the HV has explained that with BF they go through 3 stages, first when they're sucking vigorously and getting a watery milk as a thirst quencher (foremilk), then they settle to a deep rhythmic drinking which is your main milk, then eventually drift into a fluttering suck which is the high fat hind milk which is what really fills them up for longer.
keep how do you mean it's a more gradual thing? He's feeding every hour and a half to 2 hours in the day. The only time he really goes longer is if we're out for a while so he sleeps in the car / pram.

keepitgoing · 20/04/2014 14:16

I think it's that they are not discrete stages but milk gradually gets fattier. I wonder if I often pull her off at that third stage in order she doesn't fall asleep on me

have cried this morning. briefly hoped things were improving and when DM said she had fed her 3 times. I don't know how to cope with hourly wake ups. it's too much. currently have her napping on me so I can smell her yummy smell and feel better

I know it'll pass, eventually. but I want to be able to enjoy this gorgeous stage too.

CuteLittleToes · 20/04/2014 17:36

I really doubt knowledge of some HVs...

There is no such thing as 2nd or 3rd stage. There is even no such thing as fore and hind milk - it is an old belief. There is only one milk. It does indeed get fattier the longer the baby feeds, but it's not some kind of different type of milk.

Even then it's not as simple as just length of feeding - the fat content also depends on time between feeds - the shorter the time the fattier the milk. Which means that baby ego feeds a little and often gets pretty much the same amount of fat as the one who goes longer in between and has bigger feeds.

To complicate the matter even further all babies are different. Some are just very efficient feeders. So unless your baby is not putting on weight I wouldn't worry. Our boobs and babies are very clever and have everything sussed out Wink

Have a read at Kellymom website - they have very good analogy of hot water tap and milk fat...

CuteLittleToes · 20/04/2014 17:37

Baby who* feeds that should have been...

Original poster
cakebaby · 20/04/2014 19:42

^^ what cute said

Also have a read of tiktok posts in the feed the world/breast feeding section. She is a fountain of knowledge and very,very helpful.

OP posts:
Original poster
cakebaby · 20/04/2014 20:04

mirrhi my ds went through a stage of 5 min feeds at about 3-4 months. Prior to that he took AGES to feed so I was really worried about it too. Turns out he just became a super efficient feeder almost overnight, emptying a full boob n that short time. Do you feel less full afterwards?

OP posts:
Booville3 · 20/04/2014 21:27

This is very interesting to read as various relatives this weekend have started making me think my milk is "drying up" which I thought with a healthy diet & a baby feeding regularly was very unlikely??? My ds is actually 7mo now, tried some sleep training last week which was impossible as he kept moving himself so he was banging his head against the bars of the cot so had to abandon it as too dangerous (& couldn't find the what to do when you have a head banging baby section in any of the books!)

All very depressing in chez boo as ds getting worse not better, I do feel my boobs emptying in 5-10mins of him feeding & through the night with him only managing 1.5-2 hours between wake ups & feeding the only way to get him back to sleep they feel pretty empty all night!!!

Swipe left for the next trending thread