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

[cakebaby]

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.....

Not much in the way of advice but loads of sympathy. DS was very similar- slept through until the sleep regression hit and before that woke for one feed and went straight back to sleep.

It is so frustrating when you know they can do it and you can't work out what's changed. Sometimes DS sleeps through and sometimes he is up numerous times. I used to drive myself crazy trying to work out what I had done differently before I accepted that there is no pattern and I can't control it as much as I'd like to.

Lots and lots of sympathy.

ellie I totally sympathise with you, I sit here at 11pm with dd. she is 5 1/2 months and slept through 7-7 with no feeds from 2-4 months. I moved her into her own room 2 weeks ago and really felt things were getting better, but it is just not so!! Last night I finally got to her to sleep for more than half an hour after 1am and she woke at 6am, so I had somewhere between 4-5 hours sleep myself. Tonight she has already woken multiple times. I have lost count and I have just fed her as I decided last night I would reintroduce a dream feed in the hope she would then go from 11-6. However, tonight wasn't so much of a dream feed as she had already woken. I also feel like I'm turning into a bitch, I normally have a lot of patience but it is really wearing thin (not with baby. Just general life) constantly snappingr at dh (although sometimes he asks for it, like the other night he got to dd before I did and he stated chatting to her in the middle of the night, now he think I don't want him to settle her in the middle of the night, this is not the case, I don't want him to play with her at night - entirely different!!)

I used to always feed to sleep, dd would fall asleep, if pop her off and into bed, no problem. Since I heard the 4. Month sleep regression is often caused as baby doesn't know how to fall asleep themselves I've been trying to put her down awake (not once have I been successful in the past 2 weeks) and I think it actually makes her worse, I now can hardly get her in her cot even when she is sleeping, she touches the mattress and that's her crying. I'm going back to feeding to sleep, but I dare say it's going to take a while before I can get her happily back into her cot without being absolutely sound!!

Sorry, I feel this is a ramble - I'll blame the sleep deprivation and frustration. Well, dd seems sound asleep , so here goes...

Oh and i don't think she is hungry, well at least not at the multiple pre 12 wake ups, cos as soon as I lift her she snuggles in and is straight back to sleep, I then just have several attempts at getting her back into her cot. It's only when she wakes after 1am that she tries to latch on my arm, so in thinking by dream feeding again I may be able to at least stop the later wake up as maybe it's a hunger one? I can at least try... Oh and got her back I to cot after last post, hopefully that's for the night!!

Can I join this thread?

My DS is 15 weeks, EBF and has always been a crappy sleeper and I always joked he had nothing to regress from at 4 months but I had 2 blissful weeks of only 2 night feeds and I was getting a lovely 4 hour sleep at the start of the night (if I go to bed at 8 with him)

Now we're back to waking every 2 hours. Each waking takes about 40 minutes and takes me about 30 to get back to sleep so that's less than an hours sleep each time for me.

How long does it last?!

mrsmugoo mine lasted until 6.5 months when I stopped feeding and did gradual withdrawal...... I think by feeding each time she woke which maximised our sleep I engrained sleep associations after any regression passed iyswim.

Ellie it's unlikely he's hungry at 1030 so you could try saying no feeds before 1am or something. it'll be harder for a few nights but then hopefully he'll get the idea

well last night turned out really strange. Normally I feed him at 7pm, he dozes off on boob, but I wake him with burping and put him down. He rolls about and needs rescuing from silly positions for about 15mins and then drops off.

So last night, it took an hour and a half to get him down, with loads of crying. The worst he has ever been. He was chewing his fists and his sleeping bag frantically between wails, so I decided that he was having teething pains and dosed him with calpol. I was expecting to be up multiple times in the night.

Oh. My. God. He slept from 8.30pm-4.50am. I couldn't believe it when I looked at my clock! (and nor could my rock-hard fountain-like boobs!!).
He fed and then slept another two hours, which was amazing.

However, teething does not explain 2 months worth of crap nights, and I can't give him calpol every night just in case, so I'm not sure it would be easy to reproduce this!!

Keepitgoing, we tried not feeding at 10.30pm once. I sent Daddy in so he couldn't smell the milk. 40 mins of hysterical screams, plus 30 mins for me to calm him down, plus 20mins to get him back to sleep. He has NEVER cried like that before or since, so couldn't face doing it again! Admittedly he did then sleep from midnight until 6am, so pretty sure he was not hungry!

Did you just stop one day by saying no more night feeds? How long did it take for your baby to get the idea?

ellie that's great news. I ended up giving DS Calpol at 4am as he too was chewing and sucking everything in sight and he slept beautifully after that. Then DH suggested that Calpol could be making him sleepy which was completely unhelpful and now has me worried I'm drugging my child to sleep. Surely Calpol relieves pain which would make it easier for them to sleep but doesn't actually induce sleep in itself?

Hello old t

Godamned phone

Hello old timers and new joiners! Good to see some success stories at last.

Have news here too....at 9 months ds decided he would quite like to sleep now please. After months of torture, from 15+ wakings a night from 4-6 months, then 3-4 wakings from 6-8 months, he has FINALLY slept through some nights.

I have done NOTHING different. It started a few weeks back when it was really hot & we put a fan in the room. For 3 nights he slept from 10-6 ish. I thought the fan was the answer but it isn't. With or without fan, for about 2 weeks he's gone down ok at 7, slept til 10, fed then either slept through til 530/6 or had one feed at 4. Not perfect but a hell of an improvement I am happy with.

Oddly he's also in the process of giving up feeding to sleep which he has done since illness at 3.5 months. He used to fight me for bloody hours with the pantley pull off, it never really worked for us and it nearly sent me demented. Now he unlatches himself and has a wriggle round cot & chat for a minute or 2 before nodding off. I've not done anything, he's done this himself.

We are still co sleeping, but the improvement in his sleep in the last 3 weeks has been dramatic.

After MONTHS of near despair, going to bed at 7 as it took 2 hrs to settle him then he'd wake up after 10 mins, and feeling so tired I felt drunk, it has been better of late. I expect a regression now and then, but I'll take this for the time being.

Can't go back as in phone, but the poster who thought they couldn't regress....that was us. He went from feeding every 2 hrs to every 45 mins. Feeding every time. For 2 months. He also put on 3lbs in 5 weeks and was having a HUGE growth spurt.

Sometimes they ARE hungry. If you can go with it, maximise sleep, co sleep, co nap ANYTHING then do it. IT WILL get better, it may take a while though if you don't want to get hardcore on them. I know it's not the same for everyone, but for us naps have been so important for easier bedtimes and staying asleep once put down. His requirements seem to change every 6-8 weeks too, and they change quickly, over a few days so I really tried to be flexible and note what ds was trying to tell me.

I'm going to bow out now, please keep supporting each other, even if you post just to vent, I've had huge support here, it's kept me sane. I'll keep checking in on you though! will join another sleep deprived thread when it all goes banzai in a weeks time

Good luck everyone

BTW calpol is just paracetamol and has no sedative effect sadly so don't worry! Sleep probably comes as the pain has gone

cake I am bloody thrilled for you. Long may it continue. Do you feel giddy from the amount of sleep you've had?

cakebaby amazing!!

Ellie I was feeding every two hours. nights 1-4 I fed at first wake up after 1am. nights 5-7 I reduced the length of that feed. night 8, no feed at all. good luck.

Ah, thanks Keepitgoing. That is more or less what I was thinking of doing. Dare I ask how mucb crying was involved at the wakeups where you refused to feed? And how long before the wakeups just stopped?

night 1, 45 mins of crying night 3 on and off 1.5 hours then the night I didn't feed at all I think 30 mins but not as bad. I was with her the whole time, just not feeding. night 1 the crying was from 9.30pm. I knew she wasn't hungry but basically the only way she knew to settle was with boob.she was much worse than your dd. by night 4 she went until 2am, then by about night 8 was going to 3 or 4, and quick to settle. first sleep through till morning was about 2.5 weeks. there was really almost no crying apart from those times I've mentioned. her other wakes she sort of wriggled, short cry, sucks thumb till almost asleep. repeat.

she stopped asking for a feed basically the night after I stopped. but still needed and still sometimes needs some help to go back to sleep. initially this was hand on tummy and lots of shhh. now I don't need to go over to her but just a quick shh.

oh, I did give calpol for a few nights just in case, so I'd know she wasn't in any pain. I don't think it's sedative at all.

right, am off.

I've had a break through of a different sort. Perhaps I'm replacing one crutch for another, however, last night was the best night I've had in a long time.

I used a dummy with dd, When she was tiny I really didn't want to use one and didn't really feel she (or I) needed it, however, at the start of this regression I tried and she wasn't interested. Well, I had such a terrible night on Sunday I decided I needed a change. So, I pretty much forced it x sat with her having a wee cuddle after her feed and eventually she sucked and seemed quite happy . When I put her in the cot a little tap on the front of the dummy and she stayed asleep, where lately I've been up and down repeatedly. She stirred a couple of times, like she normally does, again dummy in and a wee tap and she nodded back off. I always have to lift her and either cuddle or feed, so this felt like a massive breakthrough and took about 10 seconds to go back to sleep!! Woke up for a feed at 1, took it, back to sleep and slept till 7! I really hope this is not a one off, as I feel a million times better this morning after a decent sleep!!

Paracetamol has no sedative, sometimes I give it just in case as I'd rather know she wasn't sore and at least had a chance of sleeping. I'm a pharmacist and I don't think this is a problem, if she has her hands in her mouth chewing then something is annoying her. Also, tip - ibuprofen lasts a bit longer - 8 hours compared to 4-6 with paracetamol, so it can be a better night time choice if it is suitable for your baby. (Ask your pharmacist)

K1 that's really reassuring! thank you. His teeth are bothering him so much that I seem to be giving it more regularly than I'd like, at least every other night but it's only one dose so I suppose that's not too bad?

Great progress with the dummy, I personally think that they grow out of dummies themselves therefore it's an easier crutch to deal with. But also, whatever gets you through the night!

DS has had two nights in his own room now and things aren't too bad. He certainly hasn't slept through but his wakings seem to be down to either his teeth or the heat. He hasn't been waking any more frequently that when he was in our room and isn't unsettled so I'm putting it down as a success.

THanks for the info about ibruprofen K1 I think I may go out for some this afternoon.

So I decided to try and not feed before 1am. Happy to feed for waking after that. I don't necessarily want to night wean completely, and especially not if he is actually hungry, but given that he can do 6-8 hour stretches, I am pretty sure that he is not hungry 3-4 hours after bedtime.

Bed at 8pm, 10mins of crying, suspect teething bothering him. Gave calpol and anbesol.

11.30pm - first wakeup. Sent OH in. 40 mins and hysterical baby later, I had to intervene. Calmed him down, eventually got him back to sleep at 1am. Did not feed, but whole process took an hour and a half, including almost an hour of crying. OH was a bit chocolate teapot. Took me about 90mins to get back to sleep because I was lying there riddled with !!!mummy-guilt because he had to cry.

4am - 2nd wakeup. Fed and back to sleep within 45 mins.

7.10- Up for the day, 1.5hrs earlier than usual.

Total sleep for him about 8.5hrs (about 2hrs less than normal)
Total sleep for me about 4hrs. (I am shattered)

Put him down for morning nap as usual 2hrs after waking, but he only slept 35mins, despite me trying for 20mins to get him back to sleep.

Nap2 - baby monitor has just this second pinged on. He has slept a paltry 29mins.

So far this is not working out well!!!
Any suggestions ladies? I honestly don't know whether to keep trying, or give up and just feed him and live with the sleep deprivation and OH never being able to resettle him. I sat crying during his morning feed today because I just don't know what to do for the best and it seems that I am stuck with doing it all myself because OH can't settle him at all.

Do I A) persist tonight and hope things improve, even though I am shattered and I also think his teeth are bothering him, therefore making me feel super-guilty.

or B) Give up and just write off the 1.5hrs effort last night. Maybe try again when teeth seem better, even though this could be weeks.

heeeeeeeeelllp!!!!!

Aw ellie I feel for you, I felt like that on Sunday night, I was exhausted! I was giving the dummy a go last night and if didn't work I was all for giving up. At least when I feed to sleep it's quick and I get a sleep, even if I am up quite often, it's usually brief and not upsetting. I was reading up that babies will eventually learn not to feed to sleep, it is a milestone they teach similar to crawling, sitting, walking etc. so that made me feel a little better. Although it would be nice for dh to put dd to bed at some point, I guess that time will come eventually. This too shall pass and all that. Although, it doesn't feel like it at 3am when you've already been up several times!

I tried the dummy for a nap today and it didn't really work , so I ended up feeding again, I don't mind so much during the day, it's just through the night. So we'll see how it goes tonight.

Doesn't sound like much fun for you either K1!
My baby won't take a dummy. He did when he was really little, with persuasion, but then had his tongue tie cut and couldn't stand anything in his mouth, and has refused point blank ever since.

The ridiculous thing is that I don't feed to sleep for naps. I feed AFTER naps in the daytime. For naps he goes in his sleeping bag, gets cuddled and rocked a little until drowsy, then put down. He generally rolls about for about 15 mins before going to sleep. I normally have to put him back in the middle 2-3times because he insists on wedging himself in silly positions, but he doesn't usually cry, just an occasional grizzle.

I still don't know what to do tonight. I have bought some ibuprofen and some teething granules in desperate hope that they will help.

ellie that is unusual, so he's obviously able to settle himself then. My little one never self settles, I either feed to sleep or she sleeps in the pram or the car. Or if I'm trying avoid feeding in the night then I rock get, but nothing gentle works, I practically have to jump round the room!! The dummy was the first time she has fallen asleep stationary without a boob in her mouth!!

Maybe your wee one is hungry then if he is actually able to settle himself during the day. How old is he? Dd is 5.5 months, so starting solids soon and I'm hoping that makes a difference.

I hope tonight is better for you, I'm just about to commence trying the dummy to pop her in the cot, hoping it works for a second night

Oh and ellie my wee one has refused a dummy on a number of occasions prior to last night, but finally she gave in. I just sat with her having a wee cuddle and held it to her mouth and tapped the front of it, she whimpered a wee bit to start, but then she just looked at me and sucked away, so maybe worth another try