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Is this 4 month sleep regression?

2 replies

BoeBarlow · 02/06/2015 08:07

16wo DD has gone from sleeping 8-7.30 most nights with waking for one feed at around 4.30 (EBF) to waking at 11, 3.30
& 5.30. Is this 4 month sleep regression? I realise that it's not that bad in the grand scheme of things and that she's still a good sleeper compared to a lot of babies her age but it's been a bit of a shock to the system! I don't know a huge amount about it, is it a "phase" and is she likely to go back to her normal pattern eventually or are we going to have to wait for her to get there from scratch again IYSWIM?

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FATEdestiny · 02/06/2015 12:14

Sleep development is not linear and often goes backwards or changes. There are talk of 'phases' and 'regressions' but I actually think both of those words are not useful in terms of sleep development.

It being a 'phase' or a 'regression' suggest that if you just carry on and don't change anything, that sleep will go back to how it was in time. I disagree fundamentally with that view, which is why I prefer to explain in terms of development being non linear.

Parents have to change things, try new things. What once worked at one point may not work in later months and so parents have to keep on changing their approach. If sleep gets worse, it means that what you are now doing (and have been doing quite successfully for some time) no longer works and so a new approach is needed now that baby's needs have changed.

So language analysis aside, I would suspect that your DDs calorific need has increased. At 16 weeks old there will be a lot of physical and emotional developments happening and all of these new skills and abilities mean she needs more calories per day. She may well be waking in the night for feeds because she needs those feeds - she needs the extra milk.

I know what you mean about shock to the system. My DD was sleeping 11pm-8am without a feed while EFB from 7 weeks to 12 weeks. She then started needing more milk. My answer was to start mix-feeding, but that's because DD is my fourth child and I am not so precious about breastfeeding as I was with my first. I am not suggestion you need to give formula milk. But you could do if you wanted to.

Alternatively, try feeding far more frequently through the daytime. Or just embrace the night feeds as special cuddle time and accept that they are part of the baby months.

BoeBarlow · 02/06/2015 12:32

Thanks so much for your reply FATE. What you say about her needing more calories makes complete sense. In the last week or so she's probably been more physical as she's trying to roll over and reaching out and grabbing everything in sight. I'm still feeding on demand but I could try to increase feeds during the day. Formula isn't an option as she's a bottle refuser. I don't mind the 11pm feed as I'm usually still awake by then anyway and she does tend to go straight back down. It's the 5.30 wake up that's killing me Shock She has always been a brilliant sleeper at night so I'm not too concerned that she's suddenly going to be awake constantly. I'll just continue to be led by her at night.

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