4 month sleep regression- oh.my.god.

[hazel88]

So my DD has just hit the 4 month sleep regression hard. It sucks. It really sucks. for a short while she had been doing 6 hour chunks for the first part of the night followed by 1 or 2 wakings after. On the rare occasion she would just wake up once for a feed then that was it. BLISS. She's now waking up more times than I can count and I'm wondering if she'll ever sleep better again. I know about the 4 month sleep regression inside-out but would really appreciate experiences from others who have either gone through it or are going through it. I need some sanity restored...please?!

Wow that's brilliant Mariloulou hope it continues for you. Massively

Turns out the miracle was short-lived. DD woke screaming after an hour and DH couldn't settle without dummy. Still pleased to know that she can settle without when not upset though. Will definitely be persevering.

Definitely a good thing penguin, still huge progress!!

RP if I have a crap night I'll be blaming you

Well tonight has been so so.. DD slept from 7.30-10.15.pretty good really, but then wouldn't settle til 11.45pm. Luckily DM had held the ropes for the night so i sat eagerly waiting in the kitchen. She said " I don't know how you do this" .........

oh god roll on Monday. .I hope you're nights are going ok, if cc seems to harsh ill be trying this pupdcd method which sounds good xxx

Wake up number 606....she doesn't seem in pain

A night of mixed fortunes for us. Initially going down without a dummy - amazing. Still had 4 wake-ups - less good. I can't believe I ever complained about my nights with 2 wake-ups. I must have angered the sleep gods in doing so!

Not sure naps without a dummy will happen just yet and I fully expect bedtimes without to be a struggle for a while but the crucial thing is that I know DD CAN fall asleep without it and without distress. Up till now my issue has been that I felt like I would be taking away something DD NEEDED to go to sleep but hopefully now I know I'm not it will help my resolve when she does get upset.

Mariloulou that first chunk of sleep sounds positive. Not the most helpful ever from DM but actually I think what you x should hear from that comment is 'you're doing a bloody amazing job under really difficult circumstances and I couldn't do what you do'.

Sycamore. Sorry you had a rubbish night. I think sometimes even if they don't seen in pain the teeth can be just uncomfy enough to cause restlessness without it being obvious why. Sometimes though I am sure they do wake for no discernible reason!

Ignore the random 'x' in the previous post!

Wow penguin that's great! (That she settled without the dummy!) Getting rid of the dummy seems like an impossible task doesn't it I used to moan about one wake up

So glad dd has settled marilou! It's so strange they can just go back to normal like that!

Rp, hope things aren't too difficult at dm's, can she have a word with them and let them know you will be staying so keep noise to a minimum? Or will they just be buggers anyways?

Sorry you've had a crap night sycamore when ds wake he never seems in pain or anything.

Well I was so tired last night I could hardly hold my head up, tht and the food poisoning I couldn't take so I went to bed at 8.30, more like 9 even I had stopped being sick . Ds must have known, he slept until 4, had a feed and has just woke up! We had around 5 dummy runs but that's ok. And, this morning I watched him, grab his dummy and stick it in himself! It was upside down but hopefully he will get the hang of that soon

Amazing Zombie so pleased you had a good night! Hopefully this is the start of back to normal for you. How are you feeling this morning? Great news that DS might soon be getting the hang of reinserting the dummy himself too!

Sycamore sorry to hear about the wakeups, was settling easy?

Penguin sounds great that DD didn't need the dummy to fall asleep! Im worried too about taking it away, can't imagine her falling asleep without it! 4 wake ups sounds like an improvement and any improvement is positive!
Zombie hope your feeling better, food poisoning is like the last thing you need!!
how was your night hazel?
I wish you were right RP, I thought we had turned a corner again but DM said DD was a nightmare during the night! Wouldn't settle after 1am and she ended up in bed with her which im angry about as I specifically told her not too!! So we had 2 good nights and its all gone down the swanny again!!!!!! FFS!!!!!!!!!! I got the most sleep ive had in 12 weeks, a bliss 7 hours! I should be feeling like a new women but nursing a slight hangover >. <
I ordered that book you have been dicussing, can't remember the name but got it from amazon for a couple quid like you said hazel. Shall look forward to having a flick through and add it to the mountain of sleep training books I seem tobe aaccumulating!
Urgh im dreading tomorrow! Like really dreading it!!!

Morning all,

lots of messages to read! Sounds like a mixed night for everyone. I keep trying to remind myself that this won't last and we will all have better nights soon!

Our night was very much the same as the previous night. 5 wake ups roughly 2 hours apart. DD settles so much more quickly now though with the use od PUPDCD. Hopefully she'll soon stop waking so much and I would consider it a real success!

mariloulou I can imagine you must be feeling anxious about tomorrow but try and keep in mind those better nights that are just around the corner and in the long run you're helping your DD. The book says it can take between 3-10 days of cc before you see a dramatic improvement. Make sure you have DHs support this week.

Hazel it's so great that you are having success with settling more quickly. Hopefully the next step will be fewer wakings. I might have a look to see if that book is available on Kindle. If nothing else I can enjoy some more reading about exactly what I have done wrong to while away the small hours

Did anyone check out that stolensleep.com website? It did make me laugh and I actually posted one of the articles on fb stolensleep.com/2015/03/29/how-not-to-punch-people-when-you-have-a-baby-who-does-not-sleep/ I accompanied the link with a comment saying something like I don't really hate those lucky enough to have good sleepers as the ones I know are nice enough not to rub it in huge lie in order not to offend anyone but that they could have the good grace to look more haggard every now and then'. Hilariously my friend with a great sleeper commented "I will try to remember to put my haggard face on! I do have to say we have not got to the serious teething stage so it may well make a genuine appearance soon!" It's not just me that can see the comment itself is rubbing it in, right?!!' She is lovely but completely un self-aware bless her!

Penguin it's nothing you're doing wrong. I believe some babies are hit harder by sleep regressions and milestones they reach so are too busy to kip! My friend's baby is 2 months older than DD and she is currently unable to roll or do some of the things that my LO started doing a while ago (I realise this isn't a competition!) but her DD sleeps brilliantly. I don't think you're doing anything wrong at all, but what you can do is create bad sleep habits that prolong the shitty sleep. I'm not saying you are by any means, but it's not our fault that we have been blessed with babies who have an aversion to sleep! I think we're all doing the right thing by trying not to create bad sleep habits.

Hahaha that link is funny!!! Too true!

Does anyone else find people patronising, like 'your baby is just being a baby' from the parent who either has a good sleeper or they've grown up so have forgotten the true pain of sleep deprivation! I know babies aren't always keen on sleep, but when you have months on end of no sleep that's a bit different! These people....They need a punch

So today we've arranged to have lunch in town with BIL, arranged the time and where to go...DD is only bloody taking a long nap! 30 minute naps for 99% of the time with a very rare 1.25 hour nap. She's currently been asleep for 1 hour 25 She did have a big bowl of porridge and then 5oz of milk and was awake for 2 hours, maybe that explains it!

Hope everyone has a good day

Thanks hazel. Yes trying to focus on the outcome. Im confused though, do I cc with naps too? Or just night time and through the night? If so ill have to start cc with the naps tomorrow and then cc at night too?

I don't know mariloulou I've never thought about that, I would imagine you stay consistent. As someone said, I think it's recommended that you start sleep training at night as babies take to it better than at nap time. I know that's going to be really tough implementing it at night time. Maybe buy some earplugs?! I've just got some if it came to cc.

Ok so DD has been asleep for 1 hour 40 I never thought I'd ask this but should I wake her?! I've never purposely woken her from a nap as I think if she's sleeping she needs it. But as night times are so rubbish, what shall I do?!

I would also wait until you have the book before trying cc. It details cc and how to have the best success. I know you must be desperate, but if you're not 100% it might be worth waiting until you have it to refer to? I got 1st class delivery and it turned up within 2 days.

Marilou, sorry to hear dd was a monster for mil maybe because she's not used to being settled by anyone else but you? Or is she ok with her?

Hazel, hope pupd continues to improve things with you saying that, I think ds sleep started to go a bit funny when he was rolling at 3 months, we then had a couple of good nights so I put it down to that, then 4 months hit like a brick to the face! Could you get her into car seat/pushchair without waking her do you think? Sounds like she's having a good sleep! I would think not to wake her unless you have to, or leave it until the last minute? I don't know

Ha penguin did you reply? So bloody irritating isn't it, all these people with babies sleeping through!

Ds just come back from dm, she had him again so I could sort his room () and once again, he's fast asleep! I don't know what she does to him! She must have the magic touch. His room looks lovely, but I'm so worried about him being on his own.

Must be something in the air Hazel as DD had 1h45 this morning too (Obviously after I decided it wasn't worth trying to sleep when she slept!) Remind me how old she is? I tend to think that within reason sleep begets sleep so long day naps are good. My cut off with DD would be over 2 hours in a single if she had ever slept that long.

Zombie , what an amazing night for you , so pleased you got some rest .
Penguin - good news about the dummy . I am back on the dummy as dd was getting frustrated without it and started sucking an imaginary one ! Quite cute .
Well she does settle quite quickly . Sometimes when I pop dummy back in but if she is still unsettled I know she wants to feed. I usually put her back down after a breast feed when she is drowsy and most of the time she settles well. I can't remember how many times she woke up.
Penguin - I think you are right about the teething , maybe I should have given her calpol , I just didn't think she was in pain . She is def getting bottom teeth as if can see them coming through and age cries after a feed and when I apply gel. It's so hard for them ! Apparently the first ones are much more painful .

Annoyingly Hazel re milestones my friend's good sleeper is at the early end of the scale with everything developmentally if his parents are to be believed about his precociousness he will have written a best-selling novel or album by age 1 I think DD is average to late with milestones (she hates being on her tummy and has rolled back to tummy a total of 4 times by 7 months) so it makes me even more paranoid that somehow I am a rubbish parent.

Zombie what do you even say to that? I was just that she couldn't see the irony. She now has it in her head I should get a sleep consultant but it's a hell of a lot of money for something that might not work. I sort of resent the implication that I need one because obviously they will be able to tell me all the mistakes I am making that have made DD this way. I know she is trying to be practical and help but there is something so galling about someone who doesn't know what it's like offering their 2 cents. I am much less prickly about advice from those who have actually been there.

Typical Zombie. I think it's often easier for those slightly removed from the situation to settle babies. My mum always managed to get DD to nap where I failed! I'm sure your DS will be absolutely fine in his own room. If anything DD was more settled as we didn't disturb her every time we turned over. It's strange at first but you get used to it surprisingly quickly apart from the tripping over things as you dash down the landing to their room!

penguin my DD is 19.5 weeks. She ended up napping for 2 hours, I couldn't bring myself to wake her!

Yay. What a great nap. I'm sure she needed it. Hopefully it will be a positive for tonight. I have only woken DD a very few times when we really had to be somewhere and it felt so wrong!

Evening all,

Hope everyone+babies has had a good day?

Bit fed up today. BIL cancelled lunch as we were on route (45 min drive) as they said they had been waiting too long (because DD napped for 2 hours we had to change the time) but they were waiting no longer than 45 mins and we constantly kept them updated so they knew when to expect us. So we made a u-turn and didn't end up doing anything else all day as time was getting on and the weather was too shitty to go for a walk. We really value our family days together as I struggle through the week so to have a day written off pissed us both off. DP also has gotten a bug and has been in bed so lunch out was out of the question. So many things to do which haven't been done and the house looks like it's been turned upside down! DD has also been really whingey since her last nap and always is about 5ish...does anyone else find this? Also getting frustrated with the lack of sleep!!

We've decided to go to bed when DD does tonight. I think I'll use the light from my phone and try and read the rest of the Baby Sleep System book!

Hazel - poor you ! Sounds like it's been one of those days for you. It's disappointing when you end of staying in at the weekend as we spend so much time in the house during the week, it's a break from the routine. Hope your DP gets better soon.
We have had an ok day nap wise. DD had her morning nap later and slept for about 45mins, one around lunchtime for an hour ( but only because I managed to rock her back for another half an hour) and 45 mins from 4pm. Just trying to get get down now after her feed. I did give her calpol today so maybe that's why she napped better . Just given her another dose as she is so grumpy with teething, she is spurt clingy and won't go to anyone else today .
I find from 5pm is witching hour as baby is grumpy and toddler grumpy too ! And dh sometimes !
How does everyone cope with the tiredness ? I have say to much sugar .....

Sorry about typos , bloody phone