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Original poster

Anyone on for another 4 month sleep regression hand-holding thread?!

447 replies

uppereastsidemom · 29/08/2015 01:24

DD2 is 16 weeks and had been doing 7pm - woken up at 11.30ish for a feed - 5 or 6am. Happy days.

She is now waking up anytime between 7 and 10pm, going back down but reliably waking up for 2-3 hours between 3 and 6am. It is torture. I know this is a predictable phase that will pass, but christ it is miserable.

Waiting to see what tonight brings Smile. I know there had been an active thread that seems to have died - hopefully meaning that all those babies are now sleeping beautifully Grin

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JaneyTea · 29/08/2015 08:21

DD is almost 16 weeks. She had been sleeping from 8pm to 6am for 5 weeks and it was marvellous. Two weeks ago, she started waking for a night feed again and now wakes about 2am and then 4, 5 and 6 when I usually give up and get up. The latter tines she doesn't want feeding, just a cuddle. Last night she also woke at 11pm and midnight but got herself back to sleep. Argh.

After the night feed she is taking longer to settle, by which time I'm wide awake. During the day she naps, but not for very long if I put her down - she's fine if she naps on me.

Uppereastsidemom, I hope the rest of your night was better. Am clinging to the notion that this is just a phase!

Thought I was doing okay, but burst into tears this morning, thinking I'm never going to sleep well ever again. Am not very good at problems I can't fix....

Original poster
uppereastsidemom · 29/08/2015 12:12

I'm 5 hours behind the UK so just up. DD2 fed at 11.30, woke at 3 and I managed to feed her back to sleep, she was wide awake. Up at 6.30. DD1 woke crying hysterically at midnight though just as I had fallen asleep, not sure what that was all about Hmm. Good that you can settle yours with a cuddle I try not to feed back to sleep but I knew she'd be up for hours if I didn't. Yawn

OP posts:
lilac3033 · 30/08/2015 21:52

I'm 1.5 weeks into the regression with my 17 week old DD. Used to do 2 wake ups a night, which was fine, it's every two hours now. I spent almost 3 hours trying to get her to sleep tonight. Can't get DP to help too much, she just screams. I am just like you JaneyTea, I like problems I can fix. There have been many tears shed tonight. I wish she would just let me have three hours of sleep! To make matters worse we are headed stateside in two weeks, I am so worried I'll have this regression and jet lag to cope with!!

MadGrumblyGnome · 31/08/2015 11:42

I'll join. Last night 16 week old DS woke nearly every hour, sometimes half an hour. Just as I put him in his cot, he'd wriggle about, then wake and grizzle and need bfing back to sleep.

I am beyond exhausted today. To make matters worse he'd been sleeping so well I'd gone for a run yesterday so was physically knackered as well as tired.

We've got a long haul flight coming up next week so dear god I hope this gets a little better before then.

Flowers and Brew to everyone

lilac3033 · 01/09/2015 20:31

So naps are improving slowly but bedtime is just getting worse and worse!!! Two hours to get DD to sleep. She won't accept DP at all, won't take a dummy, won't be walked around in the dark. Basically if she couldn't breastfeed (left side only, mind) she was screaming. It is exhausting because she will only accept me, which is rubbish for DP. She'll be up at least. Two hourly through the night as well. Week two of this shit starts tomorrow. Grateful for the decent naps but I would love an evening that doesn't involve DD screaming and/or me in tears. She is such a happy and contented baby normally but just seems possessed at bedtime!

ReRegRhonda · 04/09/2015 01:52

Ds is 14 weeks and I'm wondering if that is too early for this regression to begin or if it's just me. He'd sleep 10-4 then feed them back asleep til 7. Now he's difficult to get asleep and wakes between 1-2, then 4-5 then 6 then 7. I can't cope. Only boob settles him. How long does this last?!

FuzzyOwl · 04/09/2015 01:59

Not sure if it is the regression or not but found out DD's teeth are already starting to come through when I took her to be weighed earlier. She is almost 14 weeks and I really hoped I would have a few more months. Until last week, she would sleep right through but now it seems every couple of hours (if not sooner) she wakes up. Sad

lilac3033 · 04/09/2015 07:56

I don't think 14 weeks is too early, DD was 15 weeks on the nose. The good news is she only woke up twice last night! Although she was a nightmare to put down and got up an hour earlier than normal. I'll take it.

monkey2014 · 04/09/2015 08:36

That's about when it went wrong here too :) before 14 weeks he'd do 7-8pm bed, then wake at 12/1, 3/4, 5 6 then up at 7. Now he does that but wakes a couple of extra times before midnight so he's up every 2 hours at the most. We've had a lot of nights of up every hour. He's only slept longer than 2 hours twice in that time, he's 21 weeks now. Most days I can cope but it's hit me a bit this last couple of days :( I hate the horrible feeling that I might be doing something stupidly wrong and causing my own sleep deprivation...but I think probably not, he just wakes up a lot!

ReRegRhonda · 04/09/2015 21:12

Why does the 4 month regression even happen? Ds had his injections today including that lovely new meningitis B one so he's been crying and sleeping a lot. Another bad night anticipated - he usually only wakes up once, twice at the most of a night. Last night was 4 times. Tonight will probably be worse! Eugh! Good luck all.

lilac3033 · 04/09/2015 21:36

It is because the way they sleep changes. They have more lighter sleep, so are more easily disturbed. They are also working on learning lots of things so it's like overdrive in their brains.

ARichVernacular · 04/09/2015 21:48

Mine are not babies anymore but I well remember the hell of the 4 month sleep regression. Mine were both crap sleepers anyway but my god, it really did get worse! I actually thought I might die.

HOWEVER it did get better, it does get better - just get through it as best you can, do whatever is necessary, because it will end :)

ReRegRhonda · 05/09/2015 07:51

Ds slept 10-5 then 5.30-now, I am feeling good! I don't know what is going on, his sleep has become much more hit and miss but I can't seem to predict it either way! Oh well, just happy to have had a good sleep.

monkey2014 · 05/09/2015 09:46

We only had 4 wake ups last night, hooray! i was awake for 3.5 hrs for no reason at all though

lilac3033 · 05/09/2015 11:37

I have had my second night in a row of only two wake ups... I don't dare to say it's over but it has been better!

Original poster
uppereastsidemom · 05/09/2015 13:36

The chaos lasted for about a week but we are back to a rough pattern of one wake up then waking at 6. I'll definitely take it! DD2 is still sleeping tightly swaddled and in her cocoonababy though so the next stage will be transitioning from those...

OP posts:
JaneyTea · 05/09/2015 17:52

Monkey 2015 I get a bit of that feeling too, like I'm worried it's something I'm not doing right.

Still in the same situation here. DD has also been super clingy today, which I've found hard going - like I've achieved nothing. DP has been doing loads of overtime recently and I feel like I'm doing all of this myself - am over tired and grumpy!

JaneyTea · 06/09/2015 06:56

Midnight, 2.40, 4.45 and 6 am for DD and I last night. Feel wrecked. She's sitting here, blowing bubbles, wide awake.....

monkey2014 · 06/09/2015 07:07

i honestly dont think we are doing anything wrong though. We had 730 bed then 9.30, 12, 3, 4.30, 645ish. That's a good night!

Janeytea mine also likes to wake up v frequently for a cuddle in the morning.

monkey2014 · 06/09/2015 08:47

Actually what makes it worse is that every single other person at our antenatal group is only up once a night! How is that even possible?!? Grin

JaneyTea · 06/09/2015 11:09

Smile DD was sleeping through - did so for 5-6 weeks and it was bloody great. I think that's why the current wakings sting so much! Who broke my baby??!

lilac3033 · 07/09/2015 08:40

Well after my two good nights it's gotten bad again! 4 wake ups last night. She just seems to wake up at every little noise. It is driving me crazy. Off to the U.S. in 8 days... I really hope it's done by then. This plus jet lag and visiting loads of family sounds like hell on earth. I just want normal sleep back!

ReRegRhonda · 07/09/2015 17:04

Tried a dream feed last night, he fell asleep at 8, I dream fed at 10 and he woke at 2.30! Not the result I'd hoped for. Although I heard it takes a few days to get used to so I'll keep at it. Anyone tried it?

lilac3033 · 08/09/2015 19:38

Officially at my wits end. Up 4 times last night, took 3 hours to get down for the night. Was up for 40 minutes at 4am.
Has hardly napped all day. Like I spent 30 minutes getting her down for a nap that lasted 10 minutes! It took another 30 minutes to get her down for 30 more minutes.
I put her to bed nice and early tonight. After 30 minutes she was up and it took 30 minutes to get her down... That lasted SIX minutes. DP has now spent another 20 minutes and she is wide awake with the hiccups now. So she's slept 36 minutes in an hour and a half.
Nothing works anymore. She is clearly exhausted but CANNOT sleep. It is infuriating and exhausting and heartbreaking.

Hillijx · 08/09/2015 21:27

I am on my third child and until now I hadn't heard of a 4 month sleep regression! I have now Sad

My 15 week old went through with Dream feed at 10 and slept until anywhere between 5/7, she is now 22 weeks and for the last 4 weeks she has only managed up to 3 hours at a time.its not like the early days where she would predictably go for a stretch of 3/4 hours, now it can be 1 hour or 4 and she whines until she gets breast.....it's exhausting. Does this end??

Rereg.....I dreamfed my 2nd, took about a week to work, went through after that without any regressions.....I thought it was the dreamfed, maybe not as I have been doing it this time and it doesn't seem to make a blind bit of difference!