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

[uppereastsidemom]

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 . I know there had been an active thread that seems to have died - hopefully meaning that all those babies are now sleeping beautifully

Thanks fluff - yes I'm on the Facebook page... it's really great. Am going to the gp next week to ask for dairy free formula and a referral as i challenged my boy with some formula and he had a reaction so it's deffo cmpa . Next challenge - get him to take a bottle!! What's reverse cycling btw?

Purple - def do the own room move. The night in moved DS1 into his own room he slept 12 hrs. Just like that! Having spent the previous 4.5 months waking 4-6 times. Was incredible. Sadly I don't think that will work for my current monkey! Hope the inlaws visit goes well just hand DD off to them and have a nap in the day?

Hi grok - totally get the DH sleeping resentment. After my son was wide awake at 4am I made him take over at 450am when I'd totally lost the will to live and had a lie in till 7am. Woo :-)

I'm starting to think her being in her own room might work at 6 months as think she often stirs and smells my milk and then wakes whereas perhaps she wouldn't on her own?

Oh and reverse cycling was that she was eating all night and not in the day so I've forced her to feed more in the day which has helped but not completely solved anything- she's still wanting to play at odd times in the night

Welcome Grok to the thread no one wants to join!

Well, tonight we are all staying in a hotel room. Mum, Dad and one teething non sleeping baby. Plus my DH is off to meet his foster dad, who he hasn't seen for over a year following a massive family fall out. We are both shattered after a six hour drive. Plus, we haven't shared a room since DD was born.

What could possibly go wrong???

Luckily, I have wine. And chocolate.

You'll probably get the best night ever and be forced to live in the hotel for the next 17 years

Ha ha! Well a friend did point out you can ask for your money back if you get a bad night's sleep! So am hoping this will activate sods law and mean she sleeps through till 10am :)

How did the hotel room work out purple?

For her, surprisingly well! She slept from 830 till 130, then till 4! Unfortunately I didn't sleep much, strange room and worrying she might wake up. Duh.

That's amazing!! Wish my boy would do more than 2 hrs at a time. So funny how you end up not sleeping... took me weeks after my DS1 started sleeping thru not to wake all night panicking!
I've felt really teary today - allergy stuff getting me down. Hey ho, people deal with worse tho.
Wishing you all good nights xx

can i join you all?

DD is 18 weeks today and past week sleep has gone a bit buggered.
She's gone 7pm-6am (sometimes waking up about 5 but coming in with me for a snuggle for an hour) from about 8 weeks old, but is now waking up at least once in the night screaming her poor head off. There's also random wakings at 10pm, midnight, 3am, 4am- can be all or some of these- and we usually get up at 5am now.

For some reason as well her arms are all over the place now, anyone else found that? She's thrashing around like a loon and when I put her in bed with me I have to hold her outside arm down with the arm next to me kind of under one boob until she falls asleep, otherwise I get thwacked in the boobs, face, neck, and she also enjoys running her nails down my arm and grabbing my chin! Have now resorted to socks on hands but it's still like sleeping with a little eel.

I have started doing a more rigid bedtime routine now. Previously we were quite laid back but now it's quiet play, bath, story, bottle, bed with NO LIGHTS and NO NOISE FROM DOWNSTAIRS in case the thrashing and screaming/honking noises start.

Just to add as well, I was browsing youtube and this has worked absolute wonders for us-
we play it on the Ipad on our bedside table face down so NO LIGHTS. it's helped with her naps a lot as they were starting to go downhill too and it has made a difference in her going off to sleep. it's a good hour and a half long so keeps her relaxed and if I put it on in the night it makes me feel a lot less frazzled!

Hi bob! Like the music but dd just screamed when I tried to soothe her into a nap with it. She will not go down unless she is ready!

Has anyone had any luck with a mobile? Not got one at the moment as thought it would be too stimulating but I'm now trying EVERYTHING

Ds has got a cot mobile, he does like it, he has to be in a calm mood to notice it.

He has a light show too built into his baby monitor.

Welcome Bobs! Some good advice there. I have a lullaby and white noise app on my phone, so I use that to get her to sleep. We do have a light show and music turtle toy, but it has a vociferous appetite for batteries, and we can never be bothered to keep recharging them!

Starfish, I really hope you're Ok. Sending hugs and Some days can be a real struggle can't they.

Well we had another good night yesterday - I got a 5 hour stretch, haven't had that in months!! Made the most of it - fit in a 6 hour drive and was nice to my DH all day - he must have wondered what was happening!

Not as good night tonight but still Ok. But I'm not holding my breath. We've been here before and it's got bad again. Just trying to get what I can out of the good days so I can survive the bad.

Does anyone else's LO poo more? My DD has taken to pooing during feeds and at night which she never used to do. She seems Ok with it. I'm guessing it's teething that's the culprit?

No extra poo here purple!! That's brilliant you got 5 hrs

I was wondering if it's possible to have a regression after a regression?! DS has taken to waking every 2 hrs and rolling over wide awake as if it's daytime. Cue feed back to sleep 5/6 times a night. Then DH gets up with him at 5am as I refuse to feed him again when he's already 'fed' at 4am.

Beginning to doubt my own experience of 'it does get better'.

Wheels have totally come off!!

Oh dear! I'm no expert but from my extensive Internet research (conducted in the wee hours) I've read that the four month regression can last anything from a week to three months. Sorry :( could it be teething?

I hate to use the word 'sleep training' but this might be a solution for your little guy if it doesn't get any better. I'm sorry I don't have any better advice. It sounds incredibly challenging. It WILL get better but there may be a few more bumps in the road first xx

Is there an average time it lasts? Dd is speedily approaching 5 months. I think I can do this until she's 6 months but any longer and I'm going to go crazy

Can I join you? I need some hand holding in the early hours or i'll go nuts.

17 week old. Up until last Thursday he was cluster feefing all !ven;ng, going to bed about tenish, going 4 or 5 hours asleep, having a bfeed which was just about down to 30 minutes (from 3 hours when first born, then 2, then 1) then having another 2 hour sleep.
Now it's all gone to shit. Tonight I am feeding him to sleep, he startles awake. Or he looks deeply asleep and wakes up crying ,5 mins after I put him in the moses basket.
I keep thinking that I have to be up in 5 hours and i havent slept yet.
Last night was actually OK - he did 4 hours, then a 2.5 hour feed, then 2 hours. Yest evening was also our first with no cluster feeding.
I can't believe I'm happy about a night with a 2.5 hour feed. I thought those nights were finally behind us.

I just want someone to tell me what to do.

If he's dropped cluster feeding then try to put more feeds in during the day so he's not making up the calories at night - I've had my only good night recently when I did that.

Try not to check your phone/the clock at night as well otherwise you'll probably end up with insomnia about how long you have left to sleep etc.

I try to feed him every 2 hours during the day - is feeding more than that worth trying?. The clustering has been slowing down over the last few weeks, but we've only had one cluster free evening.
I ended up co sleeping last night.

Hi saranga - hope you managed to get some sleep in the end? The 4 month regression is a real bitch! Basically their brains are so wired from all the development that sleep is so massively affected. Like purple says it can last anywhere from a week to 3 months (!). We're all in the same boat on here so take some comfort it's not just you and you aren't doing anything wrong.

The hardest thing to get your head around is the fact there is no solution. This is all about survival!! So do whatever it takes to get through it... whether that's co-sleeping, getting hubby involved, naps in the day. It just go once things settle down inside their head...

In the meantime vent all anger/anguish here!!
Hugs xx

What time does he go to bed saranga? It took me ages to realise with my first son that he wasn't actually cluster feeding but was tired and using me as a dummy to try and get to sleep whilst I had him downstairs with me with the lights on and TV blasting! (Oops!)

We change him for bed at 6.30 - nappy, change, into sleeping bag. Then it's downstairs with the lights off and the telly on quietly (he ch doesn't seem to bother him) till about ten when we go upstairs. He feeds, sleeps, then wakes up an hour later for another feed, so I'm sure it is still clustering.
He was ill last week (stomach fku) and his terrible sleeping started the day he got better, so I keep doubting myself - maybe it is illness related instead? But he really is acting and sleeping like a newborn.

Also up until last week he was very clear on daytime/nighttime e difference. Now he seems mixed up. headdesk

He might be ready for an early bedtime? You could try putting him to bed after you feed him at 630 and see what happens?