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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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starfish12 · 05/12/2015 09:00

How did the rest of the night go Notta?!

Sparrowlegs248 · 05/12/2015 10:17

Feeding roughly every 40 minutes. Yawn. Think we managed just over an hour at one point. Its tough because its like he's asleep but i am awake. I wonder if this is a sleep or feeding issue? Some of it is comfort sucking but if i stop he wakes.

Purpleboa · 05/12/2015 11:42

Sorry to hear that Notta. I'm guessing you've already said this but I'm assuming he won't take a dummy? Neither will my DD.

Slightly better night with wakings at 11 and 3, but then awakeness from 4! DH has taken her and told me to spend the morning sleeping...but of course I can't relax enough to. Doesn't help that it's blowing a gale outside! How did everyone else get on?

saranga · 05/12/2015 12:00

The longest stretch I got was 1.5 hours. But then my fella took him off me 7/30-9/30 so I had 2 hours to myself, which was lovely.
I have discovered that I can detach the boy at a certain point in his sucking and he stays asleep. This is progress. Also he doesn't always wake up when starts rooting. But he does feel like he's having a proper feed not a comfort suck.

Purpleboa · 05/12/2015 13:54

Hey all. I've created a new thread for those of us with consistently poor sleepers as I feel we've moved beyond the regression thread (even if our babies haven't!) Please come join me???

Queendedede · 05/12/2015 15:51

Good idea Purple. I don't qualify to be here as ds2 is nearing 20mo now and I must admit, I do like to read about others in the same boat and it must be pretty depressing when some of the ladies on this thread have obviously graduated as no more posts from them (including the OP!)

Although saying that, my little sleep thief has improved recently so can't really complain too much..... I expect I've jinxed it big time by saying that!

trebleclef101 · 05/12/2015 22:20

Sounds like I've decided to join the thread just as everyone else is leaving!?

Here looking for mutual tea and sympathy; my DD is now 18 weeks and over the last 3 weeks or so has gone from a lovable, sleeps anywhere at any time bundle of joy who only wakes once in the night for a quick feed, to a sleep fighting, nap resisting ball of misery who wakes every 2.5 hours on a good night.

Which in turn has turned me from happy and relaxed into an impatient, short-tempered, sleep deprived mum who last night shouted "shut up" at my DD and immediately felt like the worst mum in the world.

After a day spent trying and failing to get her to nap, my OH came home from work and within half an hour had me in the bath with a book and a cheeky cider. My saviour!

saranga · 06/12/2015 13:53

I'm still here treble. I'll be on both threads.

rrra · 06/12/2015 20:52

Can this sleep regression start early, or is it linked to due date? My DS is 14 weeks today but was almost two weeks late. For a week now he has been waking every hour through the night and can only be settled by BFing. This coincided with starting to take steroids and antibiotics for a chest infection, so I don't yet know if sleep is buggered because of illness/medication or if this is a sleep regression. Last dose taken yesterday but still a bad night last night. He wasn't great before, but I'd usually get one 3 hour stretch at the start of the night, sometimes even 5 at a push, then 1-2 hourly.

waitingforsomething · 08/12/2015 08:18

I would just like to give some words of encouragement here: my DS is 20 weeks old and last night slept all night from 7-6. Amazing (not that he will do it again!) Literally only 4 weeks ago his sleep regression was at its all time worst. I was up every 1.5 hours every night and was on my knees. My first dc never had a sleep regression so this was new and it was awful- awful. It has got better very quickly - hang on in there

trebleclef101 · 08/12/2015 13:20

Thanks, it's good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Last night was better, actually managed three hours in one go at one point, and I feel so much better for it this morning! It's amazing how much difference it makes getting three hours between feeds instead of two!

trebleclef101 · 08/12/2015 13:23

rrra - from what I've read the exact timing can vary slightly so your DS's recent sleep changes may be related to a regression.

See how he gets on once the meds are finished, you may get lucky and find it was only that effecting him! I'll cross my fingers for you.

saranga · 08/12/2015 21:04

Last night we had a stretch of4 hours then 3 hours between feeds. Tonight I'm still trying to feed him to sleep 2 hours after we started. Ffs.

trebleclef101 · 08/12/2015 22:22

Sometimes I wish my DD would still feed to sleep but now she refuses boob unless actually hungry and when she's full she pulls away and complains until I move her.

Been trying to get her to sleep for so long tonight we're back round to feeding for a second time since starting. And I know that soon my OH will play his 'I have to get up for work in the morning' card and leave me to deal with her on my own.

Why can't babies just realise that the best thing for tiredness is sleep!

lindsay982 · 09/12/2015 08:13

Well I think it's time I accepted that the sleep regression phase has arrived in my house! DS is just shy of 16weeks and for the last week has been waking every 1.5 - 2.5 hrs during the night! Our 'normal' has been feeding at 2 and 5am which I coped with fine. As you say treble the difference between getting 3hrs between feeds or just 2 is huge. I figure that's to do with adult sleep cycles.

So here I am, my DS sleeping beside me looking adorable and I'm feeling like shit. Sad

trebleclef101 · 09/12/2015 11:33

I feel for you Lindsay, last night was our worst yet.

Having finally got her to sleep at 12.30, she was awake at 1.30, 2.30, 4.30, 5.45, 7.00 and 9.00.

I think you're right about sleep cycles, I remember having a lot of dreams last night, maybe because I kept being woken up during that part of the cycle?

Today I will be living on chocolate and tea Brew Chocolate

trebleclef101 · 09/12/2015 15:56

Me, today Grin

Anyone on for another 4 month sleep regression hand-holding thread?!
lindsay982 · 09/12/2015 19:33

Man treble that is a rough night! Sad Is your lo napping OK during the day? I'm having to really pay attention so that I get DS down before I miss the window and he goes nuts!

I've managed to stay off the caffeine but have hit the sugar pretty hard so he'll probably end up with super sweet milk! Wink

Good luck tonight! FlowersBrewChocolate

trebleclef101 · 09/12/2015 21:13

She naps ok as long as my timing is bang on, like you say about your DS. She is currently only napping for about 45 minutes each time though, so we go for little and often.

It does mean that I feel like I spend half my day putting her down for naps, but as long as I get the timing right I can just put her down and walk away. The fabled "drowsy but awake" that seems so allusive in the evening when we want to put her to bed!!

Good luck to you too, hoping for 3+ hour sleep chunks for us all Smile

saranga · 11/12/2015 00:34

I think my boy us getting better...
Despite barely feeding yesterday our night wakings were 2 hours apart.
Today naps were terrible and it took from 6.30-10 to really settle him,but we've just had another 2 hour stint of sleeping...
This is good, this is better than how he was..
I am think this is week 5 of the regression so we've been in it a long time but the last three nights have definitely been better.

trebleclef101 · 11/12/2015 17:12

Glad to hear your boy is getting better Saranga, fingers crossed you are seeing the end of the regression!

We also had a better night last night, woke for a feed at 11.30 and took about 2 hours to go back down, but after that she slept until 5 and then again until 8 so felt much better this morning!

Lindsay how was your night?

saranga · 11/12/2015 21:00

Are your kids feeding more in this regression? For the last week my boy (ebf) has been feeding constantly from 7-10. For the first few weeks he fed every half hour. Why this change? I want my evenings back!

trebleclef101 · 11/12/2015 21:44

I'm definitely feeding my dd more at night, but it may just be me giving in to the quickest and easiest way to get her back to sleep!

I know, rod for my own back and all that, but at 3am I just want her back to sleep asap so I can get some sleep myself before the next waking.

trebleclef101 · 11/12/2015 21:45

I've not noticed much change to her daytime feedings though.

saranga · 12/12/2015 07:07

He went down at ten, woke at 11.30, woke at 2.30 and we were up for an hour, then at 6 and i've just putvhim down in his cot. 2 minutes later he's still asleep....
We are def coming out the other side! I never thought this would happen.
Each waking was linked to wind. I sat up burped him, then fed him to sleep.

I think feeding lying down encourages wind bc of a poor latch, so I def think it's time to feed sat up again, and tonight will be the start of getting him in his cot properly.
I could cry with joy. I thought we'd be stuck at half hourly/hourly wakebups forever.