Sleep is FUBAR

[Purpleboa]

Is it possible for the 4 month sleep regression to strike early??

My 12 week year old DD'S sleep is getting increasingly worse. She was averaging about a 4 hour stretch, followed by another few hours after a feed. Now she goes down for 3 hours if I'm very lucky, and then that's her awake every 1/2 hours and takes several attempts to settle each time. Before waking for the day at 4am - 5.30 if 'lucky'! Now the early waking I can take if there's only one night feed but on top of multiple feeds...well, I feel like I'm losing it.

She's ebf. Won't take a bottle, and won't settle in our bed.

She had a cold last week which messed with her sleep patterns. We're also returned from my parents where she slept somewhere different for the first time. Although she slept fairly well there (despite early wakings). So I'm wondering if these changes have had an impact? We just seem to have gone backwards with the sleep and I'm scared that things won't get any better.

Please, any help would be hugely appreciated. I'm so tired I feel sick and shaky and increasingly anxious. If there's anything I can be doing, I'll do it! Failing that, handholding would be hugely appreciated

It's hard, I know. It will pass. How about swaddling her with some white noise after that first 3-hour stretch? (3 hours is pretty good.) She's not too old for it. What do you mean 'waking for the day' at 4am - do you get up with her? Would you try again to bring her into your bed and feed her lying down at that time, maybe you could doze a bit.

Solidarity fistbump OP. My DS used to do 5-7 hour stretches from 7-11 weeks, since then it's got steadily worse! Now at 21 weeks I find myself being happy with a 2-3 hour stretch...sometimes even that doesn't happen. 4 month sleep regression, jetlag (got back from hols with 7 hour time difference 3 weeks ago), two teeth coming through all at work.

Try not to stress if you can help it, it's easy to get obsessed I know. Do what you can to get through it. I mostly co-sleep at the moment for the sake of my own sanity mostly. Sleep is non linear etc etc here's hoping they get there eventually

Hi Purple

Did your DD have her injections? My DS had an awful week (he's also 12 weeks), including one night of being up 3 hrs straight. He seemed to have lost his sleepiness and ability to fall asleep thru feeding (cue rocking). Anyway I blamed the injections.

Since its only about 4 weeks till the 4 month sleep regression, there's no point trying to fix anything. Try and enlist help if you can - if not at night can you grab a nap in the day?

Hang in there.... your baby is behaving normally so try to relax and just accept it. Im going thru the exact same too plus i have a toddler to contend with so hand firmly held!!

Thanks all! I've had stern words with myself and ordered myself to just relax. Getting agitated isn't good for baby or me (and it takes up energy!).

We swaddle her and use white noise. It does help her settle, and I'll rock and shh her when she's awake but not hungry. If she wakes at 4am she will get back to sleep. Last night she slept till 730am!! So she can do it.

I've realised that it could be much worse. To help me settle, I've stopped lookingat my phone and kindle. This helped enormously last night - I went bsck to sleep everytime.

Starfish hello! Seems only yesterday we were waiting for our little sleep thieves to arrive! Yes she had her jabs last week. Initially slept well that night but it's been messed up since. Also recovering from her first cold and I suspect a growth spurt. God there are so many factors to unsettle them - and we're not even started on teething yet!

You're all doing amazingly