Sleepless of Mumsnet - join us if your LO consistently laughs in the face of sleep!

[Purpleboa]

Hi everyone. I thought I'd create this thread when I saw that there were quite a few of us lingering on the 4 month regression thread, with babies that clearly didn't get the memo about things getting better!

I've seen another thread for parents whose children are long term poor sleepers but I think it's been relegated to zombie status. So I hope nobody minds if I start another one! If your LO consistently struggles to sleep, whether it's down to diet, night terrors or just sheer bloody mindedness, please pull up an armchair and join in! I'll supply the espressos, hugs and chocolate, wine and tears served after 4pm.

I'll start: my DD is 25 weeks. She's gorgeous, adorable and the absolute light of my life. Unless it's between the hours of 7pm and 7am! She's struggled with sleep always. I thought things would improve following the 'fourth trimester' but she got a cold, reacted badly to her jabs...and before I knew it we'd cruised into the 4 month regression. Which she's either still in, or she's teething, or developing, or wonder weeking, or fck knows really!

The past two weeks have been particularly painful and I feel I'm reaching the limits of my endurance. I love being her mum, I love spending time with her...but not sleeping makes it oh so very hard.

I have found Mumsnet to be a wonderful source of support during those dark and lonely hours when you feel like you're the only person in the world going through this. So I wanted to give back and support others too.

I'll put the kettle on...

Oh that's great, well done purples dh.

I wouldn't like to say either way on the hotel. I think your dd would be fine with her dad for one night, I've no doubt she'd be unsettled but your health needs priority right now. It's no use unless you can switch off for the night though, and only you will know that.

Sometimes taking a step back can help, like I've been finding it impossible to get ds to eat from a spoon, dh has managed twice now to get him to eat a significant amount. Sometimes I think we can get too wired up as we are the ones there all the time.

Cross post with Jane.

I think what I'm saying is a night away could be what it takes to crack dd taking a bottle.

Sounds bliss!! If you could relax then do it. If not maybe try and grab a nap this aft then agree that DH does 8-12 tonight and you go to bed when DD does... just to get back on an even keel...?

I'm not sure about it, so DH is going to take her tonight. I'm going to express a bottle of milk, get the industrial grade earplugs in...and we'll see!

Things a lot better with DH. We had a cuddle and a chat while dd had her morning nap, and it really helped.

Starfish, I always go to bed when she does, so does DH! We're soooo rocknroll

I do feel better, have decided to treat myself to a bottle of Bailey's and enjoy as much as I can of Christmas. Off to a Christmas party this afternoon with DH, so that will be lovely.

Thank you again for your support, for taking time away from your own problems to reach out to me. I promise to leave the meltdowns to someone else tonight! to you all, you're all amazing!

That's the spirit purple!! Alcohol is always the answer

Have fun at your party x

Bugaboom I hope your both feeling better today

Hello youcantscareme! I have no idea how people on this board manage with more than 1 child, your super heroes.

Purple I hope you have a lovely time tonight, glad you made up with your dh (50 dh points for offering to put you in a hotel). Make sure you put your ear plugs in and get a good full nights sleep and

purple why don't you book a hotel room for a couple of weeks time? That way dd will be more established on solids, you can see how nights like tonight go with dh, and it's something to look forward to.?
Glad you're feeling better. Hope everyone else is doing OK too

Am at the end of my tether here. Any recommendations for sleep trainers in London? Ones who come to your house. Have no objections to controlled crying or ANYTHING that gets her to sleep

Ah think I'm afraid I can't help. But just wanted to let you know I'm up too. Consoling myself with the fact I'd be awake anyway because of stupid cough.
Not now, but could you plan to do cc yourself? Then spend the sleep consultant money on a spa weekend. For one. (You obviously).

We ve done controlled crying. She now self settles when we first put her down but is not night weaned and refuses to settle in any way shape or form after first wake up for a bottle.

So hubby having her not going well so far! She slept great till 1130...I fed her, she was drowsy...but has been bawling, and I mean properly screaming, since. Gave her calpol and DH now changing her nappy. Worried as she sounds in real pain and don't know what to do :( we go away to stay with family in two days time and if it's like this we're in trouble!

Think, hope you find someone. It's a point we may be at soon! Dixie, yup, the baby sleep industry is a thriving one...so many desperate parents out there...

6 months

think have you tried cc for night waking?
purple I hope dd settled and isn't in pain.
My dd has been asleep (in my bed) for nearly four hours. A miracle. But the irony is I haven't slept a wink because of this fucking cough. Lozenges, honey, tea, nothing touches it.

Purple, I wouldn't try to change anything drastically until visiting family is finished. Very angry can sometimes sound like pain..... After Christmas it may be worth cutting out dairy, you might be surprised what a difference this can make to sleep if that is the problem.

Bugaboon yes I've tried controlled crying at night but after 3 hours gave up

How was the party yesterday purple? Does your DD seem ok today?
Sorry you are still ill bug, hope you start to feel better soon.

I managed to spend almost all of yesterday in tears getting totally wound up about not knowing how to get DS to nap in his cot. If anyone has any ideas please share!!

Our night was quite disturbed - think DS was reacting to something (god knows what - would either be coconut or blueberries???), tho DH 'helpfully' suggested it could be something else not allergy related. Hmmmm let me see... he's displaying all of his allergy symptoms so I wonder what could be wrong??!!

I swear he thinks I'm making the whole cmpa thing up!!

Hoping everyone's night goes ok tonight

We had a bad one last night and no naps today. To top things off ds hid round the corner today, I was tidying and thought he was a bit quiet, went to check on him and he had a cheese and onion crisp

He's just dropped off on me so I'm going to try and get him in his cot and run

Oh no zombie.... I hope he's ok! X

Oh hope he's ok zombie

She's been up for 2 hours. This is fucking breaking me

Hello all, I've been trying to catch up on the thread but it moves so fast! Kind of comforting there's so many of us but at the same time not..
My ds has had a tooth come through so we had one or two more settled nights, then the other 3 front ones look like they're imminent so it's going to shit again. This Evington I had the 6 yr old inconsolable because I wanted her to wash her face and then he fell asleep at 8pm and has woken three times so far. I'm just at the end of anything I had left. I recognise so much of the angst, excessive GooglING of symptoms and sleep issues?, trying everything then not following through with things because I'm too tired ..
I thought I had pnd for a while but actually I think I just need some sleep!
We've got ds on dairy free at the moment, about 2 weeks into weaning he had disgusting bright green mucousy nappies, every hour it seemed. We linked it to having yoghurt, so I cut dairy, it settled and we tried cheese etc again, then his sleep went awful. I feel guilty for depriving him of dairy if there's nothing wrong but at the same time I'm lactose intolerant amd know it gives me horrible stomach ache and i definitely don't sleep well if ive had dairy..I would have had very small amounts of it getting through to him when bf, (love cheese so indulged occasionaly amd for some reason can eat it when pregnant and for a couple of months after) there could be something in it and I would hate to think he was suffering and I didn't do anything. But we are stuck as to what to try now, I'm thinking another two weeks dairy free then try the milk ladder.

Sorry that was an essay. Sitting here feeding him for the third time tonight and just mulling it all over. Think I just hate the random nature of it, I have no idea if he's going to wake 10 times or twice, I'm a teacher and am back at work so really need my evening to get work done but I've no way of knowing if I'm going to be able to as he just wakes every hour some nights.

I know what you mean You can't scare me. There is no predictability to DD'S waking patterns. Tonight, she's awake at 10 and won't settle. A new low :( normally I can get her settled during those first few hours!

I do not get it. She's clearly tired, making all the sleepy signs, but won't sleep, fucking why????? I simply haven't got the energy for endless PUPD and soothing. And I'm fed up of her sleeping on me - she is not a newborn!! I'm so tired I feel physically sick. DH was awake moSt of last night so he can't help. She's breaking us!

The only reason I can think of why she is like this is how fast she's developing. She started crawling backwards today, her movement is coming on leaps and bounds. Jane, I thought of dairy intolerance but she's not showing the signs.

I think she just hates sleep and she's never going to sleep through ever :(

Oh and Starfish I wish I knew about the daytime cot thing! We've only cracked it on occasion. It's hard enough to get her to sleep in it during the night!

Zombie hope your night is going ok...

Also having a thoroughly shit night here. Third wake up since 7.30 pm she's slept for a total of 2 hours. Going slowly insane with the exhaustion