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...

Well done zombie! Dd never naps in cot at all. Always in pram wither at home or out which suits me fine as am not tied to house and I can rock her to sleep in the hall or any room downstairs

We had 11 wake ups before 11.30pm last night but she then slept til 3am then 3.30 -6 am so not too bad at all. However I was so on edge and expecting her to wake up I couldn't sleep for ages.

My dd did about 3 hours before waking. A feed and resettle failed so I got into bed with her as wanted to maximise our sleep. I had a lovely child free day planned with friends and didn't want to be spending the night up and down to the cot!

zombiethat sounds tough today. Apparently my dd only napped 30 minutes for dh while I was out. I think today was the longest I've left him with both kids- he looked wrecked!

Cross post with think. You know you have a poor sleeper when you start a paragraph with "11 wake ups before 11.30" and end with "not too bad at all"! I know that feeling of not being able to sleep as you're waiting for them to wake. It's so annoying.

Thanks bugaboon. Gave dd some potato and carrot purée for dinner in the hope carbs might promote sleep. Not sure how much she actually swallowed....

My dd ate tons this evening- dh isn't very good at judging when to stop offering. She then went and grabbed some food off his place. It was the final straw- she threw up all over his dinner. Poor man. Situation not helped by me laughing.

Glad you managed a couple of hours think.

Bugaboom, did you have a nice time? Hope your dh has recovered

Posted too soon!

Ds went to bed an hour ago, I literally stepped in the shower and wet my hair and he woke up and won't settle so I'm sat shivering in the bed with my hair dripping trying to get him to sleep. Need wine!

I think they have radar for these things zombie. Dd woke up as soon as I sat down for dinner

Have any of you been to the health visitor about sleep and were they any help?

My hv was useless, basically told me my only option was cc. My gp said that too until I went to see her for the 5th time about it, she even agreed it was a very bad case of sleep problems (not phrased right but yswim)

He's still up, I gave up trying to get him back to sleep. He's very grumpy because he's so tired. Going to have another go when I finish this wine when I have the strength

Dd been up 3 times in last hour. Dh currently settling her. Think he's just over the dinner incident.
I have think. Went about 2 weeks ago. I have to nightwean. And the way she advised is basically controlled crying or controlled settling as she called it. We plan to start this week but I need to research a bit more so we have a definite plan.

I have no objections to controlled crying. I did it with ds at 6m and then again at. 9 m after teething/illness relapses. It worked brilliantly with him and he's a confident/ happy boy who loves his bedtime routine and sleeps really well

Tried it for dd already without success but maybe she wasn't ready as it hasn't worked

I tried it one night with ds, I ended up in a heap on the floor just as hysterical as him

He's still awake and very very tired. He just won't sleep feeling very low about it all again tonight. I just don't know why he won't sleep.

Still over a month until the sleep clinic but I bet they will just say cc to. I just can't do it though.

My ds responded really well to cc at 7. 5 months. He was eating loads by then and having formula before bed. He also took a dummy. I'd be happier if dd took a dummy- at least it would be some comfort. I also think she's going to be way more resistant. Hopefully I'm over analysing and it will go ok.
Oh and yes zombie I had a lovely day out today

Evening all! Been away over Christmas but caught up over the last few posts. Not much luck for most people it seems! Hope you're getting a break or nap over the holidays? That's my survival plan at the moment - bank some nails while DH is off. Managed one so far...

What's the sleep clinic zombie? I've heard of something at our local hospital but not sure it's the same sort of thing.

That sounds like it will help DH learn portion control for babies buga!

Night of mixed success there think. Hopefully a better one tonight - for everyone!

We moved DS into his own room last night for the first time which was relatively successful. He went down in it fine and kept to his every two hours schedule as he does in our room. Tonight he took longer to settle and struggling to get him down again now so may have been a fluke before!

Hi everyone! Also been away for the hols so properly catching up, although have been keeping an eye on how you're all doing.

Christmas has been mixed. Sharing a room all 3 of us was actually better than I could have hoped. After an iffy Christmas eve we had a good Christmas night and boxing day. Last night was bad, and tonight is shocking - 5th wake up already which is bad for her - normally she saves her wake ups for the second half of the night!

After a few days of rest and having some time to myself while relatives looked after her, I'm feeling myself start to unravel again. I just can't work out why some nights are better than others! She knows how to sleep, which is what makes it so frustrating.

I'm worried about my health too and the effect this is having on it. I feel so anxious and lie awake with my heart beating fast, just waiting for her to wake up. Anyone else get that?

Oh well. Resigned to another crap night! Hope you're all faring better!

Oh and HV no use 're sleep. Just offered me counselling. Er no, I need sleep!!

Dulce to be honest I have no idea what the sleep clinic is I have just been referred there by the gp. Hope you manage to squeeze some more sleep in and I hope having him in his own room helps!

Purple I am definitely like they with the anxiety. I'm very snappy too. Then realising that I'm like that makes me miserable and feel like shit it's all a bit crap really.

Let's hope 2016 holds some decent sleep for us all

I've decided starchy carbs and exercise are the way to go. Going to make sure she has something like rice/potatoes at dinner and spends as much time as possible in her bouncer/playing etc to wear her out!!!! Who can't sleep if they're exhausted with a full tummy right?

The anxiety/snappiness is dreadful. Mine can turn into full on fury. And my own sleep is so messed up and I'm so glued to the monitor that I often can't sleep when I have the opportunity.

I'm not hopeful about sleep training here. She went absolutely hysterical at 12 last night when dh went to her. That was with him cuddling and calming her. What's she going to be like when we try and calm her in cot? Dreading it. I'll probably go off thread for a few days while we're doing it. Hope your nights go well

I hope it goes well bugaboom, is she worse when dh tries to settle her? Ds gets hysterical if my h tries to settle him

Yes zombie but she goes through stages of settling well for him in evening but she generally doesn't tolerate it in the night.

Bugaboom we'll support you through sleep training if you want. When I've done it I find its a kind of angry crying rather than a distressed cry - if it changes pitch I know somethings up and go straight in. Plus you are going in to soothe then and teaching them how to get to sleep by themselves which is v important. My parents always bed shared with us and I didn't learn how to get to sleep until well into my 20s!

Thank you think. That's a really interesting point you made. A friend of mine was brought up bedsharing and would often ask me or another housemate to sleep in her bed at uni!
Well I'm supposed to be enjoying my last night of feeding to sleep but she's practically doing gymnastics on my lap! Ds is downstairs on his own and really needs to be in bed now. I really hope this training works so bedtimes on my own will be easier.
think and any others who did cc- what do you do if baby stands up in cot? Do you lie them down again? I think she'll just jump up every time.

Wait so you couldn't fall asleep on your own until you were 20?