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Original poster

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

999 replies

Purpleboa · 05/12/2015 13:53

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...

OP posts:
puttheteaon · 30/12/2015 20:46

Good luck buga, lili thats just what i do, plan wee 5 min jobs to keep me occupied or no way i could keep myself from going back in and out every 2 mins!

6 weeks is so early, how can they even be sure the baby isnt hungry especially if a premmie i'd be extra careful about their weight and feeds. Seems quite cold to me. We were doing 2/3 hourly feeds up until 6/7 months and although big my lo has always been a healthy weight between 50th and 75th centiles, maybe some babies genuinely need more food too??

Happy nights all Smile

Original poster
Purpleboa · 30/12/2015 20:48

Well that went well. Gave up and am now feeding her to sleep. I just couldn't bear seeing her tear stained little face :( I know, I know, it's my own fault that she won't sleep. I've bought this all on myself.

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puttheteaon · 30/12/2015 20:49

Yes purple you are! I promise you our nights have got sooooo much better, it is really hard and i really struggled with it too but looking back now we have a LIFE again! (some nights are still rubbish but he even sleeps thru on others!) good luck xxx

puttheteaon · 30/12/2015 20:50

Also its the most natural thing in the world to feed to sleep, just our bad luck that some babies enjoy it TOO much!

Lilipot15 · 30/12/2015 20:58

Purple, you have to be ready yourself. With my first we had a couple of failed attempts at CCing. I did wonder when your post said "trying out CCing"! Although now I wonder what I wrote. It's easier that I've done it before (actually DH did it before but as he's off work I feel less bad about waking him in the night to ask what to do!). My justification to myself is that I will be a better mum to both and also with DD1 we actually realised once we had got her sleep sorted there was less crying and overall a happier baby.

And to the PP (sorry can't remember who, someone else with two kids I think) who said my eldest would be okay - you are right, so far she has slept through the crying. I did tell her that she might hear crying but not to worry as we would look after "her baby". I was anxious as when the baby is napping she is quite quick to hear her cry across the monitor!

starfish12 · 30/12/2015 21:06

purple you honestly haven't done anything wrong. Please don't blame yourself. It's good to try so you know you've done xyz to help the situation. You might feel like trying in a months time and your DD might respond better. Or you might try again tomorrow...
Hope the rest of the night goes well lili and bug. Will you be feeding your.babies in the night? I can't decide whether DS is genuinely hungry in the night. ..Confused

zombiemeow · 30/12/2015 21:20

Bugaboom dare you check if she's asleep?

purple, as someone else said, you have to be ready to do cc yourself too, maybe if you want to give it another go, prepare yourself.

Ds has woke up, been up for a bit, he was screaming then did a very stinky fart, this seems to happen a lot. Once he gets it out he settles again (as in not crying). I don't know what causes it as it only happens at night.

starfish12 · 30/12/2015 21:25

zombie - is it his allergy? We have gastro symptoms; the worst of which is wind in the night which wakes him up Hmm

zombiemeow · 30/12/2015 21:26

Well ds is up! I have to stop bringing him down stairs but if I don't I spend hours sitting alone in the dark Sad

Youcantscaremeihavechildren · 30/12/2015 21:29

Hello all I've been trying to keep up with the thread but it moves fast! Currently feeding my ds to sleep which used to work like a charm but recently hasn't worked at all, he's needed rocking and holding until completely fast asleep. Ive been sitting up in our room every night for up to an hour trying to get him to go down. It's so frustrating as he used to sleep so well and he even went to sleep by himself in his cot once or twice! That was months ago now though, he's 9 months now and I think the last good night we had he was 5 months

We've given up with a cot in his sisters room now and just have his gigantic cot bed attached to ours with the side down. He's ended up in with me again most nights but at least I get some space.

Tomorrow night though....drum rolL. ..my parents are having the kids all night and we are checked into a HOTEL!!!!!

I am slightly delirious with excitement and very very worried my poor mum will be up all night...but very much looking forward to an evening out with no trying to look after two children whilst getting ready and with a 6pm wakeup to look forward to.
However ds has been up since 4pm and I ride in vain for over an hour to get him to sleep.. gave up and brought him downstairs..he's only just dropped off. I really do not know what is going on with him, he just hates sleeping !

Bugaboom · 30/12/2015 21:47

A night in a hotel? AMAZING!
Thanks for all your support. Yes zombie she's asleep- it took nearly an hour but asleep just before 8. Dreading the night ahead.
purple don't be too hard on yourself. You tried something, you both weren't ready so you stopped. That's a good call. When you are ready I found a good article when I Google controlled comforting (sounds better than crying!). It was on the Australian government website. No idea how to do links. But it said if you felt you needed to stop, then stop, and try again at another time.

zombiemeow · 30/12/2015 22:03

Starfish, I wouldn't have thought so, he's definitely not had any milk at all the past few days.

Youcantscareme a hotel sounds amazing!!! Hope you have a lovely relaxing time.

Bugaboom hope you have a good night Smile

Ds is still awake and very tired. I'm sat in the bedroom in the pitch black trying to get him to sleep and trying to hold back thoughts of throttling the fucking neighbour who has their surround sound on full volume and its shaking the walls.

Does anyone know anything about the skin prick allergy testing? I'm starting to think he may have more allergies for him to be this bad.

zombiemeow · 30/12/2015 22:41

Could do with some hand holding. Ds is still awake. I've been up since 3am this morning with him. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm in tears. Every time I put him down he wakes up screaming the place down. I feel like a failure.

DulcetMoans · 31/12/2015 00:31

Oh no zombie, hope you're ok. Do you have anyone there in RL that could tag you out for a bit maybe? You're not a failure at all - you are knackered but still supporting your boy as best you can because he needs you. It's nothing you have done wrong!

Original poster
Purpleboa · 31/12/2015 02:54

Oh Zombie you poor thing. Huge hugs. Exactly what Dulcet said. Definitely try to get some relief from it all if you can. I really hope he is sleeping now. I'm constantly amazed at how successfully they can fight sleep - where the hell do they get the energy?! Hope he is asleep now for you FlowersBrew

OP posts:
thinkfast · 31/12/2015 04:40

Poor you zombie. Hope you're getting done sleep tonight

thinkfast · 31/12/2015 04:41

Poor you zombie. Hope you're getting done sleep tonight

thinkfast · 31/12/2015 04:44

Poor you zombie. Hope you're getting done sleep tonight

zombiemeow · 31/12/2015 05:25

Sorry everyone, slight emotional break down last night.

It was awful. Constant wake ups and he was awake at 3 am. He's now exhausted.

I have no one who can help, my husband is lazy and if he comes down with him ds just screams until I get here .

Hope everyone else had better nights.

Bugaboom · 31/12/2015 08:11

zombie Flowers. Has he seen a paediatrician about his allergies or just a dietitian? It sounds like he's in pain and you are both getting so little sleep. Demand some help from gp xx

starfish12 · 31/12/2015 09:04

I agree with bug - sounds like he needs a paeds referral? Can you bear keeping a food diary to monitor food vs reactions? I'm amazed at that Facebook group and how many random things babies are allergic to... I didn't realise you could be allergic to beef for example but makes sense if it's a proteins thing.

lili how was the rest of your night?
purple any more success with the bottle?

thinkfast · 31/12/2015 09:57

Zombie so tough for you. Take care of yourself if it's any consolation we were up from 3-6.30 here Angry

zombiemeow · 31/12/2015 10:20

I keep meaning to do a food diary then always forget and think I'll start tomorrow. He is under a pead but only sees him every 6 months, think he's due to see him Feb/March time

I've seen all the random things they can be allergic to on there, I don't have a clue how you would find out though unless you put them on one food for a few days Hmm. I think I will ring the pead when I have got a moment and see what age they can do the skin prick test thing from.

starfish12 · 31/12/2015 10:39

That's a good idea. I heard that under one it's not supposed to be particularly accurate so you should be ok. I know, it's hard isn't it as they can react up to 3 days later by which time they could have had something else causing another reaction. Good luck with the food diary x

Original poster
Purpleboa · 31/12/2015 11:24

So, what's everyone's plans for tonight them?? If we stay up past 9 then I'm classing it as a wild night 😁😁

Nice food (which I'll have to bloody make), a glass of Prosecco and watching And then there were none and gawping at the beauty of Aidan Turner (apparently there's a scene where he gets his top off. That's as racy as my life gets these days!)

OP posts: