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...

Not sure zombie, could you make something with blackcurrant in and trial it that way? Like a smoothie? Could be your answer tho? I gave chicken for the first time today and he's been vomming all over the place .

fluff your 'egotistical' comment made me chuckle . Similarly I have been getting his jelly cat toy and stuffing it sort of between us EVERY time he feeds in the night. He WILL love it eventually and one day it's all he'll need to sleep thru at night. I too will be drinking wine downstairs!

In the meantime it stops him scratching and clawing at me whilst feeding (does anyone else's baby do this?!)

starfish did you sort out the wheat allergy? DD had a grim nappy again today after toast, but also teething and has a cold and generally seems happy in herself. so confusing!

Not really fluff. I decided to leave wheat out for 2 weeks and will try again. I'd only been giving weetabix and toast for breakfast so will just switch to porridge. It wasn't enough to say definitely a reaction but he was def loads more windy and sick. The sick doesn't bother him so I'm basing it on wind pain and how disturbed nights are. Am just hoping it was his system getting used to a new food so in 2 weeks it may be better.
Not sure why all the sick today, surely he can't be allergic to chicken?!
What will you do re the wheat? Sounds like too much other stuff in the mix for you to rule against it...?

We're going to keep going with wheat. If it gets worse then we'll cut it out. She demolished a breadstick today so really hoping she's not allergic as it's the first thing she's actually enjoyed.

Having a nightmare day here. Ds has been screaming for the past few hours because he's so tired, I've tried multiple times to get him to nap but he just wriggles and pinches and slaps im having one last go at getting him to nap now but its not working so far

Have you tried a sling Zombie?

Did he nap zombie?

DS2 going in his own room for the first time tonight. Feel a bit sad!

Sorry to learn it's been a sleepless 2016 for most of you. I got about 3 hours last night and had champagne at lunch with a friend so in no position to post properly. will try to do so later/tomorrow

Oh starfish, we're putting dd in her own room next week. In some ways it'll be great but definitely will be sad I'm also scared I'll sleep through the monitor if she cries! But don't know how to test that.

Fluff we have a sling, it worked wonders for a few weeks now he hates it with a passion. I'm sure you won't sleep through the monitor, I was worried about that, I have it right next to my head but I couldn't miss it.

Starfish he didn't nap went to bed at 5.40 very over tired. Good luck with his room change!

Is he dropping naps perhaps? Dd seems to be moving towards 2 which can mean a frustrating day of one is too short

Difficult to get down tonight and already woken up and crawling out of her sleepyhead. Thinking either teething or weaning issues??

I think so fluff he seems to only want one nap no matter how tired he is.

He's up, been up for half an hour I've tried nurofen, porridge, water, he's not interested. He has been doing smelly farts though

Well happy new year all..I'm sitting here feeling very deflated again. We had a wonderful night away, very relaxing but didn't get on bed till 2 and I woke up at 8pm and couldn't get back to sleep...6 hrs unbroken sleep though is the best I've had in over 4 months!
Of course after weeks of hourly waking etc ds slept brilliantly for my mum, only woke twice and went off to sleep by himself! He has never done that for me. Tonight he went off ok and slept really well for 3 hrs. ..then when I laid him down to try to get some sleep he's awake again crying after 20 mins!
Makes me feel like such a crappy mum. I'm now holding him until he's totally asleep as I've tried laying him down and he just woke, again. I just know I'm in for a rubbish night again.
Zombie did you say your ds has allergies? We always have very unsettled nights if mine has had cheese yoghurt or milk, plus teething does odd stuff to their tummies. DS finally has two bottom teeth through which is why he's a bit more settled i think but we're just in time for my return to work, separation anxiety and another bloody developmental leap! Just what I need..Probably once that's all over he'll get the top teeth...
Good luck everyone..I'm just about to try laying him down again, I'm going to need lots of luck!

Oh and meant to say, really putting them in their own rooms, star and fluff we found that with dd she slept better as we didn't disturb her plus the cries that weren't actually a problem we didn't really hear, which meant we slept better rather than jumping for every squeak.plus sometimes in the time it took us to get to her she would have dropped off again sometimes. The important cries we definitely heard, they'll let you know if you're needed!

This theory hasn't world with ds who was moved out of our room at 6 months - and is now finally asleep beside me in a massive cot bed we moved back in a few days ago..in the meantime he's just been in my bed. he will move out before he's 5 I hope

Night three of night weaning and she's been up frequently. Dh struggling a bit as this last wake up has been an hour. He's staying with her to comfort rather than cc. Hv warned us she would wake more frequently initially

Youcantscareme you are definitely not a crap mom hope you managed to get some decent sleep in the end. And for sleeping for your mom!

Bugaboom how many wake ups did you have? Try and get as much sleep as possible with dh on duty has the infection cleared up?

Another awful night here, he was up until way after 12, I don't know what time but that was the last time I looked at the clock, then we had about 4 wake ups and up just before 6. Last night I was so tired I just sat there holding him and crying, how embarrassing. I just don't get it, he screams so much it's like he's in pain but as soon as he gets up he's fine, like nothing is wrong.

youcantscareme you are not a crappy mum. My ds always slept much better for my mum. He was up with me at 5am without fail but would sleep til 8 at my mums. My mum always said it's because she's not as exciting as me so he couldn't be bothered to get up!
zombie that sounds awful. Are you going to try and get your paediatrician to see you?
We had an awful night. Our hv told us she'd wake more to start with and not to give up. They say three nights to break a habit? Well that was the third night so fingers crossed

Thanks all. Sat here in tears as although ds has only been awake and hour or so he must have woken at least 6 times between midnight and then. Woke up to being scratched, pinched etc. I'm so tired I have no idea how I'm going to function at work. I can't even go to bed really early as I'll have so much work to do that I'll need to do that in the evenings just to keep afloat and allow me to leave early so I can get the kids home at a reasonable time.
DH did his usual of falling asleep in front of the TV and coming up to bed at 3 am. .I was still awake with ds lying on me at that point as it was the only thing to settle him.
He feeds so much at night he barely feeds during the day. He never wants breakfast. I need to get him to have less at night as he doesn't need it as such but I just don't know how. All due respect to those who cio etc but I just can't. So I'm stuck i guess not sleepingoing ever again it feels like..

How old is you lo youcantscareme? You sound exactly the same as me. Dd is nearly 12 months and basically fed all night. Wouldn't eat breakfast. When I went to my hv in the same position as you she told me to stop night feeding. Cold turkey. She recommended cc (not cio, I don't think anyone recommends that) but if we couldn't do that she said one of us could stay with but aim to keep her in cot. We've ended up not doing cc due to baby ear infection but we have been night weaning by dh going in instead. Can your dh commit to a few nights of doing the settling? Ds won't like it and will cry but there will be someone with him. I tried reducing night feeds/not bringing her into bed until a certain time etc but just couldn't make any progress. I'm also due back at work and to be honest I don't think there was a single day in December I could have worked because of sleep deprivation. I'm just hoping night weaning helps and she stops waking so much

Have you read the kellymom info on reverse cycling? It might give you some things to try

Had the best night ever last night! She went down at 7.30 for a bottle. Another bottle at 9.30. Slept til 4.30 am then another bottle, in bed with me and slept til 8.40!!!!! She Duda 7 hour stretch!!!!

Feels like a miracle. I put it down to loading her up with porridge for breakfast, mashed potato at dinner and exhausting her yesterday. We were at a friends so there were 3 boys under 5 running riot. She watched them like a hawk and bounced up and down with excitement. Had a 2.5 hour nap in her pram round there then a bit more boy watching - they put in a dance show for her - before we came home. She had another small nap at 5.

So plan of action is carbs carbs and more carbs and busy busy things to watch

Bugaboom he's 9 months. I know that the milk is comfort etc, especially if he's having a disturbed night due to having dairy or teething, so I'm reluctant to night wean until at least 12 months. I always try settling him another way before feeding him but although it works sometimes it doesn't always. In the end I get so tired I give up ano put him in with us, where he's latched on pretty much all night.
I veer between feeling like I can't go on anymore and this king of can cope fine and it's only a few short months etc...
Re the reverse cycling dd did this about the same age, I think know it's only lying going to get worse when I'm at work, he will only take 3oz at a time by bottle or cup with my mum. Plus one feed in the am and one before bed that's probably about 15oz all day, if that? So hes catching up at night..
Letting him feed to sleep for a nap now, which is his first today, he's fighting it and will probably only do 30 mins...

Well-done think that's amazing progress. Carb loading is obv the way forward!

bug really interested to see how tonigjt goes after the magic 3 nights.

can't scare and zombie sorry to hear about the crap nights. zombie I'm would definitely push for medical help esp if he seems to be in pain. I know what you mean about them seeming fine in the day so you would think if they are in pain they are in pain but I think it's possible for them to be only affected at night (if it's allergy related).

When do you go back to work csntscare?

We had a good night - midnight and 4am wakes in his own room. It struck me today that I 'really wanted to tackle naps' over the 2 weeks Christmas break but didn't know how... and now 2 werks on he's gone from all naps in the sling or moving buggy to all naps in the cot and I don't really know how. Am pretty happy about it tho!!! . It has restored my faith in things just changing and baby doing things when he is ready...

Well ds had been sleeping really well.

He'd been waking 2-3 times but settling with his dummy and a sip of water. He'd been sleeping well for naps too.

Last few nights it's been bad again more like 10 wake ups, I don't even know I lose count.

His two bottom teeth have just popped through so wondering if that's the cause. He's not showing other signs of it bothering him though like drooling or flushed cheeks.

His naps are all messed up because of the holidays as he doesn't nap if we are out and about, he has been going to bed later.

We are all tired and miserable.