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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...

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zombiemeow · 15/01/2016 18:32

No hope here tonight. Ds had a huge reaction and I don't have a clue what it's from Sad he's been being sick, his eczema is bright red, had the runs all day and smelly painful wind. Poor guy. He's so tired but won't sleep. A grand total of 20 mins sleep all day so far after being up since before 5 am.

He's just done a huge runny poo it went everywhere, new jimjams in the bin so I'm hoping that's the last of it, he seems a bit more settled than he has done most the day.

I have wine in the fridge.

starfish12 · 15/01/2016 18:44

Oh no zombie!. What do you think it was from? Could it have been brewing since yesterday hence the bad night last night?

We are totally overtired here having been awake the last 6 hrs. Hair pulling and smacking my chest as I feed. Delightful!

Hope everyone has a good night x

starfish12 · 15/01/2016 18:45

Ps I also have wine zombie

thinkfast · 15/01/2016 18:55

Sorry zombie. Are you sure it's a reaction and not a tummy bug? Ds can often get a viral rash and eczema when he has a virus...

Have realised I have 11 weeks til I go back to work. Really can't foresee much improvement by then. No idea how we will cope but imagine the lions share will fall to me as dh works shifts.

thinkfast · 15/01/2016 18:56

Oh. Forgot to ask if you have any night weaning tips? Dd is still drinking at least half her formula between 7pm and 7 am

zombiemeow · 15/01/2016 19:08

I never thought of a bug. He has tried the milk ladder again and got to shepards pie and it started the following day so just assumed it was that. But usually he'd be OK after a day. Whatever it is I hope it passes quickly!

Wine will get us through starfish!

Think how many bottles does she have at night? Took us a while but I started reducing by an oz at a time. Ds was having 3 bottles until quite late, I reduced the first 2 an oz every other day until he got to around 3 oz, then I'd make him wait a bit and drop one until he was on 2. I did the same until he had just one bottle, then he dropped that himself. It got later and later until he would just have his porridge for breakfast instead. If that makes sense. Ds mainly drank his milk for comfort though.

thinkfast · 15/01/2016 19:38

At least 3 overnight. Am worried she ll sleep even less if I reduce them

Think I will leave the bedtime bottle the same and reduce the night time ones by an ounce every other night and then switch to water. She still doesn't eat huge quantities of solids though so she does need formula....

fluffikins · 15/01/2016 19:39

First night in own room, wish me luck!

I use violife but hate their normal and cheddar ones, only like the mozzarella, pizza and smoked ones

thinkfast · 15/01/2016 20:12

Good luck! Both of mine's sleep improved a bit once in a different room

starfish12 · 15/01/2016 20:54

Good luck fluff!

Just eaten an entire bar of moo free chocolate and drinking wine Grin

Original poster
Purpleboa · 15/01/2016 20:54

Twenty minutes into CC! She's still going....but seems to be running out of steam...hand holding needed here please! I feel so incredibly guilty and worried we are doing the wrong thing. But as you all know, her sleep has always been bad. We,are doing this for her as much as us. She needs to learn to settle for her own sake.

She seems to have stopped...Argh feel so bad!

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Original poster
Purpleboa · 15/01/2016 21:05

She's asleep!!!

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zombiemeow · 15/01/2016 21:10

Think sorry if you have already said but are you doing blw or puree? Was it your dd who is a spoon refuser?

Fluff mozerella?!? Where is that from? I have only managed to find normal or creamy. Good luck for the own room.

Starfish, I have chocolate and wine too Grin

Purple high five! Hope it works well for you.

We have had 2 wake ups in 1.5 hours, one he was up for 20 mins Sad I was just hoping it's because of the reaction/stomach bug but my gut feeling tells me the good nights were a blip.

starfish12 · 15/01/2016 21:12

Go purple you can do it!! I'm really rooting for you and looking forward to your post in a few days time of how it's worked... xx

Pyjamaramadrama · 15/01/2016 21:19

Another one here rooting for you purple.

Keep posting for support here there'll always be someone around. Do you have a plan for the night feeds?

My ds hasn't napped at all today I don't know what's going on with him, we're going to do a dream feed tonight as he's demolished all his meals and bottles do might be a growth spurts.

fluffikins · 15/01/2016 21:35

My local health food shop zombie, they seem to stocks range but never have them all in so its a bit luck of the draw which one they have when you go. I'm sure you could find it online somewhere though?

Good luck purple. Did you leave her for 20 mins nonstop or go in sporadically? And are you following some kind of plan with it? Just asking in case it needs to be us in a few weeks

Bugaboom · 15/01/2016 22:05

Well done purple! We found doing cc in the night wasn't as bad as at bedtime. Good luck whatever you decide to do

fluffikins · 15/01/2016 22:18

Kid is still down but usually wakes as we go to bed and that's now and I also have THE LOUDEST HUSBAND EVER stomping around the house as he has no idea how difficult it is to resettle as he's never done it so happily stomps about like a massive prick Hmm

Original poster
Purpleboa · 15/01/2016 23:20

Well, she's just woken up. Feeding her now. Don't know how the rest of the night will go. Annoyingly I couldn't sleep though! Not sure if it's made any difference really. Feeling very grumpy and pissed off! Is it really too much to ask for one good night??

We're trying a new regime of feeding. Offering her the boob every four hours. In between she gets food, water or formula. Going ok so far. She cries loudly but then stops when she realises no boob is forthcoming! The hope is that it will kill three birds with one stone - sorting the sleeping, eating and formula feeding. Fingers crossed!

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Original poster
Purpleboa · 15/01/2016 23:54

And now she's wide awake! Of course she is. This baby sleep thing - it's half a step forward and 20 steps back Angry

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fluffikins · 16/01/2016 06:52

oh good luck with it purple

We had the bloody sensor mat giving false alarms at 10.45 (at which point I panicked and woke her to check Angry and she then needed feeding to resettle). then it went again at 12.45 so I had to get up and turn it on and off again, then she woke at 1.30 but was murmering so I left her for a bit. Problem was this meant she woke enough to wake her digestive system so she had a massive poo, then needed ages to resettle so was up until 3. then sleep until 6.20 which is great but I couldn't get back to sleep for ages! so it was a bad night for me. DH is having a lie in now despite hearing her be awake enough to get up - he could have taken her to give me a break but instead was pretending to be asleep,, bastard.

thinkfast · 16/01/2016 10:35

Dd was up on and off all evening til 11 then slept til 5! She can do it. Come on! Xx

fluffikins · 16/01/2016 11:09

Woo well done on the 11-5 slot! I really think if the sensor mat hadn't gone off and if I'd got up at 1.30 rather than see if she'd self settle (HA!) then I'd have had a much better night.

It's so difficult to call when to get up though - she'll never learn if I run to her every second, but then I run the risk of her pooing & waking up more if I don't.

zombiemeow · 16/01/2016 15:06

Will you be sticking to cc now purple?

Fluff I also have a stupidly loud h.

Go think!!!

We have had crap naps today Sad he's started doing this thing where if I try and get him to sleep he really slaps me in the face, repeatedly it hurts Sad he needs his nails cut and he's just whacked me in the face really hard then dug his nails in and dragged them down my neck. If I say no he just giggles Sad sounds pathetic but it's really upsetting.

Original poster
Purpleboa · 16/01/2016 15:23

Not sure Zombie. I felt terribly guilty. I think it is something we will need to do, but my gut tells me she's not quite ready for it yet. Was reading something on here where a poster said you have to be sure baby isn't ill and genuinely needs you, which made me doubt myself. Don't know about all of you but lack of sleep makes it so hard to make a plan and stick to it! I have no resolve.

Tough day here. We're planning to sell our house (are we mad?!) so DH is in a frenzy of activity, but I just don't have the energy to join in! DD's routine is out of whack with it all so there's been much tears and nap refusing.

Can't stop eating crap, which is making me feel like crap! Just want to hibernate with wine, by myself!!

Zombie that's not pathetic at all. Having another human being attack you is not nice. Unfortunately their ability to cause harm develops much earlier than their ability to think about cause and effect! DD is getting so strong, the scratches she gives us and the tugs on my hair are no longer cute but rather annoying. I can see it getting worse. Hope you're Ok.

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