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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:
3sugarsplease · 12/12/2015 12:38

Zombie - I said this to the doctor.. It constipates him and he strains and squirms and his solution was to then come back for some laculose or whatever it's called.

So they would rather him try on two medications that one. It's so fustrating. Also as he is breast fed, giving gaviscon is not an easy task once it's mixed etc. He barely drinks from a bottle so mid feed I have to try and syringe about 30 ml of liquid in his mouth. Really not an easy task... Especially in a public place mid boob out..

Bugaboom · 12/12/2015 13:28

Dd is 11 months. No allergies and other than sleep an easy baby. She won't take a bottle or dummy so have no idea how to reduce her feeds as it's a comfort. Just need to make a plan I think

zombiemeow · 12/12/2015 17:59

3sugars could you ask to see another dr? Gaviscon and bf sounds very difficult. I know there are a few other reflux meds so I don't see the problem in trying another if one isn't working Angry I think Drs can just be difficult sometimes. *

Bugaboom* ds had a huge problem with comfort feeding, it was really difficult to break the cycle and he is bottle fed and takes a dummy. Until very recently he was still on 8ish bottles a day, I had a telling off from his dietitian that I needed to cut it down asap as he just wasn't interested in food at all. But bf babies are different, sorry absolutely no help at all that was, just rambling on.

Do I dare crack open the wine tonight Hmm

starfish12 · 12/12/2015 18:46

zombie - the answer to that question is always yes!!!!

Omg I feel amazing.... had a 3 hr, yes 3 hr nap today. I'll definitely be on the wine tonight! (Is it bad to have a small (ahem) glass of wine every night when breastfeeding??!

Good luck tonigjt everyone x

Lilipot15 · 12/12/2015 18:57

Starfish, I will join you in a glass of wine. I am BFing too. I don't see that a small amount, with a suitable tasty snack / meal to fuel up for BFing is wrong Grin

3sugars, gaviscon is a real pain when you are BFing. My first was prescribed some. All it did was cause me stress trying to mix it and give it, and also constipated her. We had more luck with ranitidine. Pat yourself on the back for persevering with it, I think I gave up after a week! Ask to see another doctor.

I have looked up about Wonder Weeks and I am hoping our current escalation of wakings and frantic behaviour around trying to get to sleep is because of Wonder Week 26. I actually have tiny purple bruises on my boob from where she's been nipping and grasping me!!

zombiemeow · 12/12/2015 20:00

Starfish am pretty jealous of your 3 hour nap! Grin I had half an hour, h tried to let me have more but I couldn't sleep over the utter chaos happening down stairs Hmm have cracked open the wine!

Lil you deserve WineWine for the boobie bruises. Sounds very painful! Ds has this new thing of digging his fingers into my eyeballs when having his bottle/settling for his nap, not cool.

I'm scared to say it but I think ds is slightly improving, usually he would be up at least every hour but since I posted on this thread his wake ups have only started after I go to bed around 10/11 apart from the odd one here and there. Although the other night he was up for hours in the night. Fingers crossed.'

Good luck everyone!

Original poster
Purpleboa · 12/12/2015 20:07

Yes to wine! I think it's fine to have. I wanted some tonight but as I'm expecting the worst, I'm battening down the hatches and doing what I need to do to get through it...

Good luck everyone!

OP posts:
zombiemeow · 12/12/2015 21:40

Hope everyone is doing ok.

One wake up here so far but went back to sleep with dummy.

Bugaboom · 12/12/2015 21:56

We were put late (er well 8.30- rock n roll) for a family party. So both mine just asleep half hour ago. zombie I think you're right- some babies just want comfort regardless of whether they are ff or bf. Just spoke to a couple of cousins who ff and their children didn't sleep through for ages and had to cosleep
Good luck everyone!
I've had a wine and a g+t so hopefully dd won't walk too soon!

Bugaboom · 12/12/2015 21:58

Wake too soon not walk!. And we were "out" not "put". Shouldn't have had that gin

zombiemeow · 12/12/2015 23:54

Ha! I said earlier I thought he was improving. He's been up for about the last hour and a half just screaming. I'm so so tired, I shouted at him like 5 times Sad he's fine the second I hold him but I'm just too tired Sad

I am holding him now but really really struggling to stay awake at all

thinkfast · 13/12/2015 00:08

Already on 4th wake up here!

My ds had dreadful reclusive combined with severe cmpi intolerance. Sorry to say no meds worked for him although prescription formula stopped him screaming in agony.

One thing I did with him some nights was he would sleep slightly reclined in his buggy and I'd sleep on sofa next to him. As he wasn't flat he was less sick.

We warned him early on consultant's advice. By 6 months he was improving and by 9 it virtually stopped. I think it's something they just had to grow out it
of. I know it's absolute torture at the time though.

Whenever he gets any of virus nowadays the first sign is him being sick though.

zombiemeow · 13/12/2015 00:45

Every time I try to put him down he wakes up screaming and screaming like he's in pain. I gave him nurofen but it doesn't seem to help Sad I tried having him in with me but he just starts crawling around. The only way he will sleep is if I hold him but I'm worried about falling asleep and dropping him

thinkfast · 13/12/2015 01:07

Oh sorry zombie. Try rocking him in pram/buggy ?

We re on wake up 6 here. She's decided to snack all night long. Grrrr

thinkfast · 13/12/2015 01:52

This one won't sleep now either!!!

thinkfast · 13/12/2015 02:51

Still up Angry

zombiemeow · 13/12/2015 06:32

Oh no thinkfast hope things improved for you. Ds was still up at 3, I got him asleep again but when I put him down he started screaming, he eventually gave in at God knows what time and slept until just before 5, we've been up since. He's so grumpy as he's tired Sad tis going to be a long day I think.

Hope everyone else's nights weren't too bad

starfish12 · 13/12/2015 07:43

Well my mega nap backfired on me.... went to bed at 11pm after first wake ( I usually go at 9pm but felt too bloody refreshed). 2 further wakeups between 11 and 4 and started the day at 430am. Now I feel like a bag of shit!!
Sounds like a very tough night zombie... can you nap today?
Mine won't take the prescription formula think so feel totally tied to breastfeeding and of course not eating dairy... Christmas is gonna be fun this year Confused

thinkfast · 13/12/2015 10:33

Fuck last night was bad. She finally went down at 4 and ds came in at 7 for breakfast. I have a full day ahead with them until about 3 so dh can rest then we come home and he can decorate the tree with them - which I was really looking forward to but can't face now Sad

zombiemeow · 13/12/2015 10:52

Starfish, nope no chance of a nap for me today Sad he seems like he's getting better then all of a sudden he gets worse again.

Think, that's rough Brew hope you manage a nap today.

Think I will have to proceed with more wine tonight Hmm

Bugaboom · 13/12/2015 13:53

Oh dear sounds like rough nights all round. Mine wasn't too awful- she slept from 9 til 12, took 30 minutes to settle, woke at 1.45 am and went ballistic when dh tried to settle her so we Co slept. Usual on and off feeding but think I dozed through. Ds however was also up and down and then up at 5.
I hope you get some quiet time today. It's a dvd afternoon here

zombiemeow · 13/12/2015 16:05

Just had a 'moment'. Ds was so tired and fighting having a nap, I got really fed up and took him for a drive. When he fell asleep after driving for an hour and a half I pulled over and just cried Sad. I hate how I'm constantly stressed, I stress about nap times, I stress about bed times, I go to bed stressing that I have no idea how much sleep I am going to get. It's all got a little on top of me I think.

Am feeling slightly better now.

When I got home I was attempting to get a sleeping ds out the car without waking him and the bloody neighbours had guests over who were just leavening bloody loudly and started shouting 'ahhhh look at him! Completely fast asleep'.... If looks could kill Hmm

Does everyone on here have huge problems with naps in the day too?

starfish12 · 13/12/2015 17:14

Yes zombie... in fact I have also just got back from a drive with DS2 in tears (me not him!) as I'm so hacked off that I can't get him to sleep in his cot. Other naps are done in the carrier at home. I tried today for 40 mins to get him to nap in his cot. I just don't know how to do it and it really fucks me off. Esp as both kids now nap at the same time yet I have to have one of them bloody strapped to me.
I feel like I'm going mad... yesterday I was so giddy as I felt really rested and today I feel so totally fucked off with our 'routine' of sling naps and boobing to sleep all night....

zombiemeow · 13/12/2015 18:05

Horrible isn't it starfish Sad we have exactly the same thing, he will not settle at all in the cot for naps, he sleeps on me, with the odd few mins in his bean bag.

He has been really bad today, tired and screaming, now I feel awful as it turns out he was having a reaction Sad he wouldn't touch his dinner at all. I gave him some nurofen and cuddles and dairy free ice cream and now just trying to get him to sleep for bed. He's exhausted.

starfish12 · 13/12/2015 18:35

Poor thing... does that mean you are in for a crap night? We've had lots of vomming today but surely he can't be allergic to mango or avocado which have been new on the menu today?!