Hello wonderful sleep expert ladies, please help us I feel we're going backwards with DD, we're all starting to lose the plot abit and would love some advice to turn this ?regression? into a temporary blip and not a habit.
DD is just short of 9 months and so far, I would say she's a fairly average sleeper. better than I anticipated. Lately though, since the hot weather, starting to cruise and first teeth coming through, her sleeps become much more disrupted. she goes down fairly easily at 7-7.30pm but the last week or so shes waking up at 3.30-4am with a battle to get her back off which can last an hour, and then wakes for the day about 6. we're knackered. she's not even crying always she's just bright eyed and rolling around wanting to play. first i try a bit of water and dummy but end up sat feeding her a full bottle in the rocking chair in her room. sometimes calpol as well as sometimes she seems to have tummy ache- she's tensing/farty. sometimes I can cuddle her to sleep and transfer back in her cot, more often she ends up in our bed because it's taking to long to resettle and i just want to lie down. before all this I could just about cope with the 5.30-6 am wake ups with perhaps 1 dummy insertion and shush/hand on chest back to sleep, it was working for us. even got the odd run of sleep throughs 7 til 6. but now i'm back at work PT but on 12 hour days and nights and if this goes on I'm not sure how I'll cope, I have a very responsible job. she's at childminder 2 days a week. she's not needed night feeds for quite some time before all this so i've been reluctant to feed her milk when she wakes and i'm trying not to have to feed her to sleep. i'm not sure if this is the right thing to do. feeds well during the day, has 4x6-7oz and 3 meals, BLW but not huge amounts actually swallowed yet. loves lots of water. she's quite petite so i don't feel she needs a lot. here's an idea of her bedtime routine:
bedtime 7-7.30pm, night garden, bath, bottle, story and cuddle on my bed, put in her cot sleepy and settles after 5-10 mins. sometimes falls asleep in arms and is transferred.
naps- usually 3x 50
mins or 2x 1 hour 15 mins approx on a good day! first nap approx 3 hours after waking, so 9-9.30 ish, 2nd one starting about half 12-1ish, 3rd one starts about half 3-4, sometimes it happens later then if like but tbh i'm not sure it makes much difference to her nighty sleep. obviously i'd rather her have 2 longer ones but if her first two have been shorter, earlier and over by 1.30pm it's a long time til bedtime and she'd be totally exhausted. goes down fairly easily in her pram or in her cot for naps with a little cuddle/encouragement if i'm home. naps lovely in car if i'm out. she's in childminder 2 consecutive days a week and with other kids to mind as well i don't think she's getting her usual routine naps as she has the school run, activities etc to work round but she never reports a problem with her. so there's my life story, any input would be greatly appreciated 👍