8 month baby waking every 2 hours! HELP

[MollyMcG]

8 mo DD was a brilliant sleeper. Now for past 3 weeks she’s up every 1.5-2 hours during the night. Sometimes seems genuinely hungry and BF a bit, others just gently suck at breast a few man and then back asleep. She does settle quickly, is back in cosleeper within ten minutes, asleep. (Still in cosleeper in room with us). But the frequent wakeups have me completely shattered-wasn’t like this even as a newborn. Before this started, she was sleeping 6+ hours At a stretch.

I’ve tried rocking and shush patting her but she really screams and wants to be picked up/nursed. I’ve tried cuddling her instead of Nursging but she will try to latch on for a bit. HV said to decrease feed by a few min each time but she demands it and only nurses 5-7 minutes easch time.

Thought it might be teething but no sign of teeth, or of a cold. I read there are developmental leaps now but can’t take much more. I’m on mat leave and doing all nights, DH is away on long hours during day so it’s hard to catch up. She naps on me during the day, gone down to two naps (1-2 hours each). I’ve tried adding a third nap, moving bedtime earlier or later (she really seems to prefer 7-8 pm) and trying more food/liquid during day (now has three meals and two snacks). Thought it might be her tummy catching up but it’s now been three weeks of this. She was connecting her sleep cycles before just fine, why has it stopped now?

Pleas help, done known what to do! Wil be back at work in one month, cant believe I’ll manage like this. I am a heavy sleeper and DP takes medication that prevents cosleepong so we cannot try that either.

Thank you Xxx

I have no advice but our 8 month old is doing exactly the same. We’ve tried a bigger sleeping bag and she slept from 8-2.30 which is a bit of an improvement. But she was sleeping all night and we’re not used to the lack of sleep anymore!

My nearly 8 month old is doing the same! I am gutted as she was sleeping for 12 hours until a week ago! No advice from me - I hope someone has some tips

Thank you both, helps to know we’re not alone. Read about the 8 month sleep regression, mostly says to just wait and it will pass bit were on three weeks mow and only getting worse. Had one night with one 3 hour stretch. I’ve moved DD to a bigger sleeping bag as well, and tried the older smaller ones.

Also read it might be separation anxiety round now (part of developmental leap) and they realise you’re not right there so panic and want mum. But she was self soothing before, not sure how to do differently now. Everything I read says not to sleep trainnow, will only make things worse. Also not keen to CIO .,,

Bump?

Oh I feel your pain, it’s so hard to survive when sleep is like that. I survived it until close to 18mo with my first, who didn’t sleep well at first like yours did though, and my second looked to be a better sleeper but hit a similar phase at a similar stage to yours. I was on my knees and honestly concerned about my mental health and my relationship with my oldest, after a month of being up every hour or two. From reading a thread on here, I got a book by a woman Lucy Wolfe, and followed her method which is essentially the gradual withdrawal method, or disappearing chair. Basically you lie beside them in their cot and soothe them with touch and your voice etc, but refuse to pick them up (you can if they need it). Within a few nights she was sleeping long stretches and a few more nights she was sleeping all night. She’s nearly 11 mo now and sleeping 12 hrs consistently. Naps are still a pain but I am a new woman. I was so nervous and felt like a failure for ‘resorting’ to this, as I am fairly anti controlled crying, but this felt different, as we’ve stayed with her the whole time, gone to her when she cries, and while it’s not been easy at times, it’s felt like supporting her to learn a skill, that she doesn’t need us to be involved in her sleep.

Thank you @Merename, do you mean that this went on until 18 months?? I’m not sure I can manage very much longer, certainly by another year!!! Our DD is still in her cosleeper in our room, not sure how we would manage the chair method... but perhaps it is time to put her in her cot and move her to her own room? Xx

Someone else on another post said magnesium helped.

My 7 month old has gone from waking every 1-2 hours to near enough sleeping through just from me moving her into her own room and into her cot whereas she was in a next to me before. I was very reluctant to do it considering it could have meant a lot of going backwards and forwards to her room all night but she clearly needed her own room because I go in maybe once or twice to put a dummy back in and a quick feed but other than that she's sleeping loads better!

@MollyMcG, I’m afraid so, 18 mo was when DD1 first slept through on the odd occasion, and it wasn’t until 3 that she could do it consistently. It doesn’t mean that will happen to you though!! I think having had a better sleeper from the start is a good start, she was awful from 4 months in particular. BUT it is possible, happened to me and to others I know, so it is worth considering options. FWIW, if I had known about this method I’ve used with my second, I’d have gone back and tried it with my first. I kind of thought controlled crying was it as far as sleep training went, didn’t know there were gentler options like this. And like PP has said, you could be surprised by the impact of moving her to her own room. The book we followed addresses all these things and how to do them, I liked having clear instructions when feeling so fecked and indecisive. The thread about the method is on here somewhere ‘how to start self settling’ or something like that.

@Lucylou321, gosh that’s incredible! I’ve been thinking the same, that it’s be more work for me back and foeth all night, but perhaps we should give it a try. I’ve noticed if I take the cosleeper to the lounge and it’s juts me and DD, she does sleep better so perhaps DH is waking her up, or out bloody squeaky bed?

@madcatladyforever, magnesium for me or for DD?

@Merename, goodness how did you manage 18 months with hourly wake up? I’ll definitely have a look at the chair settling, sounds like a brilliant inbetween method. Glad your sleep is finally sorted xxx

Mines is going through the same. I just let her sleep with me. As its wakening not to be fed but comforted so cuddles and lies with me until shes in a deep sleep.

I gave up with the ssh ssh pat pat as she'd fall asleep and by the 2 seconds it took me to get into bed, she'd wake up hysterical again.

So for peace of us all, she sleeps with me.

Has she managed any lengthy periods? I'm sure you're very tired having sleep disturbed again!

@EAIOU, lovely you’ve had success with cosleeping! Wish I could just bring her to bed as I am absolutely shattered! but DP takes a medication that makes it unsafe and I wouldn’t risk it. Xxx

I am very fortunate! DP doesn't share with us though so sometimes on very unsettled nights retreats to lounge.

I think you've hit the nail on the head though. All combined- new skills, separation, night terrors etc some like ours just wake up in a panic and need that comfort.

Has she got a dummy? Or could you try offering her some water?

It's terrible pressure trying to get all sorted before going back to work on top of trying to function during day with broken sleep!

Thank you. She doesn’t have a dummy but perhaps we can introduce one now? Or is it too late? I hadn’t thought about water, may try that this evening xx