4 months old and up 4 times a night!

[pebbles2004pebbles]

Im not sure what I'm doing wrong... I'm a first time mum and although Jessica is a happy baby most of the time, she doesnt know how to sleep at night. She tends to fall asleep at around 5pm following her bath and feed, and will sleep contently all evening, but as soon as my head hits the pillow... be it 10pm or 1am, she is awake and screaming! I get up, settle her, and as soon as i lay down again she wakes.... anyone help? Im suffering PND and the lack of sleep really gets me down!

It's kind of the situation i'm in and also not (if that makes sense??) My ds is just coming up for 5 months. He wakes 3 or 4 times in the night but doesnt scream, just moans a bit till i give him some milk then he drifts off.
I would try to keep her awake for longer in the evenings and keep her active to wear her out. Mine doesnt go to sleep till sometimes 9 at which point i just go up with him and fall asleep. When he wakes in the night I dont talk to him, look at him - anything really! In fact i quite often just reach over and give him milk while he's lying there so i dont disturb him more. I would say if she is screaming and you need to pick her up, swaddle her in a blanket and say nothing more than 'SShhhh' until she drifts off. Is your room very dark? Sometimes light can wake them.
I dont know if thats any help to you! If you want to ask anything i'm here all day good luck

The thing is I try to wake her and keep her awake but it doesnt work! she will take a bit of her feed and be asleep before we have even got as far a winding her! It's also quite strange becasue she is in her own room, not in with us. If it was just whinging I would ignore it, but it is full blown screaming and the only way to settle her is to pick her up and offer milk, water or juice. The room is quite dark, so dont think its the light. Am I going wrong by picking her up and bringing her into my room and then when she is settled putting her back in her cot? Just ordered her a sleeping bag as a last resort!

I don't think you are doing anything wrong at all. My ds was a terrible sleeper too. How old is Jessica? What do you do to settle her?

Pebbles, sorry things are so rough. My DD would like to go to bed at 5 as well, but I have found that a later bedtime makes her better sleeper on the whole, although sometimes I let her have a little 40 winks. My main reason for this post is to just point out the 16 week (ish) growth spurt thing, which really knocked me for 6 when it happened... if this is the reason for the wakes, a feed prob.. is appropriate.

Mine has always been a night waker, but at 6 months things are getting a little better. Hope the same transpires for you.

Aloha - Jessica is just 4 months old... settling her ranges from a quick cuddle, putting her dummy (evil me!) back in or getting her up and feeding or playing... anything that works! I jsut go through the list!!! I'm at my wits end now, and the husband aint much cop - he sleeps thru the screams!!!

I would feed her!

I think maybe the 5pm sleep could be converted into a brief nap (15- 20mins), followed by a bath to wake her up so you start shifting her sleep a bit later, perhaps. Nothing evil about a dummy!!
It's hideous, isn't it, the non-sleeping. My biggest tip is that you need to wake your husband up and get him to help you, especially as you have PND. Talk to him when he is awake, explain how desperate you are, and get him to feed/cuddle/walk the floor with her or whatever. It's hell to do it alone.

I would try everything to get her to nap at around 4 - wake her around 5 for milk, bath, etc. and put her down again about 7. She'll never sleep through the night from 5. If she's having enough naps throughout the day she should manage to get through till 7 no problem. Hope that makes sense? Good luck.

aloha's plan makes sense to me too. And don't be afraid to feed her in the night if you need to.

HOW TO GET MY FIVE MONTH OLD INTO A ROUTINE
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