4 month regression? 1000 feeds a night

[PretzelBite]

dd was in a beautiful routine of feed at bedtime (between 7 and 8) and one feed around 4am. Since she turned 4 months a week ago it’s all gone to pot. Most notably she wants milk every 2/3 hours and seemingly not just for comfort - huge, long drinks. This has resulted in huge poo explosions at 5/6am every morning and then she’s up and ready for the day. Obviously I want to feed her if she’s hungry but with the pattern I’m wondering if she’s overfed? Is that possible with a bf baby? I’m really hoping it’s a phase that’ll pass soon - I feel like I’m back to the walking zombie I was with a newborn!

Sorry to hear you're in the thick of it currently! It will get easier, but just a word of warning that she may never go back to sleeping how she was before this development. It's a permanent change in baby's sleep structure, and it's quite common for babies to sleep the best in the first year at 3 months old. It's completely normal and developmentally appropriate for babies to wake to feed every 2-3 hours for the first year. Some wake more and some less. And most are on a rollercoaster of better sleep and then worse again.

The worst bit of the regression doesn't usually last much longer than 6 weeks and some babies get past it in 2. I don't think she's overfed, breastfed babies are good at regulating their milk intake. There is a growth spurt around this time though.

@GinnyBee thanks so much that’s so helpful. Fingers crossed the worst of it will be done in a matter of weeks then. Was definitely lulled into a false sense of security for 3 months!

I know, me too! Mine was doing 9-hour stretches and basically slept from my bedtime until morning and then one day didn’t, and hasn’t since 😭 he’s 10 months now. I wish I’d known that babies sleep better at 3 months than they do at 8 months, would’ve saved a lot of stress and anxiety thinking there was something wrong or I was doing something wrong. Nope, just a normal baby!

She’s very likely feeding more due to a growth spurt or a period of rapid development. Very normal, though very tiring for you. You’re right to be responsive, you can’t overfeed a breastfed baby. It can feel like it though!

OP is right that they may not return to their previous pattern, baby sleep isn’t linear and there’s lots of ups and downs as they’re growing and changing so rapidly.

2/3 hours is pretty good! My three-month old does that with added overnight poos; not looking forward to what the regression means when he’s this bad already! My best survival tip is to not check the timings overnight: no phone, no watch, just let it all pass in a benign blur, it’s less tiring. Feed lying down. Hot coffee, hot shower, fresh air, Haribo all help – help you cope, not the baby sleep.

@GinnyBee oh gosh! Any tips on how to survive with that little sleep for that length of time?!

@BuffaloCauliflower thank you! She’s also just mastering rolling and I think I read somewhere that this can effect sleep? May be wrong.

@bussteward great tips thank you! I’m in 2 minds on trying combi feeding overnight - on the one hand dh can do a shift or two, on the other it’s so much less faff just to whip a boob out lying down!

@PretzelBite My husband has been great at helping with early mornings. He takes over from around 4am so I'll do a feed and then leave the baby monitor on his bedside table and put ear plugs in. Baby then more or less sleeps in until 6-7am, he then gets up with baby and used to do a bottle of expressed milk and now just does breakfast, and then gets me when he needs to leave for work at 8.30 so I get 4 hours of sleep in the morning.