4 month sleep regression/falling asleep with baby in my arms.

[Ittybittylittleone]

DD is 4 months old and is going through the 4 month sleep regression where she is waking up every 45 mins unless she is sleeping on me.

up until recently she has been sleeping in the next to me crib. I have tried co sleeping with her in bed but found I was being used as a dummy all night so have retried the next to me bed these past few nights

I am ebf and tonight i woke up at 2am to find her sleeping in my arms (i was propped upright on the bed) i have no recollection of how this happened and im terrified it could happen again.

she is now sleeping on my lap and i am wide awake. She seems very comfortable like this. If I lie her flat she ends up squirming and being snuffly.

I will go back to co sleeping in bed with her for now to avoid this but how can I get her not use me as a dummy? Is she old enough for me to pat and sssh her?

I have two older DC and I honestly don't remember how I got through this stage with them. I also don't want to wake them if she cries too much with pat and shhhing.

Short answer - no she's not old enough to pat and shush. But if you C curl around her she can feed to sleep and then you can gently remove your nipple but leave her right up against your boob so she's still snuggled. Mine would sleep like that until they next woke up, and if they moved the only way they could roll was onto their backs. I used to wear an adult slumbersac so that I could be warm but have zero covers to worry about.

Aww so cute. She’s still tiny so I agree with PP. I used to sleep in my dressing gown too if i was up and down all night - handy when she’s older and in a cot as it keeps you warm every time you get up which helps you go back to sleep again quicker.

What's the issue with her "using you like a dummy"? Is it uncomfortable for you?

Can you use an actual dummy instead?

Yes she's old enough for pat and shhhh, not sure what the other poster is talking about. Babies are old enough from that from the day they're born!

Have you tried an actual dummy?

I wouldn’t be withholding night feeds at that age. Can you do side lying breastfeeding? I found thst much easier and safer as baby cant be dropped or fall down (like when you hold them). It’s totally normal for babies to comfort feed.

She's not using you as a dummy. Babies use dummies as replacement nipples. not vice versa. The "flutter sucking" is an important part of feeding and cluster feeding is normal at this age. If you are sure she's fallen asleep latched on, try very gently breaking the suction by sliding your finger in between her lip and your breast and she will slip off.

Patting and shh-ing is fine at any age but if she is hungry or thirsty she needs to be fed responsively whenever she wants to be.

Thank you everyone. I'm going to stick with co-sleeping for the time being and try and ride this out as I think it's safer than me getting her out of the next to me for a feed then me falling asleep with her in my arms. We all just slept so much better when she was in the next to me and would only wake up twice a night. Now that we are co sleeping she is on the boob 5-6 times a night 😮‍💨

I really wish she would take a dummy. I have tried a few but she just looks disgusted and spits it out so I'm not wasting any more money on that 😂

So last night was probably the worst night we've had yet, much worse than the newborn nights.

we coslept but baby woke up crying every time my nipple fell out of her mouth which was why feels like every 30 mins or so. My nipples feel like they've been chewed on. I also have a sore hip from lying on my side.

I think I'm going to have to try a bit of patting and shushing for some of these wakes as I'm not sure I can carry on like this and still be a functioning human. I honestly don't remember it being this bad with the other two!

My daughter had a terrible 4 month regression (she skipped the 8 month regression though!). I pushed through with the next to me because co sleeping wasn’t really an option for me (didn’t feel it was safe with DH in the bed and our dog also sleeps on the bed!). DD also didn’t have a dummy.

I used to sit on the edge of the bed to feed so I couldn’t really fall asleep. If she would wake soon after I’d hold her and walk around the room shushing. It’s awful and you have my sympathy. I didn’t realise how bad it was until I had my DS who has always been a better sleeper!

Just a short update for anyone who is also going through the 4 month regression - DD will be 5 months next week and she is now doing 90min stints at night instead of 45 mins. We are co sleeping so I don't have to get up to feed her and DH takes her from 5am and gets the other kids ready for school so I can sleep 5-8. It's bloody awful but I'm going to sleep train her bang on 6 months for the sake of my physical and mental health. I'm going to have a think about which method I want to use as I don't want to do full cry it out.

No, she is too young to shush and pat. However, if you curl up around her, she will be able to feed herself until she falls asleep. After that, you can carefully remove your nipple while keeping her close to your breasts to keep her cuddled. https://basketballstars-2.io