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Original poster

4-5 month olds sleep club, - come and join..........

685 replies

SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 13:10

Hiya,

There have been so many threads lately about babies who were beginning to sleep better, but suddenly hitting this regression to newborn hell.

So I thought I would start a support thread for us all to compete whinge about how little sleep we are all getting, and tips on how to cope.

Baby Starlight was up just twice last night, but the previous night it was 6 times, and because of that I kept putting off going to bed at all last night, so even though it wasn't too bad, I still had hardly any sleep

OP posts:
Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 13:38

Okay, - so there is only me in my club!

Hope that's because you're all coping fine, or are asleep!

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Hopefully · 06/02/2009 14:36

snowlight I was hoping I had left the club, but after the sleeps over the past 24 hours I am back in it! Instead of being easy during the day and useless at night, DS is now a disaster during the day and ok-ish at night. Not sure which is worse....

mothersmilk · 06/02/2009 14:42

hello all!!!
every 2 hrs last night hoping as he has slept better today tonight will follow suit iv always found this works with dd and ds

Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 14:43

Hopefully I don't think it is as bad as it was for me, but it certainly isn't good yet.

I'm sooooo tired!

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Anglepoise · 06/02/2009 14:45

Damn you for luring me into sleep with your link!

DD is 18 weeks and a snotmonster at present so sleeping is horrendous. Actually last night was nearly not so bad ... All in bed and asleep by midnight, then up for a feed at 1.30 am and another at 2 am, then 5 am, after which I put her down and she immediately did a massive poo and fell straight into a deep sleep ... but of course I had to change her and then she was wide awake and up for hours. At 7.15 I brought her into our bed and managed to master bfing lying down sufficiently well to doze off (I have to lie at a funny angle to get my nip at the right height) and we both slept in till 9.30.

Only plus side is that DH, who was hugely anti-co-sleeping at the start, because he was scared of hurting her, now keeps suggesting it, but my instinctive need to have her in bed with us has died down a bit plus we both usually have a glass of wine or two in the evening. Also I kind of worry a little about starting now after getting so far with her sleeping in her cot. A few hours in the morning might be a good compromise (she comes in most mornings now, to buy me a few more hours)

DebiTheScot · 06/02/2009 14:49

we had what felt like hours and hours of ds2 coughing last night. He seemed to be asleep but I got hardly any sleep. And now he's sleeping in my arm and its gone numb and making my shoulder hurt.

Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 14:51

Anglepoise Sorry Hello!

I bring Baby Starlight into bed when my DH has got up, for more sleep. We have a duvet each so I through his and his pillow onto the floor.

In the past I have also put a matress on the floor and fed her on it so she falls asleep in a place that I can just leave her.

But, if anyone could tell me how to stop them waking in the first place I would probaly remortgage my house atm to pay for it!

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Anglepoise · 06/02/2009 14:56

Hee hee - that reminds me of some CDs I saw the other week, called Mozart for Babies or somesuch. Some marketing genius had divided up Mozart's work into about a dozen different groups and labelled them "Creative thinking", "Increasing intelligence" etc etc and for your fiver you got a couple of sonatas. The one for "Peaceful sleep" was completely sold out

DD is in a grobag, so I just plonk her on top of the duvet next to me in the middle of the bed and usually push all the pillows well away from her face and then curl an arm around her to stop them encroaching. Makes my arm bloody cold though!

Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 15:25

DH told me I was spoiling her with all the night feeding

What on earth does he think the alternative is?

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CantSleepWontSleep · 06/02/2009 15:25

I may as well join in here, as ds turned 17 weeks nearly 3 hours ago .

Last night he only fed twice (was hoping 6:15 feed would be third, but turned out to be start of day instead!), but the night before he woke and fed roughly every 40 mins!

I am co-sleeping with him, so don't always remember by morning how many times he fed.

LittleConnie · 06/02/2009 15:34

Last night was particularly horrendous here... 4 wakings between midnight and 5! dd is 19 weeks and the lack of sleep is killing me. I also bring her into bed with me for wakings after 5ish as it does seem to buy us all a bit more sleep. But I do end up with a sore back from curling around her...

Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 15:38

Hi CantSleep. I remember you from our Sep/Oct antenatal row . It seems like minutes ago and years ago.

I'm kind of co-sleeping. I have a sort of bedside cot. It isn't an official one, just a normal one with the side taken off. It isn't quite level, but I kinda move onto it to feed and back off when we're done.

I do think co-sleeping makes this stage easier though. Is your lo in a proper bed with you?

Angle Have you slept like that from the beginning?

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CantSleepWontSleep · 06/02/2009 15:46

Nah, couldn't have been me rowing. I'm not at all outspoken .

Yes, in superking bed with me. Was with me and dh, but he was abroad for 3 weeks, and has been in with dd since as she's had some jealousy issues and then been ill. He will only sleep on his tummy, so the very expensive Amby nest beside the bed is seeing no action . Must sort out some sort of side guard really, since he can both roll and shuffle his way around, so could theoretically fall out. At least we have a lowish bed just in case!

averagemum · 06/02/2009 16:30

Could I join in even though my baby has never really started to sleep better and so has nothing to regress from? Though to be fair he's done a 7 hour stretch twice. 5 months on Sunday, last night woke 4 times. Please, tell me it will get better?

CantSleepWontSleep · 06/02/2009 16:43

Ah averagemum, my ds doesn't have much to regress from either. He did a 7hr stretch once, an 8 hr stretch the following night, and then about every 20mins the night after! He was just teasing me I think .

loulou33 · 06/02/2009 16:47

hiya - thanks snowlight for showing me the way and i see my csws is here as well!!

Am buggered if i know what to do with ds2. He woke 6 times last night between 10.30pm and 8.30am sometimes going back off within 15 mins sometimes an hour - who knows why. Have been asking advice about weaning on another thread (thank you snowlight) but i don't think that's the answer. I am trying to increase milk supply and i wonder if he's not feeding enough at each feed but just snacking ...off to express

averagemum · 06/02/2009 17:54

can'tsleepwon'tsleep - does yours do the two night trick too? We'll try something new (for example, total darkness), he'll sleep much much better for two nights, we think we've cracked it, then it's back to all over the place again! Oh for a baby who's maybe just a bit more predictable! (though he is predictably lovely most of the day).

Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 18:12

averagemum My DD is 5 months on Monday Welcome!

loulou33 Are you expressing so you can give a bottle, or so you can build supply? Either way, you will cause a little bit of a problem whilst your baby is deprived of the milk you express (if not giving it to them that day/night) whilst your body adjusts to make more iyswim.

Have you tried the both breasts with each feed thing?

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ninja · 06/02/2009 18:16

i'd join you if i weren't so sleep deprived!!

some nights we have 3 hour stretches (between the start of feeds) some days 1 hour stretches.

she was perfect for the first nine weeks so has done A LOT of regressing

Hopefully · 06/02/2009 20:08

I feel like we have had insane regression, even though we're not suffering as badly as some, as DS teased us with those few nights of sleeping through before hitting 4 months!

Does anyone else actually find they feel worse on the odd occasion they get a good night? Had a really long stretch yesterday and coped less well today than I normally do (as those on the Sept post natal thread will attest).
DP is exactly the same and always looks like death warmed up on the occasions my mother comes to help out and does some of the night duty.

cyteen · 06/02/2009 20:16
fledtoscotland · 06/02/2009 20:26

can i join? DS2 was a fab sleeper (could win a gold in an Olympic sleeping competition) up to the age of 15 weeks and since then he has become angel by day, boob-monster by night.

he is now 23 weeks old and come 11pm is wide awake and bushy tailed wanting milk. He has always been mixed-fed with one 4oz bottle from DH at 11pm but now bottles are a poor subsitute for boob and he refuses and screams for me.

last night he fed pretty much constantly (we are co-sleeping) until 7am when he yawned, rolled over and slept until 9am

it isnt helped by DS1 (17 months) teething and he's like a bear with a sore head up all last night.

Original poster
SnowlightMcKenzie · 06/02/2009 20:37

Hi fled and cyteen !!

Here's wishing you both a decent night tonight.

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cyteen · 06/02/2009 20:39

likewise

loulou33 · 06/02/2009 20:45

What is it with all these children regressing at roughly the same age - never heard of this before...

Fled - Ds2 was also a fab sleeper til 15 weeks. he slept from 9pm til 5am every night but since 15 weeks he's been feeding every 3 hours and every 2 last night - like Cyteen.

Snowlight - i am feeding on both sides at every feed and he has full feed from both sides - used to just have a little from second side but for past few weeks its been a full feed. I'm expressing in the hope of building my supply, as i'm wondering if its a bit low. Ds2 had a cold and was off feeding for a while so i wonder if that has affected my supply even though it was some weeks ago now. thb i express right after feeding and am only managing about 1 oz and then nothing so not sure if he's losing out on any milk - or is he? i can't get my head around the expressing thing....too sleep deprived.

Ds2 in bed and am hoping not to see him til the early hours but this is unlikely...