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

[SnowlightMcKenzie]

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

loulou Yes Baby Starlight does just fall asleep anywhere. So did DS so I don't know any different, but I do have to say sometimes it will be a couple of hours after we get up, but sometimes it can be up to 7 hours after we get up.

I don't tend to worry about her daytime sleep and if she gets grisly I just feed her which seems to improve her mood.

She often sleeps in the pram though and we go out ever single day (and I don't drive) so I think she probably has good rests there. Also I expect she gets very exhausted as we go to toddler groups a lot and she gets passed around the adults and proded by the toddlers (she loves it, but I remember I would have never let a toddler within a mile of my pfb so it goes to show you do change).

Evening I feed and feed and feed for hours and then feed to sleep next to me, and then switch breasts and poke her a little and try to feed more and then I get approx 3-3.5 hours and then it is all down hill after that although she does fall asleep on the boob after each of her wakings.

I wonder if trying hard to get more milk into her the first time she wakes might help, but I am too tired and just grateful when she falls asleep so the last thing I want to do is disturb her and feed for longer.

Perhaps I should try it though.

Our good night/bad night/good night/bad night pattern has broken down, so I'm back in ... Last night was supposed to be a good night, goddammit, but we were in bed just before 1 (oops) nicely squiffy after our meal out, then up at 1.40, 3, 3.40, 5, 5.40, 7 then 9. Urgh. Shattered today plus dealing with low-level hangover plus fractious DD

daisyblue you should be very proud of the fact you bfed her for five months

leonie What would happen if you left her for hours and hours, just feeding, not helping her to sleep?

Would she refuse the feed and scream?

Ignore me if my questions irritate you. I'm blessed with 2 fairly easy children and I like to credit my parenting so I am wisely stopping at 2 before my beliefs are shattered.

Well, it's my turn to give in.

I usually try to be positive but today was the final straw.

DS and DD had a terrible night so DS was really overtired and so was I so he screamed at me nearly all day and I ended up screaming at him. When I scream I really lose it andI must be terrifying. Poor little mite. This is the second time in 4 days. I never used to shout

I probably shouldn't scare all the 16 weekers but my real problems are with DS' sleep. I know DD will get better when weaned etc. I have no idea what to do with DS. Leonie, why do you say DD has ADHD? I often wonder if DS may have something similar and he sounds a lot like your DD2 when he was a baby.

Mmmm. Anyway, off to cook supper.

DS was v similar. He would often only have 7-8 hours sleep a day etc.etc. He didn't feed during the day from about 4 months just at night when he would feed all of it. Even very little he was alert etc.

People would tell me he was overtired adn I would say, yeah, good, well, what do I do now? I'm hardly keeping him awake!

He did calm down after I gave up BF at 24 weeks but I'm not suggesting you do that unless you really want to. He did also crawl at 25 weeks so it may have been that.

I can't see my fat lump of a daughter crawling anywhere in 5 weeks

Maybe - let's hope they never meet! Imagine their children!!

If they are similar then he was absolutely gorgeous between about 10 months and 2 and even slept a bit so look forward to that.

And ignore all I'm saying about DS' sleeping!

Have you tried maybe doing some BLW with her? DS stuffed his face with food from my plate from about 19 weeks which is early I know.

He did wake every 30 mins when he was this age. I don't know how you're doing it with another child.

Well, I really admire you!

I'm desperate for another one. No idea why! DH is not very keen at all. Much more sensible. So, I'm really trying not to complain at all because I don't want him to use it against me IYSWIM. As it is I have no logical argument against him...

How does autism affect your DD's relationship. Does DD1 get upset by DD2's crying? (Skimty is showing her desperate ignorance)

leonie - your dd2 sounds really hard work and whilst she sounds hyperactive, please don't think that means she has/will have adhd. not all children with adhd have had sleep problems and some were angelic as babies, some not - its impossible to know in such as young baby and how she is now may not be how she wil be forever. Does she remind you of anyone in your/dh's family?? Anyone else with adhd/asd in the family?? has your gp/paeidatrician seen her?? - she sounds frantic and desperate for something (sleep probably!!) and i have no idea how you have coped so far. i only hope that it gets easier for you - i realy hope so

Oh leonie I don't know what to suggest. I don't think CC is very sensible advice though. I hope you have a better night tonight.

ok so there's a strong genetic bit in her family but there's little they will do until she's older. i have known children as young as 3 on ritalin but its very very rare. i have also known babies diagnosed with hyperactivity (and they have 'grown out of it' btw) and the famlies have had a lot of supprt from child health services. i wonder if asking gp for a referral to paediatrician/ child development centre would be helpful so that they can observe her more thoroughly? like snowlight, i don't think cc will work right now but i get the sense from your posts that she's really struggling and doesn't sound particularly happy. my ds2 went through a very unhappy phase where he cried all day if not held close to me. it was exhausting and it broke my heart to watch him as he never smiled or settled at all except when asleep. it must be so hard for you watching her and not knowing what to do to put it right. i took ds2 to cranial osteopath and she worked wonders on him, it wasn't a miracle cure but it helped us get through the really rough days/weeks. i wonder if this may help your dd???