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

cyteen - i also feel your pain. Had the hourly thing a couple of weeks ago and was also really worried (same thing,snotty, coughing, crying, feeding,farting etc) took dd to the GP and said that i thought it was her teeth, but could he check her over just in case. He wearily told me not to worry, that babies change their sleep patterns all the time (he has 4 - this is my first y'see - u can see where i'm going with this)
anyhoo - he finally checked her ears (after i asked him to) said they were fine. i wasn't to worry. his advice?
"give her calpol for two weeks and if there is no improvement bring her back ... and try not to pick her up or feed her every time she wakes up or cries - they soon learn"
(helpful. she won't even take bloody calpol)
anyhoo - that was two weeks ago - and since i am still on this thread ... i won't even go into last nights shambles

bottom tooth is clearly at surface today tho ... er ''this too will pass"?

I am going to get drummed out of the thread - she went from 11.30 pm to 5 am last night (I didn't, and woke up twice). Then a feed at 7 and then apparently it was time to get up at half past.

Both days she's slept well she's had a really long sleep in the afternoon followed by being awake for far too long followed by me doing my best to tank her up for the night, so may keep trying this for all its flaws!

Hope there are some other good news stories out there

Anglepoise You give me hope.

DS didn't do too bad last night but still managed to be a crap night for me. DS slept 7.30 until 11 and DP shushed him back to sleep fairly quickly. DP and I then lie staring at the ceiling unable to sleep until DP decides to go and sleep on the living room floor at 12.45! All asleep by 1. DS feeds at 2 and then we all sleep until 5.30. DS has rubbish feed and then won't go back to sleep. Finally at 7 does power poo and I take him into my bed because I haven't got the energy not to be in bed. He smiles at me and hits me in the face with his monkey for best part of an hour. At 8 DP gets him to sleep. I settle down to sleep and some workmen start drilling outside the window. AAArgh! I go and weep in front of breakfast news.

has anyone got any spare matchsticks - i need to prop my eyes open.

DS2 was wide awake and bushy-tailed from his bath at 6.30pm til 9.30pm when DH gave him 3 ozs of formula. he slept until midnight and thats when the fun began. between midnight and 6.30am when we all got up, he fed 6, yes SIX times. he was actually feeding as i checked he was swallowing and not just using me as a dummy. DH took him to cuddle him at about 4am and give him a dummy but he just screamed so i had him back for another feed. dont want DS1 awake as well.

i know i said i was going to BLW but for the sake of two weeks, i dont know whether to try him on some puree at lunchtime.

they are both asleep at the moment but DS2 is only catnapping during the day so any moment now...

i may get drummed out too - Ds2 slept 8pm til 1am then asleep again until 6am. Unlike you anglepoise, ds2 would not go back down and was giggling and laughing so much that ds1 woke as well but i can't complain as that's a pretty good sleep for them both. However ds2 usually sleeps til 8 or 9am so he's really tired this am and his daytime sleeps are all out of sync - hey ho...

Morning all. Glad to see some of us are getting some more sleep.

For some reason my nails are having a growth spurt and while they look beautiful I'm finding it really difficult to type!

Well, we had a break through because DS (2.5) slept through lat night and DD (the 4 month one) only woke at 1 and 5 which is very mangeable. I actually feel half human again. Myabe her growth spurt is coming to an end (hopeful!) I was very engorged this morning and had some leaking whereas I've been really flat and saggy in the mornings for as long as I can remember.

Still can't get her to settle in the evening. I put her down with DS and she alway goes off to sleep perfectly and then wakes up after 45 mins. If I stay up feeding/shushing I can usually get her back down after 1.5 to 2 hours. If i bring her down stairs she gets so over excited she doesn't settle until gone midnight which is a killer.

This to shall pass!

Well it sounds like things are improving for several of you, whereas they are getting worse here. Ds woke after 45 mins last night, which is v unusual, fed for 15 mins, slept for one and a quarter hours, fed for 15 mins, slept for an hour, fed and so on until 3:20am, when we were up for an hour seemingly wide awake, after which he would only sleep laying completely across my chest and latched on to the far side breast, and then in the crook of my arm with me on my side and latched on to the near breast. Joy .

We didn't have a great night either - asleep at 6.30pm then woke 4 times in the night then up for the day at 6.30am. Not terrible terrible, as he settled really quickly, and I only fed him twice, but I still feel exhausted today. Why oh why can't he do more than 2 good nights in a row? Fingers crossed for better sleep for everyone tonight...

This is a really basic question but...

How do you judge whether your DC is hungry or not in the night? Because he only used to wake up once or twice I would always assume hunger and feed him and this last week has been an obvious growth spurt. But sometimes I feed him and he's really not that interested and I probably would have done better to just settle him. But I find it hard to tell - he always wakes up shouting rather than crying.

Gosh, this sounds like I don't know my baby at all, doesn't it?! [embarrassed emoticon]

not at all arthymum! it's quite a shift in thinking, i found, from the newborn tired/hungry/dirty simplicity to the older baby's tired/hungry/waking out of habit/bored/lonely/cold (etc etc) complexity. if that makes any sense at all

what i do is always try and shh/pat back to sleep first, on the grounds that if he's really hungry or bothered by something it won't work. sorry if i've posted this before, too tired to go back and check

My ds is a shouter! I tend to think - if it's been less than 3 hours, I'll try something else first, if not then I'll probably feed especially if it's a feed time he usually does on a good night iyswim... So last night he fed at 12 and 4, but woke 10 and 1.30 and I settled him. I find it hard to distinguish between I'm hungry and I'm just awake shouts too...

Hello, I too am a sleep deprived mum. Ds is now 24wks and started waking up over a month ago after a period of sleeping right throught the night. We have tried everything suggested. My Ds wakes up 2/3 times a night and nothing will get him back to sleep except a Bfeed. He doesn't fall asleep while feeding but is happy to put himself to sleep after his feed. Thing is he sleeps at lot better through the day now. He loves his naps and can be down for over an hour at a time 3 times a day. Do you think that affects his nights sleep? It's pretty hard to keep the wee fella awake when he wants a nap. Anyway I,m shattered and just looking for an end to this sleep pattern feel as though it's been going on forever.

i too have found that daytime naps have improved recently. ds2 had 3 hours again today with little effort in getting him off. i'm not sure it makes him more unsettled at night and i know that if he has less than 3 hours, he needs another little nap later on in the day.

arthymum - i work on the same basis as cyteen - less than 3 hours, its wind etc, more than 3 hours try feeding first....usually works but not always, but if its hunger, nithing works except food iyswim

csws - you could get a job as a contortionist! it doesn't sound like much fun and i hope you get a more comfortable night tonight.

arthymum - I don't do judgement in the middle of the night when I'm knackered. I might try just saying shush initially before I bother to move, but if he doesn't go straight back off then he gets fed. I need to keep him quiet during the night as dd has been quite unsettled since his arrival, and I don't want her woken or else she'll be up and coming in for a feed or bouncing around or crying.

Daytime naps are dire here at the moment. Struggling to get more than 20-30 mins at a time, without being fed back off . Think we managed 45 mins in his cot today, which was good progress, but still not exactly impressive!

same here CSWS, daytime naps are rubbish atm

its really interesting reading how dif they all are.
my dd, currently in my arm so one handed typing, is great during day, naps for 2 hrs and often has to be woken then, also goes down better than my other 2 ever did but from bedtime aroun 8pm she pretty much wakes and feeds every hour or 2, continues until 5 when she often is wide awake and poo's after all the milk or just continues feeding until wakes around 7. i worry about the other 2 (4 and 2) being disturbed so feed her quickly to avoid letting her cry. also i'm so tired that its about all i can manage is to flap boob out in vicinity of face!!

noticed recently now that she taking so much milk durung night she cutting bck on it during day which is soul destroying... trying to stuff a boob into her mouth willing her to feed whilst she laughs and smiles at me! oh the joy...

i have to say this is my 3rd, none of the other 2 great sleepers at this age and this one is such a smiley lovable baby i could just eat her. (actually wish i could sometimes at around 5am but thats another thread)

Thanks for pointing me over this way CSWS

DD doesn't sleep very well during the day and only really sleeps on me or in her chair as she wakes if I take her upstairs or if I try and get her to sleep upstairs DS screams.

Like most of you the problem started at 13 wweeks and DD is now 18 weeks. My 17 week old nephew has slept 7-7 since he was 8 weeks

I actually managed to get DD down earlier tonight but I'm expecting to have to go up very soon. She is sleeping in with us at the moment but I really want to get her to sleep in either the cradle or her cot as I'm waking with a horrible pain under my left breast in my ribs. It eases off during the day so I think it's just bad sleeping positions. The main problem is that she only sleeps well under the duvet (pulled up to her chest not right under it lol) I know this is bad but its how she is happiest. If I try and move her in the night she will wake up screaming and only settle if i feed her again

I hope everyone gets a better nights sleep tonight

Hello - we have hope!
last night dd went down at 7pm and didn't wake until 1am.
(5min feed) - back down til 3(biggr feed) then 5 (shh pat-by lovely dh) then that was her until 7.30 ... 'tis like the good ole days, i tells ya.
however - may be a fluke (or that "two day only" improvement?)
have been omitting early evening nap and putting her to bed earlier (7 instead of 8/9) Also kept her out of the house longer today (walked into town) as we were out for whole afternoon yesterday and i am a superstitious sort ...
she has been easier to settle tonight, too - and is still down, so far ... (will prob jinx it now tho!)
hope everyone else has some much deserved sleep tonight
(oh yeah -tooth is flush with gum now) ... good luck ladies

oh nightmare nightmare nightmare.... i need to sleep. DD2 been awake since 1am i am knackered. Trid settling her in bed with me and now have puty her in cot, currently shouting her head off. have changed her bum , fed her, given her a drink, tried a dummy, stroked her head, sat sushing her and now i might try throwing myself out the window (only a 3 ft drop but there is snow on the ground and i might just pass into a coma with hypothermia and get the sleep that i so desire)

My dd2 is sleeping at the moment altho i'm sure dd2 crying will soon wake her up, i'm tempted to get into her bed with her and block out the crying... am i bad if i do that? i hate cc, i can't do it, but i am so desperate to sleep that i could shove my head in the oven, i mean under the duvet and probably fall asleep while she cries it out.
Thing is its little bursts of moaning between 2 and 3 she did it on and off, not long enough for me to fall asleep but long enough to give me hope that she might be dropping off, only to start up again. Currently quiet for past minute PLEASE PLEASE let her be sleeping and stay that way for even 2 hours would be amazing. From 12 to 1 she was chewing on my nipple so had virtually no sleep so far. DD2 will be up around 8, thank god ds1 has gone away to grandparents with DP as he is earliest riser. still quiet... going to sneak into bed, see if i wake her getting in (cot beside bed) i will not survive the night!! MMmm dilema.. maybe i'll get in with dd1, thinking what if i get into my bed and just dropping off dd1 appears in my room crying, needing a pee (already happened at 1ish but often up twice... mmm nope going to risk it in my bed for the sake of stretching out, even if it is for a few seconds....or hours (positive thinking) fingers crossed...

OMG she lasted til 4.20am, fed her and now she is awake, was lying in bed with me, tried turning my back and letting her get on with it but she wriggles over to me and pulls and scratches at me, and chats like a budgie, so now she is back in cot and not happy about it. This has been the worst night i have had with her. Now going to get into dd1 bed and maybe just let her cry til she falls asleep, while i do the same.

I'm so tired and run down, my throat is killing me and i'm dreading tmrw having the 2 wee ones all day after virtually no sleep.

Its nights like this that make me think 3 is enough, i don't know if i could do this for a 4th time.

OMG she lasted til 4.20am, fed her and now she is awake, was lying in bed with me, tried turning my back and letting her get on with it but she wriggles over to me and pulls and scratches at me, and chats like a budgie, so now she is back in cot and not happy about it. This has been the worst night i have had with her. Now going to get into dd1 bed and maybe just let her cry til she falls asleep, while i do the same.

I'm so tired and run down, my throat is killing me and i'm dreading tmrw having the 2 wee ones all day after virtually no sleep.

Its nights like this that make me think 3 is enough, i don't know if i could do this for a 4th time.

Well that lasted til 6.45am.

Now both dd up and awake.

If i am ever on here saying i'd like a 4th can someone remind me how i felt at this moment.

Off to sharpen the razor....

Oh dear Minkersmum sounds like you've had a shocking night, hopefully tonight will be better for you. Would you be able to get a power-nap during the day today?

I've had success putting DD in a fleece sleepsuit instead of her normal cotton ones, I've not dared to change the sleepsuit as she's slept fine all three nights of wearing it! I only have one though, it's going to have to get washed soon.

Right, that's me thoroughly jinxed, I'm expecting a crap night now!

Even though I've not been woken up in the night she is starting her day between 5-5.30am which is a bit of a killer, I still feel like shit just a little less so! I keep saying I'm going to go to bed at the same time as her (8pm), but it never seems to materialise!

Another bad night here, and ds kept doing a wailing cry even during his sleeping periods, which was accompanied at times by lots of ear pulling. Gave him calpol at 5am, and am going to take him to doctor this morning just to check that it's not an ear infection. If it's not then I assume that teeth are the most likely cause.

got my 2 girls back to sleep around 7.30 then someone rang the house phone at 8.55 and woke us all up (mental note made to killthem, switch phone off next time).