5 month old waking every 2-3 hours all night, all day...I'm too tired to remember what I'm supposed to do about that so please can someone remind me?

[Astrophe]

DD23 is BF, gaining plenty of weight, happy etc.

Was previously not a bad sleeper - was doing a 4-5 hours stint early in the night (about 7pm-midnight or occasionally 1am) and then 3 or 4 hours after that. Now she is up all the time. early evening DH or I can often settle her back to sleep with no feed, but at 1am, 3am, 5am I am too exhausted and don't want DH to wake, so have been feeding. Sometimes its a real steak and chips feed, sometimes she takes very little so obviously comfort only.

So should I be trying to stretch her out fduring the day (also feeds every 3 hours) to teach her to go longer? Or feed more often during the day to encourage less at night? Or assume this has nothing to do with fgeeds and everythig to do with habits?

So, so tired.

leaving to cry not something we'll consider. She generally puts herself to sleep day and night, I just put her in her cot and she either sleeps straight away, or grumbles and cries a bit for 5 mins or so...which is fine...but I wouldn't leave her 'proper' crying for more than 10 mins - just not our style.

Can someone whos cognitive powers are not as impaired by tiredness as mine please advise?

TIA

I'd say feed more during the day - and try cluster feeding early evening if she's up for it. Is she teething or ill? I find both my DSs used to wake more and feed more when teething or ill. Remember the MN Mantras - its just a phase and this too will pass. Good luck.

My ds is nearly 5 months and also wakes several times a night. I would feed as much as possible during the day to really drive your milk supply, particularly in the evening.

I have also recently started expressing first thing in the morning when I seems to have the most success at expressing. I then offer him the ebm as his last feed after I have fed him before bed - he often takes another 4/5oz then and this will often ensure a longer spell of sleeping before he wakes in the night.

Good luck with it - I hope your dd23 is a typo - as no wonder you're tired with 22 other dd's to loon after

look even!

Thanks dinkystinky and detoxdiva for your replies

Yes, DD23 is a typo...thank heavens! She is DD2 and I have a DS as well...so only 3 not 23, although sometimes it seems that way.

I don't think she is ill - maybe teeth? But its beena couple weeks now and no sign of teeth, so I suspect not, sadly.

I will try feeding her more during the day - can't hurt can it. I'm pretty sure there is no supply problem as I have had oversupply problems in the past, but will try anyway. She has never taken a bottle (have ony tried a couple of times), but that might be worth trying again...maybe being offered a bottle will discourage her from waking at night (wishful thinking).

Really hoping she will suddenyl start sleeping better as DH and I aren't really up to coping with crying and settling for nights on end, so if we can't find an easy way to encouyrage change we may just continue feeding for now.

My DS did exactly this and tbh the only thing that worked was to wait it out, as nothing I tried made any difference to the waking. But he did stop in the end! Sympathies, I was a total zombie as well and I only have one.

Me too. 4 1/2 month old used to go 7-10-2-6. Now she's on 7-10-12-2(wide awake for about an hour whether she's fed or not)4-6.

It started with a day of very light daytime feeds so I think she was just hungry in the night A good night of feeds meant she ate less well during the day and now she is eating at night to compensate.

She is so into everything that she gets really distracted during the day when you feed her and feeds may only last 5 mins (compared to 20 mins at night). I'm now trying to feed her every 2 hours or more (that's the EASY baby whisper routine out of the window since we're on eat - activity-eat-activity-eat-sleep) just to get the calories in. I'm hoping the milk supply will catch up with this soon.

Here's to a better night tonight!

Me too! My DS is just 4 months and he must have had me up 4 or 5 times last night and ha refused to nap today. Soooo tired.

Dear god me too - three night wakings when DS used to sleep through - and lovely 20 minute daytime feeds now replaced by super distracted five minute nipple-pulla-thons... gah!
Anyone read the Wonderweeks book? DS is 19 weeks and it's one of the worst, um I mean most intense, developmental steps apparently.... but the 'week' can apparently last up to six. Gaaaaah.

Still misery loving company...

There was and may still be a long-running thread about the 4-6 month hell sleep regression. It was a great place for me to moan whinge pick up tips, might be the same for you

Astrophe We've been the same for a few weeks now, nothing seems to be making the slightest bit of difference to the little monster darling, although we've hit 6 months and weaning now so I'm hoping in time that will make a difference.

One wake up merged into another last night, I am also a zombie.

Sorry no advice but a great deal of sympathy and solidarity.

I really want some sleep though

I would try and bit of Ashton and Parsons powder on her gums - see if that settles her?

Poppet45, I wasn't going to mention the pulling, but you've described it perfectly!!!

in same boat with 5 month old dd, am just repeating the this-too-shall-pass mantra..
it finally did with her brother when he got to about age 2 (not needing feeding, just waking up!) so am hoping to goodness it will pass a bit quicker with her..

this should help you understand what is going on!

wow, thanks everyone for the replies. Sorry for not being around to read the thread I started - I'm in a different time zone.

Am trying to up day feeds and make sure they are good ones too. Last night we unacounatbly had a better time - she did 7-10pm and DH settled her with no feed, then woke at 1am and I fed her, then at 4am, 5am, 6am...so the first half of the night was good anyway!

Thanks for all the sympathy and solidarity ladies - hope your LOs give you some rest soon too.

Thanks for this thread - made me feel better! My LO is just 6 months and feeding every 3 hours on the nail at night. She goes right back to sleep about 5 mins after the feed on her own so I don't think she's using the boob as a soother. I think she doesn't take enough during the day - (far too nosey - great article StarlightWonderStarlightBright!) but I'm damned if I can make her take any more.
eeeeeee, kids eh?

i'm sorry you are all having trouble with sleep, but i am relieced to hear other people are struggling in the same way we are. All my friends babies seem to be sleeping through and we are so far from this it makes me want to cry when people brag about their good night's sleep.

My dd goes down at 6.45/7pm and wakes at 9 ish settles without feed, then 10/11 feed, then 1.30 (no feed), 3/3.30 (feed) 5, 6 feed, 7...

we are comatose... I am bf during the day and ff at 6.30 pm. FF tonight at 10.30 too to see if that makes any difference. this has been going on for 21 weeks really. she has v occasionally slept for a little longer but not for 9 weeks now. 9 weeks with no more than 2 consecutive hours.

please let this be a phase that passes soon.

Miepsmum, this is a fairly old thread and hopefully the babies on it are sleeping a little better now.

But I had a baby like that. Woke very, very regularly and was very hungry.

It feels interminable at the time, but it does get better. Promise.