Please tell me this will pass...struggling with night wakings

[Suchanamateur]

So my DS has never been a good sleeper but I could cope when he went 11-3 am and then hourly. But for the last week, he has been pretty much hourly since he goes down at 7. And often takes an hour to settle. It's killing me.

He is almost 4 months and his day sleep has also gone to shit. He has a dummy to soothe to sleep (doesn't like rocking and has never really fed to sleep) but usually spits it out, or I take it out so I dont think he needs it to stay asleep. He is bf with a formula dreamfeed, and is currently very distracted when eating in the day.

Is this the 4 month regression or is it my future? Advice or stories of hope, please?

It does indeed sound like the 4 month regression to me. It Will Pass.

I'm not sure what to suggest. Have you tried co-sleeping? Sometimes it helps my DS wake slightly less often.

I can't remember exactly how long our 4 month regression lasted, but one day DS just went back to his 'normal' range of wakings.

Are you feeding him when he wakes? Often babies need to eat more at this stage to power the extra brain activity, and if he's distracted during the day (which is totally normal), he'll need more at night.

Feeding in a quiet, darkened room during the day is supposed to help.

More info on the regression here, here, here and here.

Sounds like your babies brain is all active - wireing up to do the difficult things like sitting up/balance and the concept of separateness from you which will happen in the next few months... You just have to bear with it I'm afraid. My DS went through something very similar, then things got better, then worse, then better etc....

Just remember that your DC isn't doing it 'on purpose' but because they have/need to - and your loving response will help calm them down. It's a stressful time for a littlun' (and it doesn't help that as a result it's stressful for mum!)

If it's any reassurance, I'm going through the same with DS2, 18 weeks old on Sunday. He woke 5 times night before last and was up 3 hours as well last night.

Honestly, I feel like a zombie and I keep making / saying stupid things.

It will pass, it will pass, it will pass ...

Same here....10 days ago DS2 (15weeks) slept through or doing 5-6 hours between feeds. Now he's awake evey 1-2 hours feeding and restless... nothings changed, although i don't think he's sleeping enough in the day as the school runs get in the way. On a mission today to try and get some decent naps! I just dread going to bed every night now!

Hmmm.

Well, my DD is five months on Saturday. She used to sleep 7-11, then wake hourly. Now she wakes hourly all the time and has done since about 3.5 months. The only way I cope with it is by co-sleeping. When she wakes up, I roll over and she helps herself to my boobs. But even now, there are nights like last night when she is just awake for two hours and there's nothing I can do to get her down again.

I have actually started to lose all hope of it changing.