From good to bad - did your babies sleep get worse with age?

[EllaElla]

I read on BB on someone's post that the very early months are when babies sleep the best. The post spoke about the move from baby lying down to a baby trying to get mobile, deal with teething and even experiencing seperation issues. I was synical but now I can understand.

It's slowly getting worse with DS who is just over 6.5months old (not sure if that is the best way to describe DS changing). DS started finally sleeping 7.30pm - 4am about 2 months ago after a very tough start (premi baby). Then about 2 weeks ago he started waking again at about 11.30pm and then again at 2am, 4.4am etc....now he is starting at 10pm and he is up at least every 2 - 2.5 hrs. He is BF and on 2x solid meals a day so food isn't the issue (at least I don't think so). He wakes and starts by talking to himself and eventually he starts crying (same every time). Only way I can get him back to sleep is on the booby (he sucks for 5 mins max). If I hold him he will fall asleep but as soon as I put him down he wakes a booby feed is all that works (so many people against this but yuo do what you have to do right?)

He is more alert than ever and even the family clinic said that he is very advanced given his corrected age (Developmentally not so far as mobility goes). He has maybe 2 daysleeps and even when i am playing with him he gets frustrated. I have joined so many things (gymbaroo etc..) to give him more stimulation, give me more tools and maybe eventually tire him so he will at least sleep a little more during the day.

I know this is normal and I know I like so many others are exhausted, but I am really needing to hear that this is indeed normal? and also what happened for others and when did things get better).

In the other thread someone said there Little One went from fab sleeper at 3 months to shocking by 12 months!

[Jakabella]

Hugs Ella!

Bella was waking evey 3 hrs for a FF from birth to approx 3 months then she would go 5 hrs between feeds at night then she went straight through, she has been sleeping straight through for about 2 months now - from 7 at night till 7 in the morning - so I would say that she has gotten better as she has gotten older. Although at the moment she is going though a phase where she just fights going to sleep at night and didnt go to sleep till 10 last night - but once she is asleep then she is out for the night.

If she is sick she will wake up but will not want a feed - I guess she has just decided that she doesnt need a feed at night - she feeds evey 3 hrs during the day and has approx 240mls each time.

I dont know what it will be like when she is teething though... so as far as my experiance goes so far she has gotten better!

Infact I can hear her talking now as she has woken up form her 2.5 hr nap!!

Hope things settle down for you ASAP!

Kate

[EllaElla]

Kafer-Girl,

Thanks for sharing that with me. 2.5hr nap how nice for you.

I used to worry heaps but I am fast learning to roll with him and relax it makes it more bearable for me.

Fingers crossed it's one of those phases!.

[jackrose]

OH Yes!!! It is very common and very shocking!

I found that I went from having an excellent sleeper for the first 6 months to a terrible sleeper and it was right when I thought it should be getting better not worse.

Everyone asks you (for the first few months) all sorts of questions about how your baby sleeps and everyone warns you that they will keep you awake all night/sleep poorly/etc. There is heaps of support, sympathy and advice for mums at this stage as it is what we expect, poor sleep. Then, by the 6-8 month mark the questions move on to sitting/crawling/talking etc. Right at this stage it is common for sleep to get out of whack and boy is it a surprise!! There are heaps of posts in here about it and my mother's group mums all went through it. Every single one of us all had the same feeling as you... what is going on??!?!

I think it is definitely related to development and in hindsight I think it related to the fact that my DD was moving from a 'newborn' sleep pattern to more of a child sleep pattern. It is as if the brain shifted from baby to toddler and she needed to learn to sleep like a bigger child rather than just dropping off. It sounds as if your DS is doing the same thing, trying to work out how to put himself to sleep and resettle himself when he wakes.

There are hundreds of ways of helping babies learn and you have to use methods that work best for you and your child.

If I hold him he will fall asleep but as soon as I put him down he wakes a booby feed is all that works (so many people against this but yuo do what you have to do right?)

There is nothing wrong with what you are doing if it is what works for you. So many women here have fed to sleep until their babies work it out themselves. For me it didn't work as my DD developed a breast/sleep association which ended up with me having to resettle with a boob every 1/2hr at its worst. But that was just my experience.

It is really natural for them to wake as soon as you put them down too. Babies are hardwired to be alert to what is dangerous for them and going from the safe arms of a caregiver to a bed would have been a danger in primitive times. One way around this is to lie down with them and let them fall asleep with you nearby.

I hope you can work out what is best for you, but in the meantime take heart that your DS and his sleep sounds sooooo soooo normal .

(Please let me know if you want any more info and good luck)

[berrme]

I always laugh when childless people suggest that by around 6 months your baby should be in a nice routine and you should be getting plenty of sleep. That is when everything goes pear shapes. They start getting teeth, they have growth spurts, their diet changes, they can roll and pull themselves up, and their sleep requirements change and you just have to work out a whole new routine.
You aren't alone. Every time there is a disruption of any kind in their little lives it can disrupt their sleep. DS1 is 2 and mostly sleeps well, but visitors or weather changes, a new room or missing his daytime sleep all throw bedtime out of whack. It seems so much worse when you have gotten used to getting more sleep again too!

Have you tried a dummy rather than feeding? It sounds like it might be just sucking that he wants rather than food. I know they can be hard to get rid of later, but you could send DH in some of the time to settle DS and get some more sleep yourself.

[Just Me]

EllaElla

As everyone else has said - completely normal. Both of my babies so far have been great sleepers from 7 weeks until they hit about 4 months old and decide to turn my world upside down with their night waking. It does get better over time, but it is a very difficult stage.

There are different things you can try to help your baby sleep, but it depends on your own beliefs about sleep and what sort of parenting style you adopt as to the different things you can try to help your DS sleep.

I used the Tweedle method (in the book Sleep Right Sleep Tight) but it is a settling technique you use with babies without picking them up. Some people aren't comfortable with this and prefer to pick their babies up and cuddle them. Whatever you feel comfortable with - as long as you are consistently doing the same things at sleep time every time. Babies eventually learn from consistency that these are sleep time messages and start to learn to go to sleep when you send this messages.

There is no such thing as a quick fix for this stage unfortunately. Just time and consistency and seek support from other parents who have been through the same thing. If you have someone you can trust to leave your baby with for a few hours once a week so you can catch up on some sleep might also be useful in helping you cope with this very difficult stage (or arrange for your DP to take DS out for a couple of hours so you can get some sleep). It is very difficult, but you need to try and take care of yourself in this stage to and get sleep whenever you can.

I really wish I had the answer for this whole issue but just know that you are not alone and it does get better.

[Muffy]

dont feel bad for BF him back to sleep - like you said you have to do what works for you!
from when DS started until now (he is 23 months) we have hardly had a full night sleep!!
i dont want to scare you but i think they will settle into a routine when they are ready.

[Cassius2]

if you feel comfy B/F back to sleep and it only takes 5 minutes to do so, then i reckon go for it. i spent WEEKS feeling bad that i was doing something that i would later regret; but it didnt happen, DD went back to her good sleeping pattern and hasnt looked back.

i too found that there were certain 'stages' where sleep became more confused...first at 8-9 weeks, 6 months and 9 months. this could just of been our DD, but i think there is a ring to it as it seemed to correspond with something going on with developmentally (ie it all went to the rocks when she was learning to sit, crawl or walk). then she would achieve her milestone and go back to being a strong sleeper...

i hope that makes sense LOL!!

[amberj]

You might have been referring to my post- if not, I posted one very recently about how my LO's sleep has just been getting worse and worse over the past several months.

I am glad to know its common. Its exhausting! I really, really hope its a phase.

[indie24]

My DD was the same. She slept through the night from a month old and as soon as she was 5 1/2 months old she started waking for a feed during the night. She is BF also