not sleeping so well anymore

[Lewis's Mummy]

The day naps are soooooo frustrating now... it all goes hand in hand with my feeding probs in the bf support thread... no longer needing 3 naps of 90 mins, instead seems to need 4 or 5 and they're lucky to last an hour. Before he was self settling for the naps, now it's hell... I have to rock,jiggle, sway, pat, sing - you name it I'm trying it. He has always fought sleep, but it's getting ridiculous - I can see how tired he is and he'll be thrashing about with his eyes barely able to be open and gradually nods off only to start again half a minute later... He's so alert and 'busy' when he's awake during the day but we've also got to the point where he needs me there to entertain him (unless the dog is chasing his tail or something which grabs DS's attention) I'm just really really tired - I feel like I did when he was a new born...

[Rahjah]

Oh gosh I could have written your post.

Is this just a developmental thing or what? I've been trying to work out what's WRONG but maybe there is nothing?

[Snacks]

Hi girls. Like MR, I'm convinced there's some developmental thing that goes on at 4 months. It happened in our house too. (And LM, I initially blamed it on an interstate trip as well.)
I think it is pretty individual as to how long it lasts, how to deal with it and what's effective for each baby. Our frequent night-waking didn't resolve til about 7-8 months old, but that's not to say yours wont get better earlier, KWIM? I hope it gets better for you guys really soon.

[casscart]

I've been having the same thing happen to my dd. She has completely changed her sleeping pattern, and it seems she's never asleep longer then 2hrs at a time throughout the night. I'm so glad I have read this thread and now know others are going through what I'm going through because I was starting to think I was doing something really wrong with my baby.(SO SORRY I don't mean I'm happy you all are having sleepless nights)

[Lewis's Mummy]

lol kwym about being happy casscart! Isn't it reassuring to know there are others going through a similar thing. Barb posted a link on a bf thread to do with guilt and starting solids... and MR linked to it again on another one... which was about wakeful 4 month olds and it completely described my DS, so that helped me feel better. Hopefully we're over the worst hump of it now and I'm not so teary about the whole business, so maybe I'm more calm too - DS seems to be better during the day and my tendonitis in my wrists is settling down again after flaring up with all the jiggling and patting. Still waking every 2 hours at night, but I guess it's just something that will pass eventually. I can't be bothered trying to solve the problem by taking away dummy or all that sort of thing as it would mean I'd get even less sleep in the process and wouldn't necessarily work anyway. I'm trying to look for lots of little positives each day - like now he puts the dummy in (sort of) himself during the day, and he giggles at the tree outside the window when it moves in the breeze... guess we just have to keep everything in perspective...

[mamatochompers]

I'm trying to look for lots of little positives each day - like now he puts the dummy in (sort of) himself during the day, and he giggles at the tree outside the window when it moves in the breeze... guess we just have to keep everything in perspective...

Hi LM,

I think if you can do that while being so badly sleep deprived you're doing better than most mums. My 2c is that it sounds like his sleep patterns are changing, but could he also be sleeping more lightly in the night because it's a bit colder? If he's not sleeping at night I think it would eventually affect his daytime sleep too.

We have had so many probs with our 9 month old, made all the more frustrating by advice to "just let him cry...babies cry..." ugh. Anyway. Have you read Elizabeth Pantley's "The No Cry Sleep Solution"? It helped us so much because even though it takes time and energy to implement a new sleeping plan, you can see progress in the smallest of increments pretty quickly.

Also, I haven't read your bf thread, but does he feed to sleep? If so, would you consider clearing a space on the floor of his room and feeding him to sleep for naps, and leaving him to sleep in that space? That's another thing that really worked for us. Saved my wrists and allowed him to get a little bit of good sleep every day.

Anyway I hope you sort something out soon.

All the best.

[casscart]

Lewis's Mum - Did you have a better night last night? It is very reassuring knowing their are other mummies out there up at night like me, I don't feel so lonely now when I'm up . I had a better night last night. DD only woke up once at 4AM for a feed and then at 5AM for her dummy, then she slept till 7AM. So I was stoked and happier this morning. There is no way I would try to take the dummy away from an unsettled baby just yet, thats in my opinion if you want to keep some of your sanity LOL . Fingers crossed for a good night tonight :cross-fingers: