4 month sleep regression tips

[GF91]

Same old, currently sitting on the sofa bouncing my (nearly) 4 month old in her bouncer with my feet, crying. Been awake for hours. I'm exhausted, emotional, my boobs hurt (she's BF) & at my wits end. She's gone from sleeping 8-6 6.30-9 To 8.30/9-1 if I'm lucky, and that's its hourly after that or like this morning, she just doesn't go back to sleep. I'm the last 2 weeks I've literally only had about 10 hours sleep, I'm a quivering, pale mess. Nothing's changed in her routine, she's outgrown the colic, she doesn't sleep during the day at all (she may nap while in the car but the minute u turn the engine off she's awake) so as u can imagine we r both a barrel of laughs right now. She's fed, she's got a clean bum, ive just left her in her cot, I've left her to cry (she throws a complete wobbley, and turns purple) I've swaddled, unswaddled, bought a lamb skin comforter. I feel like I've broached every avenue with her and nothing is helping. Right now if I could find a way to out her back where she came from- I honestly would! Even as a newborn she slept better than she is now! I feel like this is going to carry on forever! Any tips or advice would be great fully received xxxx

 

[bigbee]

Sorry, no advice. Just wanted to say I'm in the "everyone wide awake" club with my 4 week old. I normally have roughly 3 hours sleep per day. Everyone keeps telling me it's going to get better. You are not alone, although it probably seems like it.

I am sorry you're both suffering. Wish I could offer words of wisdom

 

[Jessiecat]

Can I add my sympathies?
My boy finally settled at 1am. He then woke hourly to breast feed and decided the day started at 5am. I'm going to be a mess today. He's never had a good night but some are worse than others so although we're not at the 4 month regression yet, I do understand sleep deprivation and the emotions that go with it.
Everything I have read about the 4 month sleep regression says it's just a case of riding it out it sounds like you've done everything else . It sounds like you obviously won't be able to nap either but sounds like some sofa days are needed. The rest will do you good xx

 

[GF91]

Thanks ladies! Can deal with most things but excessive sleep deprivation is not one of them!! Sadly OH is pretty pants, & is much worse without sleep. Can't be dealing with a grumpy baby and a grumpy OH! Guess I'll just have to ride it out I'll have to get some matchsticks xxx

 

[Rose83]

Hey - not sure I'll be much help but I do feel some of your pain.
My little girl is 6 months, breast fed but by expression due to thrush problems early on that took two months to clear. At 10 weeks she dropped her only night time feed so from that point was sleeping 7-10pm when I woke her and gave her another bottle of breast milk, then she was doing 10-4 when she woke for a nappy change and immediately went back to sleep until 7am. So I thought I had the cleverest baby ever.

We got to about 4 and half months and suddenly it's 1am she wakes for the nappy change, then she would go back to sleep but wake at either 2, 3 or 4 absolutely wide awake, kicking her legs and giggling like a lunatic. There is nothing more frustrating than a baby giggling at you and being cute when all you want to do is sleep! She is swaddled or she wakes herself up rubbing her face. So the only thing that will get her back to sleep is being swaddled, dummy in and then being held in my arms in bed. Obviously this means I inevitably fall asleep with her beside me but she never leaves my arms. This is the only thing that has got us both sleeping again. But my OH has put his foot down this week and we've really started arguing about it. He doesn't want me sleeping with her because he thinks I'm going to suffocate her in my sleep. I know there is research for both sides of this argument and we just disagree. So basically I am now faced with a 6 month old who I'm training to train to go back to sleep without cuddling me. I told OH that if he doesn't want me sleeping with her then he is going to have to start getting up in the night though because I'm exhausted. Today I spent an hour putting her dummy back in over and over and over. She did eventually fall back asleep and woke up half an hour later at which point he took over...imagine my surprise (not) when he lasted ten minutes before bringing her into bed beside him so she would fall asleep. Although he rather annoyingly declared that he had done this but that he had not fallen asleep so that was ok. I am trying not to be annoyed but it's a bit impossible not to be when he is asking me to stop doing something and then ruins the hardwork I put in during the night by just back tracking when it got to his turn!

So basically I don't really have much advice other than that it does start to improve slowly but it's hell waiting for it to happen. The early sunrises really don't help, I try to keep it as dark as possible as I think it's very confusing to babies that it's bright sunlight and they are expected to be asleep still.

Oh and I forgot, we also in the last two weeks started having trouble with her not wanting to go to sleep at 7 anymore either and some nights she was still up at 10 and then waking up at 1. So we introduced more bedtime routine, started bathing her with johnsons bedtime bath stuff and then giving her a feed then to bed and that worked. We hadn't done baths at bed before because she has a full head of hair so always needed it washed in the mornig so as not to look like a scare crow. We read that even just one extra thing in the bed time routine can make them realise it is that time

Good luck - hope you feel better soon x