sleep deprived mum

[Jobot77]

I hope someone can offer some advice.

I'm a first time mum to a gorgeous 4 month old daughter who doesn't seem to want to sleep at night.

She's EBF and I've allowed her to fall asleep on me and while feeding. I then transfer her to her cot. She's been very unsettled the last few weeks and I'm lucky to get a 3 hour sleep out of her the rest of the night she's awake every hour and sometimes even sooner. Eventually around 4-5am I cave in from exhaustion and bring her into our bed to try and get some rest while she feeds and sleeps.

She is hard to put down for naps during the day but will fall asleep in the car or her pushchair for longer sleep than at night at the moment. She'll also sleep longer on me if allowed or I fall asleep nursing in the nursery chair.

I'm currently trying the no cry solution day 2, but welcome any advice/suggestions. I want to avoid cio. I can't face it at the moment and think she's to young.

We do have a bedtime schedule and I try to get her to nap twice a day but am not always successful with the naps.

thanks for your help.

[ShesADreamer]

Google four month sleep regression.

Bit of a grim read but at least you'll know you're not alone and things will get better.

[Jobot77]

Thanks ShesADreamer. :)

Thing is she's never been a great sleeper and hoped by now for some improvement and longer stretches of sleep.

Perhaps wishful thinking.

[CabbageHead]

She could also be teething, or have ear issues or silent reflux? Just thinking cos she will sleep in pushchair, car where she is more upright... Prob 4mth sleep regression though...My ds was a continual nightmare from 4mths onwards, got better each month tho..sllloooooowwwllllyyyy... Lol! Good luck!

[Sycamore76]

Hi,
I had this trouble with my now 20 month old. It sounds like your lo doesnt know how to fall asleep on her own which was the trouble with my little boy. He was also breast fed. I sleep trained him at five months and he slept through at five months. Can you put her on cot awake and sush pat her until she falls asleep. It takes some patients. ! Hope this helps

[Sycamore76]

Hi,
I had this trouble with my now 20 month old. It sounds like your lo doesnt know how to fall asleep on her own which was the trouble with my little boy. He was also breast fed. I sleep trained him at five months and he slept through at five months. Can you put her on cot awake and sush pat her until she falls asleep. It takes some patients. ! Hope this helps

[Jobot77]

thanks for the replies.

She's improved the last few nights. I've been logging all her sleeping and feeding. I am also working on taking her off the nipple before she falls asleep.

It may be a coincidence but things have improved. I will continue with the training and move to try and put her down awake and shhh shush her. I've tried it previously without success but perhaps with the other training improvement she may become more receptive.

She has had waxy ears so I might ask the doctor to check her ears in case this is adding to the problem.

Fingers crossed we might reach a point of 4 or 5 hour sleeps between night feeds .

I remain positive and hopeful.

[Flossie82]

Hi. I doubt taking her off before she's asleep and improvements are a coincidence. We had very similar with DS. Waking every hour (then feeding for over an hour!) - I was totally shattered.

At about 5 months I decided I had to do something and made sure he went into cit awake. He did cry a lot, but I stayed with him, and it quickly improved. At 7 months he now settles well at bed Tim (7/8ish) and generally wakes once or twice before waking for the day at 6. Not brilliant, but so much better than before!

I recomend reading Andrea grace gentle sleep solution