Rant - Feeling so hopeless about sleep!

[Noelle610]

Sorry Sunnie! Something about the hours of 4am - 6am ... They're unbearable! I think it's because babies are in a light sleep cycle and have trouble going to sleep unassisted. If Charlotte's going to stir, it's more often than not around this time. DH and I used to call it the "four o'clock shuffle". She did the awake every 15 minutes until around 5:30am thing for awhile.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

So Noelle, I feel exactly the same way you did when you started this thread. I guess Charlotte was 5 months or so old then, right? I really think I'm going to lose my mind with these MOTN parties and really see no light at the end of the tunnel

Last night, Sofia went to bed at 7 pm sharp with a full stomach and a dose of Advil. She looked around for a bit and was asleep by 7:05. She woke up at 11:30 pm and DH gave her her ebm outta which she only took 2 oz before falling asleep. The problem was that she woke up again at 2:30 am. I looked at her on the monitor and it seemed like she didn't wanna wake up but something was bothering her. I went in at around 2:40 am and fed her and she ate a bit...then she was going to sleep again but same thing...something was snapping her outta her sleep....this went on till 3:50 am when I went in again and tried to feed her. She barely ate anything but calmed down enough to go to sleep.

She woke up for the day at 8 am and is taking her first nap now starting 9:30 am. I'm at loss of what's keeping her up. I mean she had the Advil, she was full, had not pooped and was not overtired. I obv slept very poorly and feel so down this morning. I barely remember the times when she used to sleep 8-9 hours stretches or even the times she went down quickly after a feed

Made an appt with the pedi for 2 hours from now to get some advice and make sure health wise she is ok. She's her same old during the day it's just these night time episodes that are getting worse every night...

sigh....feeling so helpless :/

 

[Noelle610]

So Noelle, I feel exactly the same way you did when you started this thread. I guess Charlotte was 5 months or so old then, right? I really think I'm going to lose my mind with these MOTN parties and really see no light at the end of the tunnel

Last night, Sofia went to bed at 7 pm sharp with a full stomach and a dose of Advil. She looked around for a bit and was asleep by 7:05. She woke up at 11:30 pm and DH gave her her ebm outta which she only took 2 oz before falling asleep. The problem was that she woke up again at 2:30 am. I looked at her on the monitor and it seemed like she didn't wanna wake up but something was bothering her. I went in at around 2:40 am and fed her and she ate a bit...then she was going to sleep again but same thing...something was snapping her outta her sleep....this went on till 3:50 am when I went in again and tried to feed her. She barely ate anything but calmed down enough to go to sleep.

She woke up for the day at 8 am and is taking her first nap now starting 9:30 am. I'm at loss of what's keeping her up. I mean she had the Advil, she was full, had not pooped and was not overtired. I obv slept very poorly and feel so down this morning. I barely remember the times when she used to sleep 8-9 hours stretches or even the times she went down quickly after a feed

Made an appt with the pedi for 2 hours from now to get some advice and make sure health wise she is ok. She's her same old during the day it's just these night time episodes that are getting worse every night...

sigh....feeling so helpless :/

Let us know what the ped says.

 

[Sunnie1984]

Aimee - I hope he gets better soon.

Bananaz - to you as well. That must be really frustrating, although at least she slept in to make up some of that sleep. For what it's worth, I'd keep doing what you are doing, unless she gets hysterical with what you are doing. If she's settling for you (in the end) I think you're doing great.

Noelle - Could it be that she's ready to drop/tweak a nap time?

April - Oh no, that must be beyond tough for you.

Lysh - Sorry you had such a bad night. I agree that 3am is definitely not wake up time!

Ladybee - I'm so sorry. I really hope this is just a phase and passes quickly. I don't really have any advice, I'm sorry, I don't know a lot about the developmental things at his age.

Shadowy Lady - I'm glad that at least you got a good stretch of sleep before you had to feed the night before last . Could the wakings still be pain, the advil will only last 4 hours, so anything after that could be breakthrough pain? I agree that you need to look at Sofia's wake time, rather than a set time of day for naps.


I'm not really sure what's going on with us at the moment. Seren's naps got interrupted during the day yesterday, and I think she was definitely overtired, which might have been what caused the early morning wakings. They are really unusual for her.

I also wonder whether she has begun teething. She was drooling like mad today. But she didn't really seem to need pain killers etc, so maybe not.

Well her naps have been a lot better today, and she went down at 7pm, having had her last nap at 4:30 for 45 minutes, which is really long for her.

Although quite funny, she now prefers to sleep on her tummy, but when I put her down she tries to crawl, even when she's really really tired, it's like she can't help herself

So I have to put my hand on her back and ssshhh her until she gets her thumb in her mouth and settles.

Hmmm I wonder, I thought she was hitting WW19 late, but is it possible she's hitting WW26 early?

She learnt to roll about two weeks ago, when I though it should be the start of WW19, but maybe it was the end of WW19 and she's moved on to WW26 fussy period instead?

I cannot wait until the end of WW26 and I can breathe again.

In the meantime I'm going to bed early tonight so I can catch up on sleep myself.

 

[Noelle610]

Sunnie, I don't think she's ready to drop a nap. She's on two and I don't think either of us is ready for only one at 8 months haha!

WW19 and WW26 sometimes run into each other - I think I had a week off in between! It's a rough time for sleep. A sleep consultant once told me that 4 and 5 months is like "one big wonder week". After that you get a nice big break. I haven't found WW37 to be nearly as bad, but that may be because my kid was a colicky, refluxy mess until 6 months, so these disruptions don't bother me as much as the average person

 

[Sunnie1984]

Sunnie, I don't think she's ready to drop a nap. She's on two and I don't think either of us is ready for only one at 8 months haha!

WW19 and WW26 sometimes run into each other - I think I had a week off in between! It's a rough time for sleep. A sleep consultant once told me that 4 and 5 months is like "one big wonder week". After that you get a nice big break. I haven't found WW37 to be nearly as bad, but that may be because my kid was a colicky, refluxy mess until 6 months, so these disruptions don't bother me as much as the average person

Yes I guess it is a bit soon to drop a nap. Will it mess her bedtime up if you moved it to say 15-30 minutes later? Maybe she needs a little more awake time before a nap?

Yep it feels like one big wonder week. According to my diary (I put all WW dates in there a month ago) she should be out of WW19, heading for a sunny period on Saturday, then in a week and a half, back to fussy in prep for WW26, but I've not seen the fussiness ease off.

Although she's been really sleepy the last couple of days, which I think (as pp have suggested) was either growth spurt or teething (as she's now drooling for england). So maybe we're in the gap for WW19 and WW26 but other things are in the way.

That doesn't explain the attempts to crawl though, she literally only just learnt to roll, and now that's not enough for her! I wonder whether being with older babies and watching them has spurred her on!

Has Charlotte popped her tooth or is she still struggling?

x

 

[Noelle610]

OMG that darn front tooth is still right on the gum line! She STTN last night, 7pm to 7am (wahooo!) so seems okay for now. She's very on and off with teething.

 

[Boo44]

Sunnie - seren is such a beautiful name

 

[mrsbeano]

Ladies and more ladies (no gents here I think)... we have a culprit. Felt at approximately 6pm this evening we have another tooth. Runny nose is now accounted for as is the random waking up for apparently no good reason.

Last night... A-MA-ZING! Best sleep ever (for the sprog anyway). Not counting on it being the start of anything. Quinn likes to tease for a few nights every now and again before resuming his usual sleep depriving antics.

Fingers crossed for tonight everyone! Like in the TTC forums how the spread baby dust, we can spread sleep dust

 

[Shadowy Lady]

so the pedi is more worried about me than Sofia. She checked her and said she's fine just teething (and it may take another month or so). She said to stay consistent with what we do when she wakes up. So for the next 4 nights, if she wakes up, we'll feed, hold, put down and leave and ignore till she falls back asleep (as she tends to cry more when we check on her).

For me though she said I'm showing some signs of PPD She said I HAVE to get at least 3 nights off per week as the depression is coming from sleep deprivation. 2-3 hours of sleep per night is just too rough on my body.

 

[MrsPear]

Thanks for the sleep dust! Joni slept in her cot until 4:30 last night before she wanted cuddling... That's the longest BY FAR in weeks. I don't mean she slept through till then (of course not, she woke loads of times!) but she did settle each time and I got some actual sleep on my back likea normal person rather than lying awake till she wakes for the first time and then holding her the rest of time night. Fingers crossed for tonight.

I'm a bit worried about her weight. She was 75 th percentile when born and now she is teeny, she is going to be 7 months in 10 days and only 13lbs15oz. I think I'm going to take her to the doctor because she refuses point blank a bottle an?d I'm starting to think she may be waking up actually hungry grather. than wanting comfort 4 or so times in the night which I think is quite a lot for her age.

Hope everyone gets some good sleep x

 

[Noelle610]

so the pedi is more worried about me than Sofia. She checked her and said she's fine just teething (and it may take another month or so). She said to stay consistent with what we do when she wakes up. So for the next 4 nights, if she wakes up, we'll feed, hold, put down and leave and ignore till she falls back asleep (as she tends to cry more when we check on her).

For me though she said I'm showing some signs of PPD She said I HAVE to get at least 3 nights off per week as the depression is coming from sleep deprivation. 2-3 hours of sleep per night is just too rough on my body.

Oh big hugs. I think your ped gives good advice in being consistent. Once Sofia is 6 months you can give her advil, which works really well for teething and lasts 6-8 hours, which = more sleep for everyone. Charlotte teethed for a long time before those first teeth too.

Please, please take cre of yourself. You must listen to the doc and get that sleep. 2-3 hours of sleep (or less) is what I was getting at my worst and it was absolutely unbearable. I feel like a new person now that I sleep "normally" (for a mom!) and even night wakings or a series of tough nights aren't quite as bad.

 

[mrsbeano]

Shadowy - your Dr is right, 2 hours sleep just isn't enough and I think she's right about how to respond to Sofia too. I have thought a few times that I have PPD but then I get a bit of rest and feel normal again so make sure you look after yourself.

Mrspear - yay for some rest. How much does Joni eat during the day - is she on solids yet? Quinn was born at the 50th and dropped to the 9th but I really need to get him weighed (a job for Monday). He just wasn't into milk but he loves his solids and I think he's put on some chunk.

Do you feed her at night at all? x

 

[Noelle610]

Thanks for the sleep dust! Joni slept in her cot until 4:30 last night before she wanted cuddling... That's the longest BY FAR in weeks. I don't mean she slept through till then (of course not, she woke loads of times!) but she did settle each time and I got some actual sleep on my back likea normal person rather than lying awake till she wakes for the first time and then holding her the rest of time night. Fingers crossed for tonight.

I'm a bit worried about her weight. She was 75 th percentile when born and now she is teeny, she is going to be 7 months in 10 days and only 13lbs15oz. I think I'm going to take her to the doctor because she refuses point blank a bottle an?d I'm starting to think she may be waking up actually hungry grather. than wanting comfort 4 or so times in the night which I think is quite a lot for her age.

Hope everyone gets some good sleep x

That is great! Hopefully it's a sign of things to come. I've heard from many moms that once their baby started settling in their own cot, they started sleeping better

I do think it's common for babies to fluctuate a bit in their percentiles. Charlotte was born in the 50th, was in the 25th for awhile (probably due to reflux) and is now between the 50th and 75th (my little porker!). I would definitely take Joni to the doc though, just to be safe. How are solids going?

 

[Shadowy Lady]

Noelle - thanks She said i could go ahead and give her Advil and she also advised to start solids slowly.

Mrsbeano - ya the doc told me it was def sleep related too. I too feel much better when i sleep, like my old me.

DH is picking up my sleep meds now...i think i'll have to take tonight off somehow. Not sure how to avoid hearing her though. Maybe I need a sound machine or something

 

[Noelle610]

Noelle - thanks She said i could go ahead and give her Advil and she also advised to start solids slowly.

Mrsbeano - ya the doc told me it was def sleep related too. I too feel much better when i sleep, like my old me.

DH is picking up my sleep meds now...i think i'll have to take tonight off somehow. Not sure how to avoid hearing her though. Maybe I need a sound machine or something

Awesome! Let us know how the advil and solids go.

I'm not sure what you will be taking, but the sleep meds have really helped me. I still hear Charlotte, which I prefer, but I fall asleep easily and I go back to sleep easily. It's really nice because her night wakings don't throw me into such a state that I am laying awake for hours just waiting for the next one. The only time I still struggle a bit is in the early morning hours. Around 3am/4am I find I sleep lightly as the meds are wearing off, but such is life. I usually sleep solidly from 9pm to 3am, so that's good enough for me!

 

[MrsPear]

so the pedi is more worried about me than Sofia. She checked her and said she's fine just teething (and it may take another month or so). She said to stay consistent with what we do when she wakes up. So for the next 4 nights, if she wakes up, we'll feed, hold, put down and leave and ignore till she falls back asleep (as she tends to cry more when we check on her).

For me though she said I'm showing some signs of PPD She said I HAVE to get at least 3 nights off per week as the depression is coming from sleep deprivation. 2-3 hours of sleep per night is just too rough on my body.

Shadowy I wrote on another forum recently that I feel depressed when I'm tired but when I'm not, I feel fine. It really, really is related. I've sat in tears with Joni quite a few times, and it's always always when I'm tired. You do sound a little depressed recently, I think we all know the feeling...it's like a kind of desperation about sleep...I definitely agree some regular time off would help, I noticed you felt very refreshed after your night away, even though you couldn't completely relax. Big hugs to you xxx

 

[AngelUK]

Shadowy Lady when it is my OH's night I usually put one earphone in and listen to an audiobook. It has to be one I know by heart so that it becomes like white noise and I sleep soo well with that. Maybe you could try either earplugs or your earphones and some soothing non exciting music? Good luck!

Noelle great advice on the nap transitioning. That third nap of the day is our stumbling block too but the after lunch nap is the clincher really. Depending when that is and how long, determines when and if they can have an afternoon nap. Usually our rule of thumb is no sleep after 4:30 and bedtime is 7. But it is hard to do when they wake up at 1:30 and only had 30 mins. Cranky babies are no fun! xx

 

[MrsPear]

Shadowy - your Dr is right, 2 hours sleep just isn't enough and I think she's right about how to respond to Sofia too. I have thought a few times that I have PPD but then I get a bit of rest and feel normal again so make sure you look after yourself.

Mrspear - yay for some rest. How much does Joni eat during the day - is she on solids yet? Quinn was born at the 50th and dropped to the 9th but I really need to get him weighed (a job for Monday). He just wasn't into milk but he loves his solids and I think he's put on some chunk.

Do you feed her at night at all? x

We started solids at 25 weeks but she hasn't really gone for it yet- she is having a go though, so hopefully as time goes on she will eat more and more.

I feed her quite a bit in the night and I'd say she definitely wants feeding not just comfort. In the day she will feed about every 3 hours, a lot if we are at home and less when we are out and about. I hope she'll be like Quinn and get more and more into solids, good luck getting him weighed

 

[Noelle610]

Noelle great advice on the nap transitioning. That third nap of the day is our stumbling block too but the after lunch nap is the clincher really. Depending when that is and how long, determines when and if they can have an afternoon nap. Usually our rule of thumb is no sleep after 4:30 and bedtime is 7. But it is hard to do when they wake up at 1:30 and only had 30 mins. Cranky babies are no fun! xx

That transition is so hard!!! Cranky babies are the worst - Charlotte took a 2 hour nap from 1:30pm to 3:30pm yesterday and she was such a joy in the evening. It made all the difference. We only had a slight meltdown at bedtime rather than screaming down the house