Sleepless Nights Support Thread

[Noelle610]

Good luck hun! Overnight diapers are the best - I love Huggies!

 

[lauraemily17]

9 month sleep regression sucks. We've been lucky I guess and its the first regression we've been through properly but I was totally unprepared for it. It's like having a newborn again!!

Any tips from anyone who's been through it? Anything to keep me sane as my stubborn baby is laying on me eyes wide open watching me type this on my phone at 12.30am!!

 

[girl friday]

No tips, just wanted to let you know you aren't the only one here tonight. DS2's sleep had really improved. We weren't anywhere near his pre 4 month sleep, but were down to 2 wakes. He's currently teething and is waking every 90 mins for up to an hour.
If that wasn't bad enough, I am at risk of redundancy and have an interview to keep my job next week that I need to prepare for (and be awake for)!

 

[lauraemily17]

Oh bless you. Babies always time it wrong. As it happens I've also got an interview on Monday so I fully sympathise. I've got a lot to do today but my head is pounding from the lack of sleep last night! Now I'm faced with the dilemma, sleep when he naps this morning or use valuable quiet time to do interview prep?!

I hope it all works out for you and you get a couple if good nights sleep and smash your interview

 

[girl friday]

Good luck for your interview too.
I was talking to DH about the interview last night, his suggestion is that I go to bed at 8pm, he has DS2 till midnight and then gives me an extra hour in the morning. It's a helpful suggestion, but I'd rather have a bigger chunk in the morning and he didn't get that. He has to work all day and says sleeping (undisturbed) 12/12:30-5:30/6 will be fine for him at work, but he doesn't want to get up any earlier.

 

[Twister]

Seven times she's been up tonight... Seven!!!! I really thought her sleep was improving but the past couple of nights have been worse than ever with her waking every 90mins. Im exhausted and jealous of oh who has slept through it all. We are moving her into her own room today.. Not sure it's the right thing to do now

 

[gaiagirl]

Good luck Twister. I moved LO after a particularly bad night and the only difference it made was I had to get out of bed every time he woke up...boo.

Honestly, my advice after trying EVERY arrangement of naps and awake time and routine and blah blah blah...is cosleeping. It saves me seriously. I know it's not for everyone, but if done safely it really can make a world of difference.

Sighhhh otherwise, we wait it out

 

[daneuse27]

Seven times she's been up tonight... Seven!!!! I really thought her sleep was improving but the past couple of nights have been worse than ever with her waking every 90mins. Im exhausted and jealous of oh who has slept through it all. We are moving her into her own room today.. Not sure it's the right thing to do now

What is causing her to wake up, and how long does she usually stay awake?

 

[daneuse27]

9 month sleep regression sucks. We've been lucky I guess and its the first regression we've been through properly but I was totally unprepared for it. It's like having a newborn again!!

Any tips from anyone who's been through it? Anything to keep me sane as my stubborn baby is laying on me eyes wide open watching me type this on my phone at 12.30am!!

How many regressions are there? I've heard of 4 month, 6, 7, 8 and now 9 month?

 

[gaiagirl]

I'm ready to just accept 4-????? As one big regression.

 

[Twister]

Seven times she's been up tonight... Seven!!!! I really thought her sleep was improving but the past couple of nights have been worse than ever with her waking every 90mins. Im exhausted and jealous of oh who has slept through it all. We are moving her into her own room today.. Not sure it's the right thing to do now

What is causing her to wake up, and how long does she usually stay awake?

I'm not sure, we think we might be disturbing her, that's one of the reasons why we've moved her into her own room. Most of the time I have to nurse her back to sleep as I can't settle her any other way, not even with a dummy. Although. most of the time she doesn't even take a proper feed so I don't think it's hunger.

 

[Twister]

So far being in her own room has made no difference. She's woke up twice, both wakings around 2 hours apart and the first one was 2 hours after she got put to bed. I can't even blame oh's snoring. Starting to feel like there's no point me even bothering to sleep in the first place. And I just know I'm going to get even more hacked off because I'm going to have to actually get out of bed now. Waste of time moving her, wish I never did now.

I feel like I'm doing something wrong and that's why she wakes so much through the night. I really am at a loss. I feel like sleep training at 6/7 months is going to by my only answer at this rate. I just cannot cope with such little and broken sleep. I have zero energy in the day and its making me into a crap mum.

Sorry for whining (again).

 

[gaiagirl]

Hugs xxxx you are NOT doing anything wrong! Babies biologically don't sleep like adults do, it's a waiting game

Her wakefulness is not a reflection of your parenting, it's just how she is built.

This is why I cosleep from my bedtime/next waking until morning! I don't have to fully wake to deal with the wakings...

 

[Twister]

Thank you.

It's just frustrating because she used to sleep great. She wa never this bad even as a newborn, always went at least 4 hours then as she got a bit older it was 7-9 hours. So I know she can do it

 

[Twister]

She's been up since 4:30am and I can't doit anymore. I've just woke oh up by bursting into hysterical tears Just so exhausted and he was as much use as a chocolate tea pot. All he could say was "that's what babies do" and "you should sleep when she sleeps during the day". All easy to say when you're not the one doing it all This is why I don't talk to anyone in RL about her sleep because they all say the exact same thing. Why couldn't he just put an arm round me and tell me it's going to be ok? Didn't ask for his 'advice' in the first place

 

[lauraemily17]

9 month sleep regression sucks. We've been lucky I guess and its the first regression we've been through properly but I was totally unprepared for it. It's like having a newborn again!!

Any tips from anyone who's been through it? Anything to keep me sane as my stubborn baby is laying on me eyes wide open watching me type this on my phone at 12.30am!!

How many regressions are there? I've heard of 4 month, 6, 7, 8 and now 9 month?

I've read 4,6,9 and 13 months. The 4 & 9 monthare big ones due to the development leap and 6 and 13 months milder. It can vary though, the 9 month for example is also referred to as the 8/9/10 regression!! It's just one long regression......!!

 

[Noelle610]

Twister, It's okay if you need/want to do sleep training at this point.

It's true that they all grow out of it at some point, but I'm a firm believer that some babies need to be taught to sleep. Some night waking is normal, but when sleep becomes extremely fragmented it's not healthy for baby or mom.

If you want to come up with a plan you can stick with, feel free to PM me!

 

[Noelle610]

9 month sleep regression sucks. We've been lucky I guess and its the first regression we've been through properly but I was totally unprepared for it. It's like having a newborn again!!

Any tips from anyone who's been through it? Anything to keep me sane as my stubborn baby is laying on me eyes wide open watching me type this on my phone at 12.30am!!

How many regressions are there? I've heard of 4 month, 6, 7, 8 and now 9 month?

I've read 4,6,9 and 13 months. The 4 & 9 monthare big ones due to the development leap and 6 and 13 months milder. It can vary though, the 9 month for example is also referred to as the 8/9/10 regression!! It's just one long regression......!!

Yup, WSS! The "Wonder Weeks" book is great - I highly recommend it. It explains why these phases happen when they do. The reason some parents say their kid never had this or that sleep regression is that not all babies respond to wonder weeks/developmental leaps by sleeping poorly. Some are fussy during the day or refuse to eat. Others are super clingy and some are hyper. It's different for each individual child. The regressions are no less "real" because some babies don't experience them (I just hate hearing, "I don't believe in sleep regressions", especially the four month one, because it's based on a biological change that's been very well documented).

I think the 4 month one is the hardest because it feels never ending. Once you've been through it, you realize that these are truly phases that do pass.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

eeek I certainly hope we don't go through 9 months sleep regression!!! We've just started to sleep finally lol!

There's nothing wrong with sleep training. Most moms in my friends group have done it and all have had a positive outcome.

 

[gaiagirl]

Twister, my LO slept much better as a newborn as well. The change at 4 months is a biological shift that happens with the way babies sleep. As Noelle said it is documented and proven, some don't seem as affected by it but mine certainly was! Just because a baby sleeps longer stretches as a newborn doesn't mean they will just continue to improve as they get older. That's kinda what I thought as a FTM so I was pretty shocked by the whole reality thing But turns out it's up and down, up and down, up and down until they finally mature sleep wise.

Fingers crossed if we have second babies they are those magical unicorn ones that STTN early and just keep on doing it!