Well it has a name, if that helps (nothing else does).... four month sleep regression is when your previously quite-good-at-sleeping baby loses the plot entirely and starts waking up at all hours of the night. The forums are full of crazed parents trying to cope, with a lot of posts being written at ungodly hours.
Our baby had got as far as sleeping in two five-hour blocks, waking up just once a night for a feed and then happily back off to sleep within 20 min of waking. I was very happy and would have been happy with that for years, if necessary.
And then boom. Now he will wake 5-6 times a night, maybe once every two hours, maybe once an hour. Maybe (just to keep you guessing) he will wake half an hour after you fed him. The first few nights I was in shock. Then we tried to be logical - he would be given a feed at appropriate gaps, say 3-4 hours, and the other times Daddy would wake and put him back to sleep with just cuddles.
Now I just feed him, it's quicker and when you're a zombie it's hard to be logical, let alone start doing maths in your head regarding when he last fed, etc (even if it's just + 2, it's too much for the sleep-starved brain). Two nights of just four hours sleep left me weeping with exhaustion. The third night I dealt with it as best I could and then my husband took him away at 6am and wandered the quiet corridors of a hotel we were staying in (luckily he wasn't screaming) while I got in two extra precious, precious hours sleep. This meant at least I didn't wake up and cry but staggered along to a huge breakfast... carbs are the only thing you want when you're knackered, I'm afraid.
Theories range from they need solids (although weaning is now supposed to start at 6 months), to it being part of their development of new skills, see this post - scroll down a bit where she talks about the Wonder Weeks. Thing is, if it's him developing a new skill I expect something pretty damn amazing at the end of it. Tap dancing would do. 'I love you mummy' spoken clearly and accompanied with a hug might just make up for the lack of sleep.
I'm taking him to an osteopath in the secret hope this might help but who knows. "How long does it last?" ask all the forum posters and the answer seems to mostly be 2-4 weeks, but sometimes people say it's still ongoing months later.
Oh. My. God.
Our baby had got as far as sleeping in two five-hour blocks, waking up just once a night for a feed and then happily back off to sleep within 20 min of waking. I was very happy and would have been happy with that for years, if necessary.
And then boom. Now he will wake 5-6 times a night, maybe once every two hours, maybe once an hour. Maybe (just to keep you guessing) he will wake half an hour after you fed him. The first few nights I was in shock. Then we tried to be logical - he would be given a feed at appropriate gaps, say 3-4 hours, and the other times Daddy would wake and put him back to sleep with just cuddles.
Now I just feed him, it's quicker and when you're a zombie it's hard to be logical, let alone start doing maths in your head regarding when he last fed, etc (even if it's just + 2, it's too much for the sleep-starved brain). Two nights of just four hours sleep left me weeping with exhaustion. The third night I dealt with it as best I could and then my husband took him away at 6am and wandered the quiet corridors of a hotel we were staying in (luckily he wasn't screaming) while I got in two extra precious, precious hours sleep. This meant at least I didn't wake up and cry but staggered along to a huge breakfast... carbs are the only thing you want when you're knackered, I'm afraid.
Theories range from they need solids (although weaning is now supposed to start at 6 months), to it being part of their development of new skills, see this post - scroll down a bit where she talks about the Wonder Weeks. Thing is, if it's him developing a new skill I expect something pretty damn amazing at the end of it. Tap dancing would do. 'I love you mummy' spoken clearly and accompanied with a hug might just make up for the lack of sleep.
I'm taking him to an osteopath in the secret hope this might help but who knows. "How long does it last?" ask all the forum posters and the answer seems to mostly be 2-4 weeks, but sometimes people say it's still ongoing months later.
Oh. My. God.
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