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DD no longer STTN; she's up 3 x's per night now! Help!
So, she was never STTN every night, but almost since the beginning, she has been a great sleeper. At one point she was sleeping for 7-8 hour stretches, and only getting up once to eat. For the last few nights she has been getting up three times; around 1am, 3am, and 5am. I am exhausted!! Maybe it's a growth spurt? I'm worried that she's at the age where she's forming habits, and I certainly don't want this to become one.
Do you think it's the 4 month wakeful period a few weeks early? Has anyone else gone through this around 13-14 weeks? Please HELP!
I am in awe of you working moms who go through this, by the way. I couldn't imagine having to teach a classroom full of kids on 3 hours of sleep! I can barely function today.
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Re: DD no longer STTN; she's up 3 x's per night now! Help!
1. She is too young to be forming habits
2. Alyssa has slept in 12 hour stretches since 8 weeks (lucky, I know), however, she has times when sleeping does not go so well - growth spurt, sickness, who knows, but it randomly happens. Whenever whatever is disturbing her abates, she goes back to sleeping just fine, so hang in there! Just make sure she's actually hungry before you stick a boob or bottle in her mouth and actually awake before you go rushing in - Alyssa woke up 3 times last night but I only went in once because that was the only time she really signaled her needing me (the other two were more her fussing because she wasn't getting a good nights sleep or whatever).
3. FWIW, I think the 4 mo wakeful is a myth - there's a growth spurt about that time just as there are spurts other times not to mention that, as my mother says "as soon as you think you see a pattern, they change it up on you"
I'm so sorry! I know exactly how you feel, I'm one of the working Moms, DD is 6.5 mo old and has never even come close to STTN. I don't know how I even function.
it could be the 4-mo wakeful period, does she wake up and seem very alert and want to play? DD went thru a phase like that, she'd wake up like your DD and be completely awake/alert. I couldn't do anything to stop it, I just kept the room dark/quiet, did not let her play and just nursed, shushed, rocked her back to sleep but...sometimes it took 2hrs for her to go back to sleep
hang in there!
I am so sorry you're going through this! DD did the exact same thing around the same time (3/4 mos). She slept through the night around 6 weeks, and then around 3/4 mos she would wake up. I knew she wasn't hungry since she hadn't been eating at night before.
What I read and heard from my pediatrician and many other moms was that around 3/4 months is when they really start noticing their environment, they really can get stimulated by things, their brains are changing and learning things. It was explained to me that it gets hard for them to "turn it off" at night, they are getting over stimulated and wake up at night.
I never got E up or fed her when she woke up. I would just see if she would take the pacifier (she usually didn't use it but it definitely helped us get through this phase and we took it away for good at 6 mos). I would try to sneak her the pacifier, not make eye contact with her and not stay at her crib for very long at all. We also bought a mobile that had the function where it made light shapes on the ceiling. She had an aquarium in her crib but she couldn't reach it or really even see it to be calmed by it. The mobile had a remote control so I could stand in her door, turn on the mobile for her to see and hear, and she never even knew I was in the room. I think these things helped calm her down and get her back to sleep. I was really tough when that started and we both had to go to work the next day. That's why it wasnt an option for me to be awake with her for any length of time during the night.
It was a phase, it passed for us. Good luck!!! Jenn
April- J did the same thing around this time. He slept so well up until this point and then was up 3-4 times at night. I think it was a growth spurt because he wanted to nurse all the time. Although, one thing I have learned is you really never know exactly what the issue is. (He has since returned to his great sleeping habits and wakes up only once now.) This is a great article that I found and it really helped me. https://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html
I know it is hard to go through, but just know that it will pass.
Good Luck.
Stephanie
This.
And this. Especially the changing it up on you part. Until she really really STTN every night, she will likely change it up on you several more times.