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What is the AP stand on the "4 month wakeful period"??

Noodle716Noodle716
in Attachment Parenting

I think we have hit this time...the past 3 nights have been hell...She was sleeping from 8-6 about 6 nights a week...sometimes waking at 12 or 1 to nurse. The past 3 nights she has been waking HOURLY!  I offered to nurse her everytime and about every third hour I can tell that she is really eating (can feel let down and can hear her gulping) but all the other times she wakes up crying in her sleep (more like an intense fuss) and as soon as we go to her and pick her up (she won't take the paci or go back to sleep by us soothing her) she falls asleep in our arms. We tried to put her in the bed with us...but she wanted no part of that (she has started rolling)... only was happy in our arms in the rocker. If she is not in our arms she is rolling around, rubbing the heck out of her eyes, sticking her hands in her mouth and fussing.

I think she may be teething also so I have been using those homeopathic tablets (Hylands) so my thought is that could be waking her...I am going to order an amber necklace today.

Anyhow, I of course started to read online and got a bunch of CIO advice crap. I haven't gone to the Dr. Sears book yet...

My pedi warned me about this phase and I am thinking it is just going to be a tough few weeks before she gets back to another sleep pattern. He thankfully doesn't advise CIO and just said to do what we all can to get sleep but what works for most is co-sleeping and she for some reason doesn't sleep well with us.

Any adice?

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Re: What is the AP stand on the "4 month wakeful period"??

  • kit443kit443 member

    You could try reading No cry sleep solution. It is supportive of co-sleeping and has ways around sleep "training" involving crying.

     

    We are in the midst of sleep problems too (my LO is 4.5 months). It is tough. I am working my way through that book now. 

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  • moroccojademoroccojade member

    What I read of Sears is useless with regard to sleep.  Nurse down or Wear down.  Pooh.  (Maybe his book solely on sleep is better, but The Baby Book sucked.)

    NCSS is definitely one to pick up.  

    And honestly?  The Baby Whisperer had some useful things to say.  Some don't like her with re: to feeding, but she's definitely no-cry when it comes to sleep.  (She suggests a Pick Up/Put Down method.  We modified that for our 10 month old at the time and it worked  great.)

    We thought DD was teething around that time, too.  But no, she was just a bit fussy.  She didn't cut a tooth till the day before her 1st birthday.  And, erm, don't spend a bundle on an amber necklace.  Friends had no luck with them.  I was thinking about buying one in a shop, but the woman who should have been selling me the darn thing highly discouraged me and told me to go for those Hyland's tablets instead!  

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  • funchickenfunchicken member
    Honestly, I think you just have to ride it out.  It should get better in a couple of weeks.  If she sleeps when you're holding her maybe you and DH can take turns sleeping in the chair.  It won't last forever.
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  • lkstorlkstor
    Kellymom.com has a great article about the 4 month wakeful.
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  • Jelliebean1982Jelliebean1982
    Their brains are going through so much during this time.  They are transitioning from being a newborn to a full fledged giggling, rolling, on the move baby.  You just have to ride it out since it's a developmental stage.  It has nothing to do with BFing.  Even moms who bottle feed go through it and there's nothing you can do.  As mysteriously as it has started, it will go away.  Just drink more coffee ;)
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  • Joey AmandaJoey Amanda member
    no advice but we are going through the same thing... every hour or half hour!! its crazy and it just started all of a sudden!!!!
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  • Sunny1inTucsonSunny1inTucson

    Every parent makes their own decision.

    Ours was to ride it out. Hang in there. Take each night at a time and try to remember that it will pass.

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  • DarcyLongfellowDarcyLongfellow member
    We're also going through this right now, and it's truly awful. She wakes up at night and just wants to play. Then she's cranky all day because she didn't sleep. I used to always nurse her to sleep then set her down. That's stopped working -- she just wakes when put in her bed. So even getting her to sleep is awful, then she's waking as much as she used to as a newborn. We're lucky it's the holidays -- my parents are here now, so they're sharing the burden of calming a baby who won't sleep!!!
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  • Lotte134Lotte134
    imageSunny1inTucson:

    Ours was to ride it out. Hang in there. Take each night at a time and try to remember that it will pass.

    Yes 

    That's pretty much my whole sleep philosophy summed up.  It took me awhile to get there, but I'm a lot calmer and a better mommy for it.

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  • HippinskiHippinski
    imageLotte134:
    imageSunny1inTucson:

    Ours was to ride it out. Hang in there. Take each night at a time and try to remember that it will pass.

    Yes 

    That's pretty much my whole sleep philosophy summed up.  It took me awhile to get there, but I'm a lot calmer and a better mommy for it.

    This is what we do too.  FWIW, my kids are crappy sleepers.  For 3 nights in a row we have been up numerous times.  My 6 yr old is having really bad dreams and we need to sit with him and help him calm down and fall back asleep.  I'm tired and sore and pretty cranky myself...but he needs me so that's where I am.  It's hard and I wish there was a magic button that we as parents could push to make it better.  If any of you invent this magic button...you will be rich beyond your wildest dreams!

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  • WyoGalWyoGal
    imageSunny1inTucson:

    Ours was to ride it out. Hang in there. Take each night at a time and try to remember that it will pass.

    This.  I can't even imagine doing CIO ever, but especially if I knew developmentally what was going on and chose to ignore it. 

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  • alina*mariealina*marie
    imageLotte134:
    imageSunny1inTucson:

    Ours was to ride it out. Hang in there. Take each night at a time and try to remember that it will pass.

    Yes 

    That's pretty much my whole sleep philosophy summed up.  It took me awhile to get there, but I'm a lot calmer and a better mommy for it.

    We are in the wakeful period as well. This advice^^ is what's working for us. I stopped seeing sleep as a problem to be fixed and started seeing it as a phase that will pass.

    Just like morning sickness- it REALLY sucked at the time, but I just had to make the best of it and ride it out.

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