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HELP - 4.5 month old not sleeping :-/

kkcollins0402kkcollins0402
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months
Hi everyone - advice please! My little girl is 4.5 months. She was a preemie and for the first month or so she was awake every few hours to feed - totally normal. Then she started sleeping from like 7:30pm to 7am. That went on for a few months and just a couple weeks ago she started waking up at like 1am, 3am, 5am, and then awake at 6am ... and then wanting to nap all day. I don't get it! She started trying to get out her swaddle during the night and would wake her self up so I started swaddling 1 arm only and then no arms and then a different swaddle ... and then no swaddle - nothing! When she does wake up she doesn't eat all the times she more whines and groans but her eyes are closed. I try rocking her, bringing her into bed with me, nursing, anything I can and nothing seems to be working. I need help - I am beyond exhausted. She has been going to sleep around 8pm and then since she is currently on Propranolol, I have to wake her at 11pm for meds and then she goes back down until about midnight or 1am when she starts her waking up every hour routine. She is very hard to get to nap too unless she is over-exhausted :-/ Any words of wisdom would be wonderful. She is my first - thank you!
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Re: HELP - 4.5 month old not sleeping :-/

  • MarinsMomMarinsMom member

    Our DD is also 4.5 months and has been doing this too. She has been sleeping 12 hrs since she was 8 weeks and was a pretty good napper too. Then the 4-month wakeful period started about 3 weeks ago, just before we hit 4 months, and it hasn't quite gone away yet. naps are getting better in that she isnt fighting them anymore but sometimes they're 15 minutes, sometimes they're 2 hours -There's no way to predict!

    as for nights, she's doing the up every hour thing! sometimes shes just talking to herself and sometimes shes whining. when the fussiness actually turns into a cry i normally go in there and give her back her paci. she'll usually go back to sleep but then we do it all over again several times per night! can't wait for her to sleep the wholeeee night through again! 

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  • nanabanana06nanabanana06
    Welcome to the 4 month wakeful period. This is normal and will pass. Make yourself am extra pot of coffee until she grows out of it.
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  • Wild_flower25Wild_flower25 member
    Frequent wake ups are normal.  If she is just whining and groaning, let her be.  She needs to learn to get herself back to sleep and maybe you trying to "help" her is making it worse.  But if she's crying, then I'd try to soothe her, but without picking her up (unless you know she really is hungry).  For DD, all if she cries all I have to do is replace the pacifier and it's enough to help her self-soothe back to sleep.
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  • apeschkaapeschka member
    Our wakeful period just started last night and he was up 7 times from 8:30pm to 5:40am. I seriously hope this doesn't last too long because I don't think I can make it through by myself while the husband works night shifts.
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  • mben1119mben1119 member

    imageNana_Osaki06:
    Welcome to the 4 month wakeful period. This is normal and will pass. Make yourself am extra pot of coffee until she grows out of it.

    Yup. It is something we all go through, and I second the extra coffee. It was basically a food group for me until DS turned 6 months and started STTN.

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  • shellyloveleeshellylovelee member

    imagekkcollins0402:
    she goes back down until about midnight or 1am when she starts her waking up every hour routine. She is very hard to get to nap too unless she is over-exhausted :-/ Any words of wisdom would be wonderful. She is my first - thank you!

    I'm no help, I've been asking for the same advice on my BMB. This has been going on for two months for us! I feel sick, I'm so exhausted. And I have a toddler to boot!

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  • SarahandSam2007SarahandSam2007 member

    Do you think you could try swaddling again? We use the miracle blanket and it's harder to break out of. 
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  • lindseywinsemiuslindseywinsemius member
    4 Month Wakeful Period is a very accurate description!  My son is doing the same thing.  Basically, at four months, they go through a major cognitive growth spurt where they become aware of what is going on around them, which means they want to get up and play.  You'll probably notice baby being alot more interactive during the day. As mentioned in the other comments, just try to be minimally invasive when going into the nursery to soothe baby back to sleep. I've been dealing with it for about a month now, and he is almost 5 months.  Last night he finally slept, only waking up twice.  I fed him once and gave him his paci the other time.  Also, you can probably give up on swaddling - I did, and now he is sleeping fine without. Hang in there, like every other phase, this too shall pass!
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