When does the 4 month sleep regression end!?!?

januaryjoy84 · June 2015

Me and LO are struggling with what seems to be the 4 month sleep regression. Before 4 months, I'd put her down for naps and at night drowsy but awake to help her learn to fall asleep on her own and shush her with my hand on her chest if she woke early to help her learn to get back to sleep by herself if she woke up in the middle of the night or early from a nap. She used to sleep 2 hours mid-morning on mist days (sometimes I'd have to wake her up to feed her or she'd sleep through the next feeding), 30 mins to an hour late morning and early afternoon, plus sometimes a catnap early evening. She was also sleeping through the night, bedtime around 7-8 pm and wake at 6-6:30 am. Around 4.5 months, that 2 hour nap became a 45 min nap, then 30 min. And the late morning and early afternoon nap became 30 mins, then 15 and I'd fight her for half an hour just to get her to sleep another 15 mins. Then just before 5 months, her night sleep started slipping. First she'd wake once a night, then twice, then three times. One night I was up EVERY HOUR! It's also now completely impossible to get her to fall asleep on her own. She has to be held and rocked and shushed with her pacifier until she's asleep and then GENTLY laid down in her crib or she'll startle awake and either start crying immediately or lay their with her eyes wide open, as if to say "Aren't you going to pick me up?" And she grabs onto your hand and arm with both hands and holds you there and pets you until she drifts off and you can GENTLY lift your hands away without waking her. Everything I've read seems to suggest that she's learned to associate being held, rocked and shushed to sleep, even though I did everything I knew to do to not let this happen, and that she's getting through her first sleep cycle and fully waking up rather than being able to fall back asleep without recreating the conditions she fell asleep in. I've been following the Moms On Call schedule that nurses 5 times a day (about every 3 waking hours) with a wake time of 7 am and a bedtime of 8:30 pm at the latest. I recently spoke with a lactation who consultant says I'm not feeding her enough, that I should still be breastfeeding on demand 8-12 times a day (are you freaking kidding me?!) and she should be taking in between 4.4 - 5.5 oz at each nursing. I have noticed that my supply has taken a nose dive (a month ago I was pumping between 6-10 oz but now I can't pump more than 4 oz) and I'm trying to get that back up again by nursing every two waking hours if at all possible and pumping at night before I go to bed. The lactation consultant also wants me to nurse whenever LO wakes up, fusses, hands in mouth AND wants me to pump 6 times a day (again, are you freaking kidding me?!) Lately, I've been giving LO a bottle with 5 oz in it at bedtime instead of nursing to ensure she has a full tummy for the night, and then I go pump after she's in bed (if she stay's down!). LO is now 5 1/2 months. PLEASE tell me this is just a phase that will be over soon (preferably VERY soon!), that I'm not starving my baby which is causing her to not sleep well day or night, and that my LO will one day soon be able to nap longer than 30 minutes and sleep at least 6 hours in a row! I'm slowly loosing my mind, would love a decent nights sleep and to be able to take a shower or eat a meal without being interrupted by LO waking early from a nap!

melissa11015 · July 2015

I completely know where you are coming from!! We are going through the same thing! My lo is about the same age..will be 6 months on the 11th...and we are having the same problem! We did everything "right" when we transition him to crib and he was doing great for the first couple of months, then right around 4 months I noticed it was more difficult to get him to sleep, and we would end up picking him up and rocking/shushing him until he was just about asleep and then put him down. That tuned into having to go into his room 3-4 times because he's screaming and crawling around the crib and getting himself up in the corner of the crib so that he can't put his head down. We have to hold him until he falls asleep and then GENTLY put him down so he doesn't wake and if he does he either cries or plays with my hand. It is like you are talking about my baby!! He will wake throughout the night..most often I can give him pacifier and roll on his side and he will fall back to sleep but still sucks to have to get up and get out of bed to do this, then try to get myself back to sleep only to have him do it again. I hope it ends soon too! That's crazy about nursing so much!!! We are switching to formula, today, actually...food allergies...but there's no way nursing and pumping like that is at possible. A friend told me about power pumping. Google it...I tried it once, didn't totally work for me but I probably needed to do it for the 7 days snd not the initial 3...I just got lazy. He also seemed fine when nursing so I didn't really see it as necessary. It was just because when I pumped I would only get 4-5 oz at a time...we just combined bags to get him to have 6 oz bottles. I would love to hear if anyone has any luck getting lo back to the way they were at 3 months!! At least you know you're not alone! Good luck!

secretbaba · July 2015

How come you're struggling with the idea of feeding on demand? All I've ever been told, from my mother to lactation consultants, is to feed my baby when she's hungry. If you're not comfortable doing that then I'd recommend switching to formula. Breastfeeding exclusively has to be on demand.

wintersong · July 2015

Sounds like the lactation consultant was right, I'm sorry to say. I nurse my lo on demand, even 4 times at night.

melissa11015 · July 2015

Is you're baby as hungry as your lactation consultant makes her out to be? My lo goes 3-4 hours between eating and from 10-11 hours overnight and he's exclusively breastfed. (I pump once in the middle of the night). He does not wake for eating overnight, all I have to do it give him his pacifier and he's usually asleep literally as soon as he gets it. I would feed your baby on demand but if your baby is not hungry then I wouldn't feed her. As long as your baby is not dehydrated and is gaining weight, my pedi says you're doing everything right! Good luck!!

jenniferaudrey0116 · July 2015

I had no idea babies eat 5 oz per feeding. All I've read from doctor pamphlets and lactation consultant materials is 8-12 times a day 2-3 oz per feeding for the first 6 months. And I don't know if sleeping through the night (12 hours) is good for a breastfed baby.

wintersong · July 2015

To answer the question in the title, I think sleep regressions last two weeks to two months or so. So, unfortunately, a long time.

TwinsCitiesMomma · July 2015

Sounds like it may be time to drop the last nap and do an earlier bedtime.

akdoh · July 2015

No advice, just sympathy! Ours was STTN at 3 months-4.5 months. Then BAM, everything has been screwy for the past month. I'm only feeding him once a night, and soothing him at other times. The lactation consultant sounds nuts. Do what works best for you and your baby. I'm hoping it passes soon! I'm hoping by 6 months (which will be in a couple of weeks) he goes back to sleeping more. I don't think you are starving your baby. And a lactation consultant can't tell you if you are. Ask your pediatrician.

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