Four Month Sleep Regression

Hello! :)

Sleep is on my mind lately. In our household, feeling sleep deprived is stemming from Little E experiencing the four-month sleep regression and a waking two-year old toddler.

I’ll admit, I don’t recall a sleep regression with my first baby, maybe because he would nurse throughout the night and that was just his normal, but now with the second babe, the four month sleep regression is stressing us. It seems like weeks now of being awake more than asleep, Little E is mostly a content baby. He goes to sleep pretty easily for naps and at night with a predictable daily schedule. The difficulty has been the number of times he wakes each night. He has been waking about every two hours and sometimes even hourly…that makes for one tired mommy.

I turned to my friend, Google, to search for a reason, why is my baby having sleeping difficulties? I found information that indicated a four-month sleep regression can happen around this age, shew, I guess it is reassuring that it’s not just our baby. I found information that explained why this happens, and I found suggestions for solutions, many that we have tried…nope, there isn’t a one solution fits all – I know, wishful thinking! Of course, it can be assumed this is a transition in the baby’s sleep pattern and probably just a phase that will get better. 

We have tried many general sleep solution suggestions, such as early to bed late to rise, put baby to sleep on an incline, dream feed before bed, use a sound machine with white noise, have a nightly routine, bath before bed, and encourage the baby to put himself to sleep. In addition, after we talked to the pediatrician at the four month well care visit, she suspects Little E has silent reflux. We have tried almost everything with one end result – baby wakes frequently!

On the surface it just seems one would be tired, people think “Of course, crazy lady, you are going to be tired with a new baby” but it has transferred to other aspects of our life. We prefer that our toddler not be woken up, he has already been waking up 1-2 times some nights and an overly tired toddler equals a looong day. Additionally, our evenings consist of a mad rush to bed in order to “sleep when the baby sleeps” which in turn leaves hubby and I with no down time. Also, as posted in Asking and Accepting Help, I have experienced some health concerns and we really think sleep will help.

So to all who may be experiencing challenging parenthood moments, just be assured that you are not alone. At times, we have felt our situation isolates us in a bubble. Motherhood continues to reinforce certain principles for me – love, do not judge, be supportive, do not criticize, be a good listener, and accept help. Even though we vent (maybe more like complain), hubby and I would not change parenthood for the world. There is something magical about being a mommy, even after sleepless nights, when I wake and see my children, my heart is happy.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; is not proud; is not conceited; does not act foolishly; is not selfish; is not easily provoked to anger; keeps no record of wrongs; takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Corinthians 13:4-7

I’d love if anyone else has experienced the four-month sleep regression or similar stretches of sleep difficulties and has any advice to please share.

With Love, Erin