Please help a desperate mom get her baby back to sleep!

My almost four month old baby has been on a wonderful schedule she created on her own since she was about two weeks old. She had been going to bed around 9:00, sleeping until sometime between 3:30-4:30, and then waking for the day around 7:00-7:30.
Last week she started creeping the night feeding up to around 2:30-3:00, and waking a bit earlier. Now she is waking at 2:00, going to back to sleep, 5:30, going back to sleep, and 7:00 awake for the day. I am breastfeeding, and every time she acts like she is absolutely starving. She eats well at each feeding (usually).
I know we all like to blame things like this on a "growth spurt" or something, but I feel like we are going down the wrong track. I feel like I have a newborn again. What a difference feeding two times feels compared to once.
Can anyone help a tired desperate mom with some advice? TIA!

 

My almost four month old baby has been on a wonderful schedule she created on her own since she was about two weeks old. She had been going to bed around 9:00, sleeping until sometime between 3:30-4:30, and then waking for the day around 7:00-7:30.
Last week she started creeping the night feeding up to around 2:30-3:00, and waking a bit earlier. Now she is waking at 2:00, going to back to sleep, 5:30, going back to sleep, and 7:00 awake for the day. I am breastfeeding, and every time she acts like she is absolutely starving. She eats well at each feeding (usually).
I know we all like to blame things like this on a "growth spurt" or something, but I feel like we are going down the wrong track. I feel like I have a newborn again. What a difference feeding two times feels compared to once.
Can anyone help a tired desperate mom with some advice? TIA!

 

Let me first start out by saying I didn't breast feed so as far as that goes, I got nothing. I am curious, what would happen if you gave her a paci? Would she chill for a little longer, fight it, still be hungry? It is something you could try and see if you could get her back to her schedule.

Goodluck!

Reagan

 

Thanks, Reagan. I have tried the paci and it really does nothing but tick her off a little more. SOOOOOOO frusturating.

I also wanted to add that she is over 15 lbs so I don't think she needs to eat this often. But at the same time, isn't she too young to CIO?

 

Michelle, for me personally she is too young to CIO. At only four months I just wouldn't feel comfortable. As for the paci...could/would your hubby/SO put the paci in, that way she doesn't know the milk is right there! Also, you could try setting a new schedule for her that is more like every 4 hours....I know, still not the sleep you are accustomed to but perhaps if you get to her first she would be less likely to keep waking. I don't know, just kind of throwing some thoughts out there.

Reagan

 

What is the daytime schedule like? How often does she eat? From birth we fed every three hours (both our breastfed singletons and bottle fed twins). My first two slept through the night (meaning 11ish hours) by three months. I think helping them regulate their hunger patterns during the day helped. I do think 4mos is too young for full blown cio. At that age I did let them fuss a bit in the crib, go to them, pat, shhh, whatever I could without picking them up. If nothing worked then I'd get them up to feed but by then we were to their normal waking time. It makes for several nights of less sleep, but in the long run it did help. GL!

 

Honestly, if she is waking up and is acting like she is starving when you feed her she is probably hungry and is probably having a growth spurt. My two had a spurt at 6 weeks, and than again at about 16 weeks. If would wait a week or so and she if she resolves it on her own. But if she is truely acting hungry than she probably is indeed growing and needs the extra feedings right now. My sister BF's and she said hers tend to start needing extra feedings at 6 and 12-14 weeks too. HTH.