Four month sleep regression question

[bobby's bear]

Baby number one was a terrible sleeper - two hourly wake ups until she was about one and so I was dreading this with baby number two. Amazingly since about four weeks old number two has been giving me between 6 and 9 hrs (occasionally more) unbroken stretches, so I thought we had a great sleeper!! until this week......

She is now 17 weeks and for the past week has been waking every one to two hours over night, crying urgently and only settling with a feed. I am finding this tough with a toddler to entertain during the day and am thinking it might be a growth spurt (do they have one at four months?) or is it the fabled 4 month sleep regression.

My main question is if it is sleep regression how long can I expect this to last and will I ever get my good sleeper back??! Number one was never a good enough sleeper to regress!

Or maybe I shouldn't complain as at least I had 3 months of mainly good sleep this time!

[Saffron]

Early teething could be another possibility. Sometimes the teeth start moving around under the gums long before they ever erupt.

[lucyA1308]

4 months is meant to be a key growth spurt time, so it could be normal. When they are so young, you don't want to deny them the food they need if they really are hungry, but also having had it nice and easy it is a shame to feel like you are going back a step. I am someone who gets very little sleep between 3yr olds nightmares and 1 year olds coughs and colds, so i can't offer any advice, but well done for the 1st 3 months, and good luck for the next bit.

[Fuschia]

My understanding is that the brain actually changes at about 4m, and sleep patterns never return to the newborn ones, though that's not to say you're stuck with the disordered patch you are going through right now

[verds]

My first baby fed constantly at 17 weeks - I think it's a growth spurt, which lasted about a week. She'd spend four hours feeding every evening, so get comfy. My second has always been a rubbish sleeper, so I didn't notice the difference!

[craigy]

Both of mine did it. The first had proved himself to be an amazing 12 hour sleeper from early on and got back to that after a few weeks and the second, who had just started to go for longer periods was waking in the night till 8 months or so and is still not a good a sleeper as the eldest.

In the end I accepted that actually babies are not ment to sleep through the night until thy are 6months plus and the first had been a lucky fluke.

Still very irritating at the time..

[thubay1]

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