I've had these next two posts just waiting for you, but when Ruby was such a good sleeper, I figured you might not need them. Then when I saw your email about hitting the classic 4-month sleep regression, I thought I should publish them so you could see you're not alone.
Actually, when Jack was Ruby's age (or just a little younger), I opened Google and started to type in "4 Month Old" and the first thing that came up was "Sleep regression". Ugh.
Up until he was 4 months old, Jack used to sleep in until 8:00 or 8:30 every morning. That sounds great, but in reality, the two hours between 6:30 and 8:30 was the best sleep I got all night...
And then he hit 4 months. Literally THE DAY of his 4-month birthday, he woke up at 6:00 a.m. and was up for the day. I cried. I prayed it was a blip. But that was the end of the 8:30 sleep in. The time between 4 and 6 months were the hardest for sleep. So below, you will find the account I wrote when I was in the middle of it. This isn't meant to scare you at all. Ruby and Jack are very different babies, so I'm sure she will chart her own course completely. But hopefully, when Ruby is screaming before bed, or waking over and over, this can help you feel that you are not alone.
I'll admit it: I'm obsessed with sleep. And the less I get, the more I think about it. I think about it a lot. So far, three-and-a-half months into parenting, I have absolutely no advice on sleep. Maybe by the time you need reassurance, I will. Or, then again, maybe you'll be blessed with a baby who sleeps long and peacefully right from the beginning. But in case you're like us, here's where we are with our battle with sleep (or the lack thereof) with our almost four-month-old.
Naps: Jack has two or three long naps a day (or sometimes one long one and a few shorter ones). He still hates to sleep by himself, so his naps are pretty much all in my arms. If we're out, he naps in my wrap, and now, thankfully, in his stroller or carseat. If I nap in bed with him, sometimes I can get up after a while and he will stay sleeping, but that doesn't happen often.
Night: my biggest struggle. Like I've told you, Jack started sleeping in our bed the first night he was home from the hospital. He was so little and had always been near me, so it seemed completely normal for him to want to be in bed beside me (though, until he was here, it was never my plan). I was also so sore from giving birth, that it was easier for me not to have to get up to get him when he cried.
But that was then. Now, four months later, he is still in my bed (which I'm mostly ok with) and still waking to eat every 2-3 hours (which I'm not as ok with). In my heart, I know he's still very young and that this time with him will be over before I know it. But the mornings that I am the most exhausted and I get up to find on facebook other moms celebrating their babies (often younger) have slept 7,8,9 hours in a row, I want to cry. Ok, let's be honest, sometimes I do cry.
I have never been this tired in my life. Every night , I hope tonight will e the night he miraculously sleeps for longer than 3 hours, but I'm starting to think that's not going to happen on its own. Or maybe ever....
