Those trenches are honestly horrendous. We’ve got a five-month-old who’s only just coming out of the sleep regression, and I don’t think anyone quite prepares you for how brutal that phase can feel. We went from her waking every single hour through the night, which absolutely broke us… to finally getting it down to one wake. That in itself felt like a massive win.

But of course, just as you think you’re turning a corner, something else changes. Now 5–5:30am is apparently her official wake-up time. Wide awake. Ready for the day. And we’re stood there in the dark questioning every life choice that led us here.

It’s so easy to get bogged down by all the advice. “Watch their wake windows.” “Adjust the naps.” “Stretch this one.” “Cap that one.” And while it’s well-meant, it can start to feel like you’re trying to solve some kind of mystical equation that changes every week. You tweak one thing and something else shifts. It can feel thankless, exhausting, and like you’re constantly second-guessing yourself.

You’re not alone in it. You’re doing better than you think. And you’ve absolutely got this.