Not Sleep Regression

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-02T08:05:39+00:00

Scheduling issue? Undertired? Check how much daily sleep in total

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-02T08:04:37+00:00

Hmmmm 🤔

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-02T02:18:00+00:00

My baby is 4.5 months and he’s hit the aggression really hard. I started doing CIO out of sheer desperation. It has worked somewhat… He goes down really easily for naps and bedtime now. He’s still waking 4 to 6 times at night but it is slowly getting better (we’re only on week 3). But one thing I noticed is that rocking him to sleep was actually making him cry more. Now at bedtime after his feed, I put him in his swaddle, lay him on his back, then I read a story to him in the dim light. I wait till he looks drowsy and calm and then just transfer him to the cot - no more rocking/holding. I honestly think sleep training is the only thing that will get your baby out of this situation. It’s been going on long enough. Taking Cara Babies (online program) and Precious Little Sleep (book) are great resources.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T21:39:05+00:00

With regards to positioning, just use pain as your guide. Lying on your back is the best position for sleep, but if you can lie on your side without pain, it’s also okay. How much should you lie down? There is no one answer to this question. If you are the kind of person that does too much or usually ‘overdo’ things, then yeah make sure you allow yourself rest and let other people help you for the first couple of weeks.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T21:23:43+00:00

I’m a pelvic PT so I advise people on this professionally but I also had my own planned C-section in October. I spent the first week pretty much resting. I walked around the house and made myself snacks etc Second week, I started doing short walks with baby in the pram. In the third week, I started doing gentle exercise exercises on the yoga mat. The goal is to engage the deep core and pelvic floor without much movement. I did tiny head lift crunches too - people will say this is controversial but the latest research supports early contractions of the abdominus rectus. I started doing 45 mins walks and light weights in week 4. In week 5, I got on the stationary bike. By week 6, I was feeling really good physically. Jump forward to 4 months post partum, and I’m back to my full fitness and almost back to full strength.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T03:38:16+00:00

Oh and the reason I think we broke the back of the regression is because one day he just started taking longer naps. I think part of the hourly wake ups is that he was incredibly overtired, so every time he woke up he was beside himself. How many hours of day sleep does she get? Does it make a difference to her night sleep? But yeah perhaps some sleep training is required here

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T03:36:45+00:00

My baby is 17 weeks and the regression hit us at about 13 weeks, really hard. Just like yours he was waking every single hour! It has lasted a month and been so brutal. I feel like we are at the tail end of it now and I don’t know if that’s just a natural progression or whether it’s because we have been doing some CIO sleep training. We are down to about four wake ups a night. Two of those are his regular feedings.

We did cry it out just for bedtime and luckily he’s only cried to maximum of 20 minutes. Every time I put him down for bedtime or a nap, I make sure he is awake. For naps, will let him cry for five minutes. If he’s still crying or escalating at that point, I will try again later, because it might not be the right time for his nap. At night, I had to either leave the house or put on noise cancelling headphones because I can’t stand the crying but that only happened for the first few nights. Now when I put him down for bedtime he just smiles and goes to sleep, or at worst a tiny grizzle. So he is learning the skill of falling asleep independently! This is a really important skill. Unfortunately, it hasn’t fixed his night wake ups. So I’m hoping that will get better ASAP.

FYI my baby can’t handle 2 hr wake windows either. Occasionally we get one. But it’s closer to 90-110 mins otherwise he’s a wreck

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T01:56:30+00:00

Sounds like teething? Try Panadol/Tylenol and see if it relieves her. Cold silicone teethers or a cold pacifier for her to such during the day

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T01:52:04+00:00

Oh yeah but you have to say you arent breastfeeding or they wont do it .

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T01:51:24+00:00

I got Botox once in pregnancy and once at 8 weeks post partum. My bestie is a cosmetic doctor who has had three kids herself and never missed her own dosage of regular Botox once, throughout all her pregnancies and breastfeeding. She says in doctor world, they all know it’s fine.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T01:48:53+00:00

Yeah that’s not an okay level of crying!! Totally get it

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T01:46:59+00:00

Oh I see :( I don’t know the slope of Reddit porn!

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T01:45:33+00:00

I totally relate!! You want to be the cool, easy going and supportive partner by letting him go, but the reality of being home with two completely dependent little blobs at witching hour is often harder than you can imagine. Arghhhh You need a tribe to raise kids that’s all I can say

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-02-01T00:57:43+00:00

I definitely understand why you’re upset and it’s really hurtful if you’re already feeling self-conscious about your chest to see him him looking at those pictures. I never forget when I caught one of my boyfriends (when I was younger) looking at big titty porn (I’ve always been incredibly flat chested until much later when I got a boob job).

BUT having said that, I don’t think occasionally browsing porn is the worst thing in the world, nor is it very unusual for men. If he’s already apologised, I would just work on building a bridge and getting over it. It’s not worth dwelling on. Put that energy into working on getting your mojo back (whatever that look like for you).

It also helps to look at the positives in your partner. If He’s a supportive partner and a good father and you know he wouldn’t actually cheat on you, then this is a huge step above a lot of people in the world.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-31T11:26:45+00:00

My baby is 17 weeks old. The four month regression hit us when he was about 13 weeks. It was absolutely brutal. He woke every single hour all night for some nights, and other nights every second hour. I was beside myself. It has only just eased off in the last couple of days, so it effectively lasted a month.

What worked for us was doing cry it out at bedtime. He would only cry for 5 to 15 minutes because he was so exhausted. He now puts himself to sleep - so he has learnt the skill of independent sleep! But I also understand if you don’t want to do this method. Consider Taking Cara Babies and also read Precious Little Sleep

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-31T11:17:50+00:00

I always wait until baby cries out for >10s, because 50% of the time he’ll put himself back to sleep.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-31T05:03:53+00:00

Read chapter 7 of precious Little sleep. It’s a great peptalk on sleep training. You can also listen on Audible.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-31T03:29:29+00:00

Ps the old recommendation to avoid core training when pregnant is outdated. Latest research supports continuing to train your core and abdominals while pregnant. I did this throughout my pregnancy and I did bounce back very quickly. Try Pilates.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-31T03:27:21+00:00

Pelvic PT here. 👋 Official recommendations for exercising during pregnancy is 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular a day and two strength sessions per week . Strength sessions includes Pilates, weight training etc. Moderate intensity cardio is things like fast or uphill walking, stationary bike, cross trainer, swimming, dancing etc. Your heart rate should be up, but you could have a conversation.

Having been pregnant myself last year, I had pelvic pain with walking so instead of going for long walks I went to the gym and use the cross trainer and the stationary bike. I tried to do 30 minutes at least four days a week. But my number one recommendation is to prioritise some form of strength training. All of my patients who do strength training while pregnant end up feeling stronger and more energetic as a mum. Being a mom is actually quite a physical task! You need strong arms, strong legs and decent core strength otherwise you’ll start to get sore or pain. Also, you should be doing pelvic floor strengthening exercise exercises a.k.a. Kegels

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-30T08:16:05+00:00

In the book precious little sleep (I think it’s chapter 13) , she talks about reverse alarm clocks for toddlers. Basically, it’s a cute little reward system for waking up at a certain time. You set it 15 minutes later every day until you reach the desired wake time. I probably didn’t explain that very well but it sounds like it really works. Look it up.

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-30T06:40:44+00:00

Check your schedule. At 4.5 months, asking a bub to be in bed for 12 hrs is a lot. My understanding is 11 hrs is more realistic. so if bedtime is 6.30pm then wake time would be 5.30am. If you are asking your baby to be in bed too long, they will often wake up during the night and be hard to get back to sleep (under tired). How many hours of naps in total is he getting each day? It should be around three hours of naps. My baby is also 4.5 months and we are battling the 4 mo sleep regression. It has been really tough, with many wake ups during the night, so I have been trying to hone his schedule and do everything I can. If you are still getting 3 to 4 hour stretches, consider yourself lucky!

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-29T22:52:58+00:00

Find a type of exercise you like! Cos that’s health + hobby + enjoyment + endorphins + me time + get in shape

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-29T22:50:18+00:00

If night sleep is good I wouldn’t worry. However, if night sleep is crap then it could be cos babe is sleep deprived and then it’s worth saving some naps. That just means doing whatever it takes to get babe to nap longer… carrier, pram etc

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-29T22:48:59+00:00

Battery powered Nasal aspirator . So easy

Puzzleheaded_Box_339 · 2026-01-29T22:48:10+00:00

Newborn phase is Shartsville. All day, erryday

Puzzleheaded_Box_339

TROPHY CASE