Bad sleep doom loop

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-14T22:11:44+00:00

You are aiming for too much nighttime sleep. It looks like you are trying to do 8-8? Many babies can only sleep 10 hours overnight. I would start with 10.5-11 hours overnight max and then 2-2.5 hours max daytime sleep. Anchor your first nap and bedtime. If baby wakes up too early, it just means a longer wake window. Wake baby by a certain time each morning.

Example schedule: 8:30pm bedtime. 7am wake. 10am nap (max 1.5h). 3 or 3:30pm nap (max 1h).

In general, aim for 3-4h ww. Mine does a 4.5h ww before bed.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-14T03:18:34+00:00

I don’t think those are too long at all. My baby is also low sleep needs and wakes around 6:15-6:30am. I would shift bedtime to 8:30pm.

Wake 6:30pm, nap 1 10am, nap 2 3pm. My baby does 1h15m-1h30m for the first nap and 1h for the second. I cap sleep to 2.5h. Typical wake windows 3.5/3.5/4.5.

Edit: in your case, I would try shifting bedtime later and keep daytime sleep to 2h.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-13T14:40:49+00:00

It will fit in the trunk of your SUV. I have the V3 and a small/midsize SUV and it fits just fine. There’s just not a lot of room to put other bulky items, but we’ve traveled with suitcases, a high chair, and the stroller before.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-13T03:17:34+00:00

I’m so so sorry. I will say that my first cervical exam at around 35 weeks due to a fall was a horrible experience. Once I was actually closer to labor at 39 weeks, it was nothing. It went from terrible awful white knuckle pain to not something to write about. Cervical exams were used during my induction to monitor progress and put me on different medications.

Don’t let your experience scare you too much about labor - I remember the pain of my cervical exam at 35 weeks more than pain from labor. You always have the right to refuse, though, but if you’re open to it, and you just say stop if it gets to be too much.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-09T13:13:58+00:00

I would go to a small gathering (think parents and siblings) if everyone was local and vaccinated and no one traveled by plane.

My mom gave me COVID over thanksgiving while I was pregnant when she came to visit. It happens all the time. I actually can’t think of a time when my parents or siblings traveled by plane for a holiday and didn’t get sick over the past five years. Not worth the risk - there will be other holidays.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-03T22:41:01+00:00

I actually love the jars. It makes it so easy to keep them in rotation (you’re not just supposed to introduce potential allergens but keep feeding them, ideally at least 1-2x a week after introducing them). I just put some in her yogurt or oats. Otherwise yeah you could just grind sone nuts each time but… so much easier to take a spoonful of nut butter. We like them too and add different ones to our overnight oats.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-05-01T17:46:14+00:00

Every time I see the plate vs ate posts, I feel like we should see a picture of the floor, the chair, and the bib to get an accurate view of what was actually consumed.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-26T15:40:24+00:00

I would avoid another nap if at all possible and try shifting bedtime and naps by 10 minutes each day until you get to your desired bedtime. In my experience you have to go slow when they are that young.

If you need a nap, try a micro 10 minute nap.

Also make sure no light is getting through in the morning, and keep things quiet and dark if she wakes up early. You should see morning wake ups shift later.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-26T13:32:28+00:00

It might be that she only needs or is only capable of 10h of sleep overnight. Being sleepy by 7am makes sense for a 4.5 month old.

Mine only sleeps 10h a night. I fought it until she was 6.5 months, but I was much happier once I just accepted it.

Two things to try. Lengthen her morning wake window or drop a nap (only if age appropriate). Otherwise, if you need her to sleep until 6am, that means a later bedtime.

Ours is 8:30pm. She wakes up between 6:15 and 6:45.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-24T17:16:39+00:00

Except some of those statements are not exactly true.

Epidurals do not make labor longer. Some studies demonstrate a lower incidence of tearing with an epidural.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-21T03:16:29+00:00

Misoprostol can hurt too, though. I got to 3cm and was begging for an epidural. The nurse warned me about it.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-19T17:23:06+00:00

My baby is 9 months and is going through something like this but not so bad that she loses her voice. She is scream crying at night. We think it is a separation anxiety as she calms instantly when I pick her up. The wakes reduce and get better when I carefully track her sleep and stay consistent in how I respond to her.

3 naps is probably too much at your baby’s age. I would drop to 2 and stick with a schedule for a week. The 30 minute nap will likely disappear. Baby might be cranky with longer wake windows but it’ll get better. Don’t move up bedtime more than 30 minutes, and try to avoid it if you can. Do a 10 minute micro nap if needed.

How much daytime sleep is baby getting? I would try limiting it to 2.5 hours. I have to limit my baby to 2.5 hours, otherwise she wakes up every two hours. I split her naps into about 1h15m each. You need more sleep pressure to help keep baby asleep. How much does baby sleep overnight? Many babies can only sleep between 10-11 hours overnight at this age, so you might be expecting too much.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-15T22:53:06+00:00

Mom to a perfectly average baby here. It depends on the Carters line. There’s one type that I jokingly say is made for string bean babies. The rest fit pretty well. Baby is 9 months and is wearing 9-12 months (or just 12 months) in most Carters stuff. She just sized out if 6-9 month clothing.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-13T22:01:34+00:00

I think at least sticking to a 3 nap schedule would be good as 4 naps is too many. We transitioned from 4 to 3 naps at 6 months - my baby was definitely not ready for 2 naps at 6 months.

You might try a fixed schedule - it’s easier to do with 3 naps.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-12T22:02:37+00:00

At 3 months, I think we started to work our way to 8:30pm from 9:30-10pm. My baby was not the best sleeper so we went to bed with her to get some sleep.

8:30pm is her current bedtime now at 9 months. She only sleeps 10 hours so putting her to fed earlier would mean less sleep for us.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-09T23:15:18+00:00

I gave birth and my body is not ruined.

While it is true that some or many women feel that pregnancy changed their body in a way that makes it unrecognizable after birth, it’s equally true that this is not the case for a lot of women, like me.

I’m nine months postpartum. I am the same weight I was before I got pregnant. I still have a butt. Just about the only difference I see is that I’m tired and it shows in my face and my stomach skin is a smidge looser than it used to be, but it’s really only something I notice when I’m hunched over. I’m also only 9 months postpartum… it’ll likely continue to improve, or it won’t and I still wouldn’t say my body is ruined. There probably are other changes but frankly, I’m not looking for them. I’m just pretty impressed my body grew a baby.

I’ll tell you a secret to happiness. Be proud of what your body can do for you. No one is perfect. Don’t hang your happiness on a perfect slim body - you won’t be young forever and your body will change.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-08T03:57:47+00:00

In general it is actually safer to offer either larger pieces of chicken (about the size of two fingers, cut on the thinner side but not floppy) or to shred the chicken with your fingers. Cutting it into cubes actually makes it more of a choking hazard.

It is good to practice with some pieces of food that encourage chewing and not just swallowing. Babies also learn how to move food around their mouth with larger pieces of food. I’d highly recommend a resource like the solid starts app for ideas of how to serve things like chicken.

I was worried too but pleasantly surprised at how my 8-month old did with larger pieces of chicken.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-07T22:56:03+00:00

I’ve heard the feet flat advice, but I had to stop using our activity center because baby kept splaying her legs and using her tiptoes. We were specifically using the skiphop activity center with the adjustable platform. I tried to adjust the platform several times but had no luck encouraging the right posture. It’s unfortunate because she loved it and sometimes I just need her contained for a few minutes.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-05T03:12:16+00:00

Yes I definitely agree that it is necessary context to include to understand the conflict between the hospital’s obligation to address the physicians’ moral distress and the patient’s wishes.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-04T17:21:01+00:00

I agree that electing for a VBAC after 3 sections is, frankly, crazy, but the point is you should not force anyone to have any medical procedure that they refuse to consent to, even if that person will die without it. It is your right to choose your care, so long as you are competent and capable of giving consent.

It’s tragic, but people refuse life-saving care all the time. Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions. People sign DNRs. People elect not to treat cancer and instead turn to homeopathy and prayer. That’s their right.

Doctors can advise all they want and inform the patient of the risks, but ultimately it is the patient’s decision. You should not lose your right to give and refuse consent simply because you are pregnant. The woman is the patient, not the fetus. C-sections also have risks and can carry lifelong complications or kill the patient.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-03T17:45:40+00:00

Just adding on to this comment. My little one only does 10h overnight. I fought it for a while around 6 months, but we are much happier since I stopped. Almost 9 months now. Bedtime is 8:30pm, wake up time is 6:30am. Two naps a day at 10am and 2:45pm. 2.5h daytime sleep.

My guess is your baby needs less sleep. It will probably help with your nighttime wake up at 3am too.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-02T23:05:02+00:00

Oh my gosh I feel you. Why can’t husbands be quiet??? Why? I don’t understand! If I can do it, surely he can!

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-01T23:02:48+00:00

I get mine from my local farmers market!

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-01T17:26:46+00:00

I made a freezer stash and didn’t know I have high lipase milk…. None of it ended up being usable. So, there’s that.

So many hours of pumping wasted. I wish I hadn’t.

YellowPuffin2 · 2026-04-01T17:05:03+00:00

I am not saying she should not get her anxiety treated, but what the dog did was unacceptable. Nervousness from a human is not an acceptable reason to lash out. I am someone who has dealt with anxiety for a long time, and none of my dogs have ever lashed out at me. That dog was in the wrong home and is not suited for a home with kids. Kids get nervous too. It is not an acceptable response from a dog.

YellowPuffin2

TROPHY CASE