No catnap starting to affect nw?

[juliec]

Have been really really fortunate until now my lo (19 weeks) has been sttn, she goes down about 7.30 is able to settle herself and would sleep till 7.30 in the morning. I know I am very very lucky! However during the past week she has been stirring in the night and often waking not long after being in bed. I have tried hard not to have to feed her and generally feel she is not hungry, I normally use sh/pat in the evenings, when she has awoken at 6ish I would feed her and put her straight back down which has worked well. Last night we had a terrible night she woke hourly, I put this down to my other dd1 having a tummy bug and possibly passing it onto dd2 as when she woke up she seemed to be crying out in pain and lifting her legs up alot, she didn't want to feed but eventually 2ish had a feed and then again at 6.

She is on a 3 - 3.5 EASY, as she only has 5 feeds (no df) and my health visitor suggested I needed to stay on this to ensure calories and not affect my milk supply. Unfortunately this then puts her day naps all over the show as her A times increase, we struggle to get beyond 45mins sleep and her feed times remain fixed. I am struggling to get her to cat nap in the afternoon and it can end up meaning some days she will have been awake since 3 or 4 till bed time at 7.30!! Could this be why we are having nw? I don't think it is hunger, she has been out of the swaddle for 2 weeks and seems fine with out this.

Today looked like this (this was not a typical day for us):-

E 6.15
A 7.30
S 7.30 - 8.45
A
E 9.30
A 10.40
S 10.40 - 12 (this was a good sleep!)
A
E 12.45
A
S1.45 - 3
A
E 4
A
S tried cat nap @ 4.45 but not having it!
A
E 6.45
S 7.15

Have tried lots of techniques to extend naps, she rarely sleeps beyond 1 hour in her own bed during the day, sometimes can get her to sleep longer in her pram, or if we have come in from being out and she is in the car seat. A good day would be 3 naps 45mins, 1.5 hours, 45 min. Also very hard as have 2 yo so we are out and about and am not alway able to spend hours of time standing by her bed trying to extend naps.

Any advice? Sorry this is so long!!

[julesiew78]

I know this is probably not helpful at all, but they are supposed to have a huge cognitive growth spurt at 19 weeks.  It's coined "the 4month sleep regression".  I've heard of great sleepers going through this and then sleeping like hell for awhile (several weeks) while other seem to be unaffected by it.

Again, I'm sorry that it's not much help--I'm very new to sleep training (and BW) but that did help me when my LO started sleeping terribly a few weeks ago!

The Wonder Weeks talks more about this.

[juliec]

Generally I am allowing 1.45 - 2 hours A time which I thought was recommended? Also if she only has 45 mins sleep then I try to shorten A time.

Today was abit of a nightmare day:

E 8
A
S 10 (started wind down at 9.45 and took awhile to settle) thought I would try holding technique to extend nap but didn't work and work her up so was awake by 10.40!!
E 11
A
S 11.50 - 12.50
A
E 2
A
S tried to put down at 2.45 but had a complete hissy fit screamed for 25 mins and cried hysterically so ended up feeding her again (this is the first time have done this?!) E 3.10
S 3. 20 - 3.40!! Would not extend
A
E 6.45
S 7.15 put to bed but took good 30 minutes to settle and has stirred numerous times now 8.30

Am hoping this 4 month sleep regression doesn't last too long!!

I know I should be moving towards 4 hour easy but cannot see for the life of me achieving the sleep times linked with it and it would mean going to 4 feeds a day which was told not to do by hv. I do not want to reintroduce df as she never took it properly and had to express for it but she would only take 3oz so feel this would be a step backwards. Was thinking about waiting till 6 months and we start solids to move to 4 hour easy?

Not sure??

[juliec]

So far have exclusively breast fed and she seems to be quite happy with this.

Yesterday looked like:

E 8.15
A
S 10.45 - 11.20 (Went food shopping during A time think she got over tired!)
E 11.30
A
S 12.10 - 1.50 (Longest sleep eva!! - went out to park and she fell asleep in pram fresh obviously good for her!)
E 2.20
A
S 4 - 4.40 (Started putting her down at 3.45 - quite a fitful sleep but at least she had one!)
E 5
A
E 7.15
S 7.45

At least we got a sleep yesterday pm and she seemed to sleep better last night for it went off pretty settled. I think when she doesn't have a cat nap she falls asleep on breast when feeding quite quickly so I wake her after to wind her and put her to bed awake and this seems to unsettle her more, whereas last night she was still awake after feed and settled happier, but it is a real struggle to get that catnap.