4 month old issues - DESPERATE

[Angel Face]

Hi Ladies,
I am desperate for some help! I have been doing well with my DD who will be 4 months old this week. She had been putting herself to sleep and doing well in general with sleep. Well about 3 weeks ago it all changed and I have been trying to do all the things that the BW talks about such as ptt/shh, pu/pd... all those things and they would work and I thought things were getting better, but I think this Paci of hers is a problem. I had issues with my DD#1 and it was around the paci and in general after I took the paci away and did some training with her things got much better. My DD#1 I knew to take the Paci away because it was more of a problem then a help, she would pull it out of her mouth and not be able to put it back in... So I removed it and she found her thumb. DD#2 doesn't take it out but does rely on it to go to sleep and to stay asleep, she sleeps on her side so losing it isn't as much of an issue, but once she starts to wake up in the middle of the night she won't take the paci to go back to sleep, I have to feed her. She was sleeping through the night with out issues prior to the 3 weeks ago when it all changed... And I don't know what happend that caused it all to change...
Also, naps in general go okay and she goes down and out for naps with little to no problems... we sometimes have the 45 min time limit where I have to help soothe her back to sleep and she goes back to sleep, not on her own! But putting her to bed at night is a nightmare. She fights it so bad and I don't know what to do to help her with it. I will do pu/pd which is normally one big p/u because she won't stop screaming and this will take up to an hour to get her out. Why do her naps go okay, but not going to bed? And the nights that she really fights going to bed she wakes up more often, which doesn't surprise me because she was screaming so long to go to sleep she doesn't have any calories left to help her make it through the night! IS she overtired?.... No, because I watch her cues and typically if she is overtired she goes down easier. So do I put her down later when she is more tired so she goes down easier? Do I try putting her down earlier? I just really don't know what to do... I am so frustrated because she was doing so well and things seemed to be going smooth... Is this just a 4 month transition since she is more alert now?
So many issues.... please help!!!
TIA

[Jaime]

hi Rebecca,

couple of ideas for you... counting on my fingers, looks like she probably hit her 3-month growth spurt when all this started, so that's why she was getting all crazy on you. 

regareding your current craziness at night... is she waking at the same time every night?  if so, sounds like a habit, and you will need to use pat/shh (or pu/pd if necessary) to get her to go back to sleep so you don't feed her.  if she is waking erractically, it is more likely out of hunger.  if you aren't already, you might want to cluster feed in the evening to help increase your supply & get all those calories in.

my other thought is that she may be hitting some developmental milestones, and that's making sleep all crazy cause she wants to practice her new skills.  in that case, you will have to wait her out.

going down at night... do you do her bath & then put her to bed?  if so, it may be too stimulating.  maybe try bath, then a last feed & then go to bed.

anyhow, hope some of that helps!   

ps - your girls are gorgeous!!

[Angel Face]

Jaime,
Thanks! The night time wakings are erratic, so I have chosen to feed since I was assuming it is due to hunger. As DD#1 hit this age and weight I started to have supply issues so I am feeding DD#2 whenever extra I can. She is on a 3 hour schedule, but if I can get some more feedings in at night then I am game for that so that way my body will make enough for her.
The night time baths don't seem to go so well and I have changed that and it has helped, although last night was a bath... I am thinking the stimulating thing might be the key to this. I will keep an eye out and watch her cues!
I just got her down for bed and tonight went well... each day is different!
Thanks!