Tag: sleep

baby

Four month sleep regression AKA #sopainful

Raidah Shah Idil

When Taskeen was freshly earthside and I was shocked by the intensity of first-time motherhood, some kind and experienced mums told me that:

1) It’ll get easier at 6-8 weeks

2) It’ll get easier after 3 months.

In both cases, things did get easier. By the time Taskeen was 3 months, we had a great daytime and nighttime routine, I could start writing again, the haze was clearing up…life was getting significantly better.

AND THEN SHE TURNED FOUR MONTHS.

Oh. Mah. Gosh. What happened to my daytime nap champion who nursed easily and slept pretty well at night?!

Hello even greater levels of sleep deprivation. I whatsapped my faithful mummy global support group (Sydney! KL! California!) and posted on IBU forums, and they gave reassuring replies that sounded like, “Wow yeah that four months stage. EW. Just nap. OK? It’ll get better. Promise. Make lots of dua!”

Some links helped, like these:

Wakeful 4 months old

A reminder about sleep regressions

So it wasn’t just me! This four month torturous phase was like, a real thing.

I loved this one – Wonder Week 19 AKA Four Month Sleep Regression

I bought the Wonder Weeks app from iTunes. Rah, I should’ve listened to you and bought it sooner lol. The app reminded me that Taskeen is going through a growth spurt and she’ll come out of this stronger, inshaAllah.

On the upside to my baby’s almost constant fussiness – she’s doing so many cool new and amazing things! She’s rolling, lifting up her chest from tummy time position, glaring at her hands and grunting in this OBEY ME! way. So cute. MashaAllah. All good things.

If your baby is going through the same thing as mine….hang in there. You are not alone! The constant crankiness of an inconsolable baby is so exhausting, I know 😦 But it’s because your little munchkin is growing and changing in wonderful ways.

Coping strategies

  1. Please ask for help! Motherhood is relentless, so reach out to your loved ones.
  2. When nothing you seem to do is helping your cranky baby, take deep breaths, put your baby in the cot/daybed/somewhere safe, walk away, and come back. This fussing is normal.
  3. Wear your baby and go for a stroll around the block. It’ll clear your head and he/she might even fall asleep. Bonus.
  4. Read up other mummy blogs who have gone through the same thing and survived.
  5. Do daily relaxing things for yourself. This could mean massaging your feet, reading a book, or having a cup of tea.

Before you know it, your little one will be 5 months and you can all sleep easier 🙂

(Alas, there’s the 9 month sleep regression which is like the Godzilla version of the tiny 4 month sleep regression. CRY.)

Life

Sleep, elusive sleep

Raidah Shah Idil

How do you put yourself to sleep?

You might belong to the lucky percentage of people who simply need to drop your head on your pillow, and voila, you’re on your way to the land of zzzzzz’s. Or you could be more like me, when some sleepless nights require a bit more intervention.

My past two weeks of intense freelance writing have taken their toll on my sleep. The main issue is that when I finally do drag myself to bed, I’m too wired to fall asleep. After hours of being switched on, trying to suddenly switch off isn’t a simple option. So. Operation Sleepy Time will commence!

Here’s my plan for more effective sleepy time:
1) Stop all writing projects by 10 pm

2) Drink chamomile tea

3) Read a non-fiction book

4) No late-night texting/whatsapping/emails!
Hope this works!