Olivia at 17 Weeks

Why do I feel like our updates have been the same for weeks? Maybe because this Wonder Week 19 / 4 month sleep regression / wakeful period feels like it has lasted forever. Well, this week Olivia’s sleep was decent (as in, waking twice vs. hourly), but her naps were super short once again (averaging 2.5 hours of nap time). She had a couple of days in the beginning of the week where she was fussy like I’ve never seen her before – really over-tired, clingy and whiny, and she basically lived in the Moby wrap. In fact, she took some of her best naps in the Moby. Aside from that and falling asleep in our arms, the only other way we could get her to nap was swaddle+oven vent fan+paci+swing. I’m convinced she just really doesn’t want to miss out on any action!

Munchkin Twisty Teether

It seemed impossible for her to be more observant than she already is, but she was so easily distracted by everything this week that it was really hard to get her to finish her food. Her new favorite game is holding the bottle and bringing it to her mouth, then quickly pulling it away, repeat. She also loves chewing the bottle nipple with the right side of mouth. Hubby bought her this teething toy, which she seems to enjoy immensely, probably because it’s a ball of nipples!!

Olivia succeeded in rolling over from her back to her tummy on her left side this week (she’s been rolling to the right since around 12 weeks) and she even rolled from her tummy to her back a couple of times!! She’s a bit hung up because she thinks the best way to do it is by sticking her butt in the air and then using the weight of it to roll over vs. lifting herself up on her arms and using the weight of her head. It’s okay, she’ll get there!

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12 Comments

  1. I LOVE your blog! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I looked forward a couple weeks and saw you dropped your daughters swaddle. My daughter is 17 weeks today and is swaddled every time she sleeps. The only time I tried one arm out was at a nap, she went to sleep but only slept 45 min (common for her) and then wouldn’t go back to sleep. However, I really want to start dropping the swaddle. Any suggestions?

    • Thanks so much, Jenny! So, you’re probably in the midst of Wonder Week 19! Keep in mind that sleep and eating routines will most likely be in flux right now, so it’ll be harder to identify what actually works from one day to another. I hesitate to introduce changes while O’s in a WW period just because I don’t want to overwhelm her while her brain works on developing new skills – but I have no scientific basis for that :). That said, I’m a big believer in making any modifications to the sleep routine at bedtime (you’ll soon see it translate to the naps) because that’s what worked for us. Perhaps try it cold turkey like we did, at night? It might take a couple of days of poor sleep, but then she’ll be used to sleeping without it, and won’t need it at naptime either. Is she starting to roll over? That was really the impetus for us. If she isn’t yet, maybe try to wait it out until this Wonder Week phase is over? Hope this helps! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

  2. Thank you so much for this blog!! It is helpful to check in with it once I am starting to see signs of a Wonder Week. We are certainly in the middle of Wonder Week 19. My little one is 16.5 weeks and I think also went through a growth spurt last week. She is still sleeping well for naps, but nighttime has been rough. She previously had been STTN having dropped all of her night feedings! But starting last week she clearly was hungry in the night again. She would wake around 2 and I would give her her pacifier back but then she’d be up again 15 mins later so obviously she was hungry and I fed her. But now this week she doesn’t seem hungry at night but still wakes up every hour starting around 2am. Goes to sleep around 8:30pm then sleeps till 2ish with no disruption. But then up at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and then I get her out of bed at 7. We get up and give her her pacifier back and she easily goes back to sleep for the next hour, but then up again. So does this sound like Wonder Week/4 month sleep regression behavior that we should just ride out for the next few weeks? Or do you think we may need to intervene here and try something to solve it to prevent an ongoing sleep problem? She is still swaddled but I am hesitant to try to stop that in the middle of already not sleeping well. She is not rolling over yet, so the swaddle is still safe and she seems to still like it. I appreciate any feedback you have!

    • Hi Anne! I’m so glad you find our blog helpful 🙂 That sounds pretty much like what we experienced for about a month (felt like forever!) during that Wonder Week 19/sleep regression period. We experimented a bit with swaddle vs. no swaddle (only because she had started breaking out of it and rolling-if not, we definitely would have kept it going), but ultimately we rode it out and waited for the phase to pass. It was after that point that we began sleep training. Good luck! It’s a tough phase, but it will pass and you’ll all get your full night of uninterrupted sleep soon 🙂

  3. my daughter is 14 1/2wks and doing the exact same stuff with the bottle, rolling and rejection of naps ugh. i am tired

  4. I love reading your blog. we’ve been trying to figure out the wonder weeks since she was three weeks early, but it seems like 19 it is. Along with all the helpful info you post, I was wondering what the name of that stuffed toy is. I think the wee one would love it.

  5. Love this blog, it’s so helpful. I wasn’t so sure about the WW thing but with my second baby now I’m a believer. My daughter is in the sleep regression mode right now. She’s been an awesome sleeper and is now up every couple hours all night, sometimes more. She is in a nursing strike, but will take bottles. She does the pulling the bottle in and out of her mouth thing too! She just started rolling both ways, found her feet, and talks all the time. It’s fun to watch her grow and change, but im so ready for a full night of sleep. She is still sleeping in a swing right now and I’m thinking about putting her in the crib over Christmas. She doesn’t sleep swaddled anymore. Should I wait til she is sleeping well again?

    • Thanks so much, Elise! I would wait, if you can – there’s so much developmental excitement for her right now. That doesn’t help your sleep situation, unfortunately BUT it will get better before you know it 🙂

  6. Hi There,

    I am so greatful to have found your blog. I am a first time mom and I am a little overwhelmed right now.

    My daughter was 19weeks on Jan 1st. Born Aug 21st (1 week late).
    Ever since 17 weeks she has not been herself.
    She has been unbelievably fussy. Cries and whines all the time. Before I could put her down and she’s entertain herself for a bit. Enough for me to empty the dishwasher. Or vacuum. Or even get ready. Now it’s like a completely different baby. My husband and I cannot put her down. She has to be up in our arms and moving around it in a carrier. She fights eating during the day but eats fine at night.

    We think she’s teething. Always pulling at her ears. Holding her head. Cheeks bright red. I took her to the doctor who said there is no ear infection. So that’s good. I hate to see her in pain. Breaks my heart.

    Is this what you experienced when you said your little one was extremely fussy?

    When will it end? Did your little one just wake up one day and was herself again. I’m exhausted.

    Happy New Year!

    • Aww, Jen sorry it took me so long to respond! That phase is totally normal – we went through the same exact thing. Since you wrote this a few weeks ago, I bet you’re all feeling much better 🙂

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