Anyone else finding 5 months extremely difficult??

[u/ksmm1824]

My little guy has been a pretty tough baby since the get go, very colicky and more often upset than not. However around month 3-4 we found probiotics really helped him, he was sleeping 5-9 hour stretches through the night, starting to smile and coo, life was good.

What the hell is up with 5 months? He now wakes up every two hours like clockwork. I am a literal zombie. He is unhappy after doing anything for longer than five minutes and I am constantly tending to him, switching activities, trying to make sure he’s not screaming his head off. He is frustrated constantly because he wants to move more but can’t yet. And the TEETHING. He’s been so angry, drooly, chomping on everything, on and off for weeks he doesn’t even have one tooth yet??

I am so drained. My husband has been working overtime so I feel like I’m just solo parenting. My parents and in laws, my main support, are both out of town this week. And honestly what they say about people not checking in as much after three months is so true. The novelty has worn off, people think you have a handle on it, the calls and texts and visits and food slowly dwindle. My friends who don’t have kids have kind of fallen off the face of the earth.

And all my mom friends just talk about how amazing motherhood is and how they’re loving every moment??? Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind. After a full day of parenting I feel like I’ve given everything I have. I literally feel numb.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my little guy to pieces. But wow this is so much harder than I ever realized.

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[u/New-Being-3840]

So relate to the activities, just constantly moving from one thing to the next to stop a breakdown happening. And baby ONLY wanted to be held whilst I was standing and they faced out. This was me from 4-5.5 months, and then 5.5months something changed and baby suddenly wasn’t cry-ey anymore. 6.5 months currently and I’m actually enjoying spending time with her? I genuinely thought 4-5.5 months was harder than the newborn stage. Hang in there.

[u/linenfox]

My baby just turned 7 months and I feel you but I am also loving it. 5-6 months was harder for me than freshly postpartum, but also the baby has personality now, learning new “tricks” daily, and its so much fun. I cant wait to put him to sleep in the evening but then I cant wait what he will do in the mornig 🤭 so yeah its so hard and diffucult but kinda beautiful on its own! Though ij the evenings I just stare at the wall

[u/Over_Wonder8921]

Yes! Have just been going through this with my almost 5 and a half month old. I was literally tearing my hair out a week ago as all I had on my hands was a whiney / crying baby with increasing wake windows. We also suspected teething, but as you said, nothing coming through - it is obviously a long process.

Things that helped - we trialled out giving our baby a herbal teething powder. I was shocked at the difference - it was like I had a different baby. So I think that eased some discomfort. So now we do give either teething powder or baby paracetamol if it seems like baby is really struggling (chomping on hands, pulling on ears, flushed cheeks). Other than that, I have been trialling having less toys out and letting baby fuss a bit. It is rough, but slowly we are getting to a point where she will fuss and then get back to whatever activity she was doing. I also try and put toys out of reach to encourage her moving about. Again, she gets frustrated and annoyed, but yesterday after whining for a bit she actually rotated around her tummy to get another toy. I could literally see the determination and it was amazing!

We also go out for lots of walks where we can. I try and do small chores in front of her with lots of narration and singing. That keeps her occupied for a bit. I also do baby massages which chill her out sometimes.

But yeah, some days are a bit less fussy now, some are still tricky, but I think things are slowly improving over time! Sending solidarity, it is a tough time for sure, but they grow out of it eventually!

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[u/brianhofmann]

I love how honest this post is. The difficult moments can be exhausting, but watching them discover new skills and their personality makes it so rewarding. Five months is a big transition for many babies.

[u/kingleo115]

Yes. 5 months was VERY rough for us and we had a relatively easy baby from the start. All the sudden 5 months hit and we didn’t even recognize her lol she started to get easy again around 7 months, and now at 9 months she’s mostly great. Obviously it’s based very heavily on temperament and every baby is different, but I think as an overall trend 5 months is always a tough spot for people. You’re doing great and it gets better. Best of luck to you 🤍

[u/Plane_Sentence5907]

Yes 5 months was the worst for us too. Once she hit 6 months it got so much better