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Parenting

How to cope with non sleeping child and newborn

3 replies

5minutestobed · 28/05/2016 11:03

DS1 is 3 and DS2 is two weeks. I feel like a zombie already. DS has never been a good sleeper and quite frequently wakes for hours during the night (last night was 3 hours) DS2 is obviously a normal newborn waking every few hours for a feed but the combination of the two is killing me!!

DH is on paternity leave and has been going in to DS1 but it's not going well as he is used to me settling him. We are managing by taking turns to nap during the day but wtf are we going to do when DH goes back to work on Monday?!
We live in a flat so no spare room and sleeping in the living room isn't much quieter.
How do other people manage this? Should we be sleeping in shifts or something?! Help!

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Princesspeach1980 · 28/05/2016 11:39

Could one of you go to bed late, and take the baby until maybe midnight (while the other one goes to bed early) then any waking after that time goes to the other one? To be honest, once DH was back at work I just learnt to function on about 4 hours sleep. It's rubbish but you do sort of get used to it

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Scotinoz · 28/05/2016 12:46

I'm not sure how, but you'll honest manage. I spent the first six months after DD2 arrived with children tag-teaming hourly wakings, and survived on four hours a night in 50minute chunks. I drank a shit load of coffee and ate my weight in choccy biscuits. A year in, they're both sleeping and six straight hours a night feels like utter bliss.

Best of luck Smile

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Coconut0il · 28/05/2016 22:43

I think you're thinking on the right lines with sleep shifts! Whatever you need to get the most sleep till it gets better.
When DS2 was newborn I did all the night feeding so DP would get up early at 4, 5 or 6 and take DS so I could sleep till he went to work. Even if I managed 2 hours undisturbed I felt a bit better.
No advice for the 3 hour awake time for your DS1 but even the thought makes me tired... Does he wake if he's with you? If that was happening here I could see me in bed with DS1 and DS2 and DP out in DS1 bed!

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