Night time anxiety

[comberbird]

Hello all. I have a lovely 7 weeks old boy but I am really struggling to sleep at nighttime. This became obvious a few weeks ago and I am paying for some help a few nights a week but when I am on my own with him I just can't sleep. He himself is now sleeping from 12-3 and about 4-630/7 but I lie awake listening to his noises and when I hear them It's like I am priming myself for race - my heart pounds can feel my stress on levels rising... I ave also been dwelling on anything negative I my life while I mm lying there. When he is fed I then worry when he is in a deep sleep that he is dead. As a result I am awake almost all night and the baby doesn't sleep muc in the day except when I walk him? I have had a few very bad days since he was born where I want to run away/leave my husband and I get very stressed by him crying ( which he rarely does). My husband finds it all had to understand and sleeps in another room so he doesn't get distributed and I don't want to wake him I the night because he is working very hard. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this. I don't really think I am depressed in that I function as well as you can very little sleep and I try to be active etc during the day but I do feel very tense all the time and often feel low rather than very depressed. I adore the baby who is really contended and happy. I also can't afford the help I have been having for much longer and dread the thought of having him every night in future. I am seeing the dr on wed ...should I mention this.

[ithoughtofitfirst]

Definitely mention it to the GP. Chronic sleep deprivation is no joke. I had sonething similar not quite the same where i could sleep for the first half say 11-1/2 but then like you the second half of the night i would be so alert thinking, dwelling, worrying when he was quiet, annoyed when he was noisy. It was not fun.

Have you got a tablet? Or a kindle? The only thing thar worked for me with this particular problem was just thinking ok this not sleeping thing is rubbish but i'm going to use this time to read, write, plan, draw, whatsapp other insomniacs, do dishes, watch netflix ir jyst ANYthing other than just lying and thinking. Oh God the thinking!!

Once i stopped getting the anxiety about the night (cause i'd removed the pressure) i found it easier to drop off. If that makes ANY sense?!

You sound like such a trooper for carrying on functioning. Serious kudos for that. And well done for having a newborn and being an awesome mummy.

Definitely speak to your Gp though. Happy to help too if i can xx