Sleep deprived and feeling like a rubbish mum

[Ams25]

Last night I was up twice with DS1, who used to go through every night, and twice with DS2, who is only 11 weeks so fair enough... What finished me off was the fucking cat breaking out of the kitchen and jumping on my head at 3.30. It's not even 8 am and I've already got Cbeebies on. I feel like DS1 is watching loads of telly at the moment and it makes me feel really guilty. He's also refusing to nap in the afternoon which makes things even harder... How do others cope?!

[TheyCallMeKipper]

You are not alone! I have ds1 who is 2.9 yo and up more than ds2 who is 13 weeks old. He actually manages to wake up ds2 shouting from a different room (not on purpose) which is so frustrating.

I cope by : going out lots, especially with friends who have dc ds's age, and can grab a baby/ toddler as needed;

Toddler groups just starting up so another place to go;

Having very low house work standards and a cleaner (who even did some washing for me last week );

Not ironing anything, ever;

Accepting sometimes I look a fright in the supermarket, and getting shopping on line most of the rest of the time;

Insisting if ds1 won't have a nap then he has quiet time on the sofa with pillow and blanket (and yes tv); not feeling guilty about Cbeebies - it is currently my friend;

And remembering that this is a phase like all the others and it will get easier.

But, just once, I wish they'd both sleep at the same bloody time!

It's hard, isn't it.

[Ams25]

Believe me, my house work standards are low to disgusting :0
I wish we could afford a cleaner, but my maternity pay is paltry and I just can't justify it...

Just about to go to a toddler group, hoping DS 1 will be better behaved than last time we went, snatching toys from and whacking other (smaller, more vulnerable) children .

The irony is I've been trying to convince DP that I shouldn't go back to work and should do this full time for a few years...

Thanks for replying, helps to know I'm not alone!

[RottenRow]

Am also in same boat, although it is only dd2 keeping me awake and dd1 tiring me out in the day. I always feel depressed after a bad night plus it flares up my acne so I look like crap also. I also have a cleaner, go out every day, more tv then I'd like and ready meals for dinner. Dd2 is only 8 weeks so this isn't ending anytime soon is it? Do you have any audio books? Dd1 likes them and will also sit happily glueing stuff for a while.