How do you get through the day?

[OhhhCrap]

DS2 is a SHITE sleeper. 6 months and wakes at least three times a night, is up for an hour from 5-6am then goes back to sleep until 7am.

He has just stopped waking hourly (four month regression).

I have other DC so can't nap when he does or go back to bed in the morning. I am breastfeeding (he is a bottle refuser).

At the moment I'm a fucking miserable, snappy cow and I look like something that got caught in a drain. I'm trying to lay off the caffeine which doesn't help.

I know there are so many others on this board going through the same (or worse). and to you all.

How do you get through the day without crying / snapping / resorting to wine at 3pm?!

[OhhhCrap]

(Sorry I should have been a bit clearer - three wake ups = a good night for us)

[Artandco]

Go to bed earlier? 9pm-7am is 10 hrs. Even if he wakes for 1hr at each waking that would still give you 7hrs a night

[MYA2016]

I'm so sorry but the caught in the drain comment made me literally LOL

I have no advice as we're (still) in the 4 month regression (he's 5.5months) but I have spent many tearful days questioning how the feck people with more than 1 child cope!
So I take my hat off to you and will hope your DS starts sleeping better soon.

Coping mechanism..... coffee and I try and nap in bed with him in the afternoon where possible
I cry regularly.
I also drink wine regularly but not normally before 6pm

[OhhhCrap]

Yeah thanks art I was in bed asleep at 9pm last night. He woke three times then was awake from 4:30 - 6. My older DS is up from 6:30 so I can't go back to sleep. 7 hrs would be all very well if it actually worked like that.

MYA I think I saw you on another sleep thread...sorry you're having a shit time too. I'm feeding him to sleep as I type and once he's in his cot I might crawl under my duvet and die. Although if I nap during the day I often feel even more shit when I wake up

[Hughpughbarneymagrew]

Nothing helpful to add but place making in case some genius has the answer. I've been in tears most of the morning because I'm so tired. Not slept for more than 2 hours at a stretch in more than a month. Baby likes to catnap for 45 mins max during the day so not long enough for me to sleep when he does. Can't imagine how anyone copes with more than one kid!

[InternationalHouseofToast]

My DS was a dreadful sleeper so I take my hat off to you coping with other DC as well. I was lucky that he was an only but I couldn't sleep in the day (PND linked for me). He was a bottle refuser as well - they're great aren't they?

How old are your other DC and is there anyone who could have them - a school friend's mum who could have a DC after school so you can nap with the baby, a pre-school where you could ask for a longer session so you can sleep? grandparents or other relatives who can take other DC to the park? If there's nothing, get out into the fresh air, raining or not. Stick wellies and macs on the older DC and a cover on the buggy and go out. If you have a slow cooker or an oven with an auto feature, use it to do meals whilst you're doing other things, even if you just have slow cooker chilli and oven cooked jacket potato for 2 nights on the trot.

The problem can be that baby is waking up at the end of his sleep cycle but in the middle of yours, so you're deeply asleep when you're woken and it makes you feel more groggy. Do you have a DH or partner to get older ones up so you can sleep for the 45 minutes when baby is asleep just so you're getting something?

[MadeForThis]

The only thing that helped me was t have DD in bed with me. She sleeps for longer stretches - it had been 45 mins max all night - and when she does wake up she is quick to feed and settle.

Although I am just about to start the battle to get her back into her cot now she is 9 months.

[Zaurak]

We just about survive. Sometimes I just lie on the floor and cry because I'm so tired.

We've tried everything to get him to sleep properly and failed miserably so now we just try to cope:

Dh takes him from 5:30-7 so I can sleep (he brings me a cup of tea as well, he is a god among men...)
I go to bed early once a week
I try to at least attempt to nap with him (not an option? Can you pile them all in with you on the floor and pass out?

To be honest, I don't cope well. The house is a mess, I'm a sight and I'm quite depressed. It's very, very hard. On a bad night (like last night) we had no sleep at all. Ds had some sort of night terror or something and woke after he first went to bed, then cried till 3:30 am
He then dropped off for about an hour, woke, napped and was up for the day at five, chirpy as anything. He does this maybe 2-4 times a week.

It's really hard. Cope however you can.

[Mov1ngOn]

I never found the answer. It was hell. Looking back I wished I'd scraped together for a mothers help/someone to watch kids occasionally so I could sleep.

Don't compare yourself/house/life to those who get sleep and/or have family help. It just isn't the same.

[pocketsized]

Im back at work now and DD is still waking on average twice a night and up for the day at 5.30. DH and I take it in turns to do shifts, one goes to bed straight after tea, and swaps out around 2am, then gets to "lie in" until its time to get up for work at 7.

We really had to persevere to get DD to take a bottle, but I had pnd and it was that or I would have had a break down.

Also cake. Lots of cake.

[swamitjanet]

When/if they nap do NOTHING, I remember in the early days using nap time to do housework or other boring stuff but I soon realised I needed down time so now I just let her watch me do stuff like that when she's awake (lucky girl) and when she naps I stare into space/go on asos/mumsnet, never any point sleeping too cos she wakes up after 45 mins on the dot.

[Minirocky]

We are 18 months in with dd2 and still every night is variations of terrible! She has slept through a total of 4 times.
Dd2 had terrible reflux and is still dairy intolerant so I think we got off to a bad start but I still dread every night. Last night she was restless from 10-1 then up from 1-3 and fully awake for the day at 6,30am.
I'm on my knees and rely heavily on my support system (mum & amazing friend) as my husband works away.
I don't think I do cope more like muddle through.
When dd 1&2 are asleep a g&t or glass of wine are my saviours.
I repeat the mn phrase "this too shall pass" a lot!
Good luck op wouldn't wish sleep deprivation on anyone and I'll be checking to see if anyone comes up with great ideas to help!

[NapQueen]

Do you have a partner? Could they get up and take over after the morning feed so you can sleep till they leave for work?

[cosmicglittergirl]

I had this with DD2 from 4 months until quite recently (she's 16 months now). I was a cranky mess and also have a 2.7 year old to contend with. I used to do the last feed at whatever time 8/9/10 then go to bed and my husband would keep her in with him then bring her for a boob feed at 3 then straight back out. Obviously he couldn't always do it but it helped me regain some sleep. She s much better now (off the boob at 12months) and slept through last night! We also popped DD1 in a nursery two mornings a week so at least I didn't have to deal with two children at once. I appreciate this isn't an option for everyone, but we don't have any family close so it was a great help.

It's much better now, just felt like forever to get there.

[DiggersRest]

It's tough. Dd1 is at school so l nap (or watch tv) when dd2 sleeps. I find the school holidays hard!

This is partly why we won't be going for dc3 as l just can't face this time again, the lack of sleep and general slog of it all.

But l have times where l go to bed at 7.30 just to get some 'rest' (it's hard to sleep when it's so bloody light out!). A few days of that and l always feel recharged.

[Timetogrowup2016]

Sugar!
Coffee
Crying
Just closing my eyes at least when she's happy on her play mat is helpful ( won't be able to do this when she's mobile though ).
Taking turns with oh to have a lie in/nap at the weekends.
It will get better.

We are trying to wean dd out her swaddle at the moment because she has started to roll on to her side from her back. She woke every hour last night- normally more like every 2.5-3 hours. Oh had her till 1am so I spelt 8-1am. She was then up at 1:30,2:30,3:45,4:30 ( and then was awake till 7am)
Funny thing is she can sleep un swaddled in her swing chair/bouncer/moving pram. We have resorted to the swing chair in the night sometimes. Not recommend but at 3:30am sometimes your so desperate you'll do anything. Lying next to her doesn't help either. She can even sleep with one arm out in her cot quite well but not both.

She's napped well this morning but I have so many things going on in my head I just can't switch off

[Diddlydokey]

Sleep training

[Gillian1980]

I stuff myself with coffee and chocolate, cry too much and hand DD over to DH whenever possible to go and rest.

Not a solution but it helps me get through the day!