Please help me stay awake

[fourplusonemore]

Struggling with newborn DD who can't settle anywhere but in mine or DH's arms. She's less than three days old so it's to be expected, combination fed and feeding breast first every 1.5-2 hours at the moment taking about 20 minutes from the breast and 0.5-1oz if not settled from the bottle. She's a comfort sucker too so is often more on the breast when not feeding and has a dummy for emergency situation settling.

DH is asleep until 7am (we worked out that it's better to keep his sleep schedule as normal as possible as he has to return to a new job in a week and a half) so that's my 'handover' time but I'm still recovering from a pretty traumatic birth and about three hours sleep per night since on top of the five hour nap I took this morning when DH woke up to take over. I've forgotten how hard it is to stay awake since my sleeping was incredible during pregnancy.

I can't sleep with her on me but it's the only way she'll rest, even with a dummy, swaddling and white noise so please keep me awake. Tips, tricks and some downright night owl conversation please!

Oh I remember those days.

So she's your 5th?

Third. DH and I are included (or the dogs) DC's are 10 and 8 so it's been a while since the last time and I'm pretty sure forgetting with time is natures way of ensuring we continue to procreate.

Ah!
I have 4, I was going to say you are batshit for having 5 ;)

How was the birth? Those first few days are such a painful blur.
It's mad really. We go through such trauma then are expected to nurse and sustain this tiny life whilst healing. Major design flaw mother nature!

You have my sympathy! Ds1 was a nightmare sleeper. He would only sleep on me, which meant, like you, I got very little sleep. Dh was working crazy hours and only 1 day off a week. I don’t know how we survived! I usually snuggled up next to the computer with X factor reruns on YouTube or something equally brainless to try to stay awake. I also ate a lot of biscuits to stay awake, that worked quite well

I’m sure your tiny person will get the hang of sleeping soon. Ds1 didn’t, so I ended up having to pace the floors, rocking a 1yr old to sleep while pregnant with ds2. We all still survived though and he now (6 billion years later) sleeps like a log.

That's quite a gap. Are the older ones taking to her well? At least they can do little jobs for you and keep an eye on her for a few minutes :)

Holy cow, just seen that’s baby number 3! You’ve got this If dh mentions having a third I get very growly and start throwing things at his testicles. And god yes, total design flaw! I couldn’t sleep for the last few weeks of pregnancy either and I still can’t bloody sleep now because my body has forgotten how. Argh indeed!

I can't remember anything sensible from that early on, I checked out at three days I think with one of my pair, I remember some hospital staff suggested I stay in and I to told DH they would have to section me to get me to do this. I then had a coffee in a Starbucks over the road and realised I still was wearing slippers. It took a while for my mind to rejoin my body.

The birth itself was wonderful but I had a PPH losing 2.2l of blood and had to go to theatre which has left me home, well but on lots of antibiotics and blood thinning injections. I'm drained but physically fine, just on limited duties right now.

DC's adore her so far and want to help constantly. It means that I can drink a coffee while it's hot between DH and DC's rocking her in the Moses basket and bottle feeding but I also simultaneously and selfishly want her back. Counterproductive

I have zero appetite right now. DH bought me lots of chocolate as a reward for labour since it made me feel sick during pregnancy and I haven't touched a thing! Lots of water though. I feel like dunking my face in a bowl of freezing water right now but I doubt I'd make it to the kitchen before the cries begin (I'm in the next room).

Once baby had her checks I discharged myself after a night in hospital. DD was born at 9:11am on Monday and by Tuesday 3pm I was like "Right, I'm off". I felt so guilty about leaving DD with the midwives that I just couldn't sleep or relax on the ward so as soon as I was mobile and the necessary tests had come back with healthy blood counts, I was out of the doors like a bat out of hell. Night 2 at home and I know it'll get worse before it gets better but at least I can adjust in time. It's like a massive shock to the system right now.

My eldest only slept in our arms for the first 2 weeks. By the end of it we were suicidal. We took turns getting a hour sleep each night. Things got better when I started giving him more formula. I never found staying in bed feeding very good. I always preferred getting up and making tea and watching something.

DH is currently in bed and I'm on the sofa with some random white noise video I found on YouTube on in the hope that it helps. DD currently using my boob as a pillow and sleeping soundly. I'm about to transfer her to the warmed up Moses basket in front of me complete with a little breast milk on her swaddling blanket so it smells like me so I can nip to the kitchen for a coffee. Noises don't bother her at all, thankfully. If the dogs bark and she's on one of us she'll sleep right through it but putting her down? Lord

I remembered to take the hot water bottle out. Handy as I had one on my back already so I just transferred it out. Want it back now though. My back is killing!

I remember it well as it wasn’t that long ago I had number 3. Developed pre eclampsia, was on medication, giving myself the injections too, and the after pains when breastfeeding were horrendous!

None of mine slept. 3rd has been the worst though. He’s 2 and a half and only just started sleeping through....

No more babies.

Enjoy your squidgy newborn and hope it gets better for you soon. We’ve got big gaps and the elder two adore their little brother.

Both DC's slept incredibly well and by three months were sleeping 10am to 6am. I don't see that happening with this little one. She's so gorgeous and perfect that when I'm awake all I can do is stare at her but at 2:40am on minimal sleep she's just as beautiful asleep 😂

@fourplusonemore Im in the same boat as you, I haven't had any sleep so far tonight, we are night 2 at home and DS is 4 days old, soundly asleep on my chest but as soon as I attempt to transfer anywhere he screams, his dads asleep and I will sleep through the day tomorrow

My god you really need to look after yourself! I had a pph of 1.9 and I felt rotten for weeks! And that was without other children in the mix at that point.
Currently sat here with my 10 day old ds, and my 14 month old who is badly teething. Oh and "D"H sleeping soundly next to me!

Not really sure what I can add on tips to stay awake.. I just wish I could sleep

I'm in the same boat as well. My DS is 13 days old and doesn't like to go down after a night feed!

Really bizarre issue in that he hates blankets or anything covering his legs, it's quite warm so he is just in a vest sleeping and it's fine but he will get quite cold when the weather turns. If I stealth place one when he is asleep he wakes up and cries, attempting to kick it off, no idea what the problem is! He also HATES swaddling.

OP have you tried a sleepyhead? My DS will only sleep in one of those and not the cot itself, think they feel more secure and cosy in them.

I've just managed two hours from 3-5. After milk and a nappy change, she's back to fussing. I'm going to have to give in and bring her back into my arms but I'm so tired that I know it's a bad idea. I've turned House on. Maybe some medical mysteries (that I've forgotten about hopefully as I've seen them all) will help me these last two hours? Cracked open a bottle of cold water and silently resented DH as I could hear his snores when I went to the toilet