to have had enough and want to run away?

[beararse]

I haven't had sleep for 4 and a half years now. DD is 13 months and delightful but she has a shitty time with her teeth. She and DS share and even he is starting to really struggle because his sleep.is being constantly disturbed. For the last 2 weeks she has woken constantly, sometimes crying for a couple of hours before settling. She usually settles for DH if he perseveres but recently she has insisted on BFing to sleep which is ok in principle but she's so aggressive that it's starting to really hurt me. We all have colds which is not helping. Nurofen makes fuck all difference to teeth either. I'm so tired I can't sleep because I'm too angry. Wired, exhausted and fucked right off.

/rantend

I had a similar situation with mini-TP, poor little mite was so miserable with teething and I was well on my way to depression with lack of sleep. Explained to dp that I needed a night on my own for sanity, weekly if teething continued for much longer and took it that weekend (went and stayed with mil). Dp occasionally works away so gets nights off then, if he hadn't I'd have expected him to do the same.

It took the edge off a really painful time (I can see why sleep deprivation is such an effective form of torture) and if it's something you could possibly do I'd really recommend it.

And yanbu of course.

It's crap, but it will get better. My children didn't (don't sleep), but there are periods when they do, so it does seem better at those time.
Colds are hard. They don't eat either so then they don't sleep because they are hungry and thirsty, so want to bf all the time. I use a combination of Nelson's teething granules and calpol.

Yanbu. Could you & dh take sole responsibility for a good few hours so each can catch up on sleep? Being exhausted is no fun.
This too will pass. Until it does,all the best. Stockpile gin.

Do you have parents / in-laws who could look aftrer them for the night? I know it's hard leaving kids with someone else when they're ill but it would only be one night. Then check yourself into a hotel (travel lodge if money is tight) with some earplugs and sleep until you have to check out. You will feel refreshed and I think you need it.

Aw thanks folks.

I'm so overtired that I can't sleep easily just now, hence being awake now despite kicking DH out when they woke at 6. Finding going to bed early really hard too. We try to take turns but I can't sleep through her crying, and DH does shift work so it's easier said than done.

I know it will pass, goodness knows we have done it all with DS who was an appalling sleeper until very recently. It's just so much harder when the deficit is so chronic. I also get behind with housework and stuff (work PT too) which stresses me out and probably buggers up.my sleep too. DH tells me to leave things and go to bed but doesn't seem.to realise that the laundry fairy won't drop in while we sleep and wash his pants

Thanks though. I was pretty close to a full scale explosion last night and ranting helps!

I'd stop BF, its really hard work and although obviously beneficial, when mummy is feeling really run down, its something that can be changed.

When my DS was born, he couldn't BF so I expressed for 6mths, by then was really exhausted and knew it was contributing, decided he needed a mummy with more energy at that stage so switched to ff.

He's always been a poor sleeper too, its exhausting!

I don't know that it contributes to the exhaustion - it frustrates me if she's needing fed for long periods but it is the only thing which really soothes her and I don't think it would be right to deny her that comfort. I'm not sure how it would benefit me.

Sorry you've got a bad sleeper too. It is truly crap.