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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Got my baby to sleep less than an hour ago...

66 replies

SourSweets · 26/09/2013 03:23

And he's awake again for another feed. He's 8 weeks old on Saturday, I thought it was supposed to get easier by now?! Will he ever go for longer than 2 hours between feeds?

Husband is happily snoring beside me having the wonderful excuse of going to work in the morning. I have a throbbing headache and I have to cook bloody lunch for friends tomorrow!

Aaarrrrgghhhhhh!!

OP posts:
Original poster
SourSweets · 26/09/2013 03:28

Sorry, not an AIBU, thought I was in Chat.

Bloody sleep deprivation.

OP posts:
WillYouDoTheFandango · 26/09/2013 03:29

Oh I know it's hard but 8 weeks is so tiny. My nine month old is on his 4th wake up already (nasty molars). It does get easier I promise and then hard again. My DS started to have some better nights sleep around 13 weeks.

Could you text your friends tomorrow and let them know you've been up all night? Nice friends would either cancel or offer to bring you nice dinner with them so you don't have to cook.

LadyMetroland · 26/09/2013 03:35

I feel your pain. Mine is 5 months and wakes a lot. I'm a zombie in the day and have two other dc to look after.

Make sure you're feeding both sides (if bf) and burping properly. I always change nappy too, then in theory he should sleep a decent stint.

of course at 8wks it could be a growth spurt, esp if he's not usually this bad, in which case just go with it.q

Jellybeanz1 · 26/09/2013 04:48

Good luck, it depend on how may dc you have and their age gap. I haven't slept much for 10 years Smile but it does get easier.

beachesandbuckets · 26/09/2013 05:28

Feel your pain, my 8 wk old twins have been fed 10pm, 1am, 3am and 5am. Usually just get on with it, but feeling v tired and 'when will this ever end' tonight. Luckily we have a spare bedroom and I'm in it, so not reminded that others (dh) are sleeping whilst I am awake which strangely makes it feel better.

Cancel the lunch, or ask friends to bring a sandwich/make lunch.

PrincessRomy · 26/09/2013 06:09

I feel you... was in tears at 2.30am this morning because I felt I just couldn't face feeding 7 week old again. Then my 2 year old woke up crying...

We just have to get through it and trust it will get easier. I feel awful as I'm wishing away time with a gorgeous newborn baby Sad

CreatureRetorts · 26/09/2013 06:14

Yep I remember these days/nights of hell with ds.

With dd (my second), I basically kept her in the sling all day until 3/4 months and put her down in a dark room at 6pm - that was the only way to keep the long night wakings to a minimum!

FadBook · 26/09/2013 06:14

Cancel lunch, unless they bring the food. Good friends will bring food and tissues for you.

Every 2 hours is normal for bf. make sure lo has both boobs.

Frowned up on here, but a dummy saved my sanity at week 8. Dd was a 'sucky' baby and so would suck for ages, but then projectile throw up because she'd over fed (and they say you can over feed a bf baby, in my case, you could).

Try and sleep today when baby naps.

CreatureRetorts · 26/09/2013 06:15

And yes cancel lunch. What are you doing cooking big meala with an 8 week old Hmm

Finola1step · 26/09/2013 06:19

Def re think lunch. You have to feed baby but you do not have to feed grown adults. Good friends would come round, bring a dish, give baby a cuddle so you can actually sit down and eat something. It does get easier.

Original poster
SourSweets · 26/09/2013 08:45

You are all some sort of superwoman species. Twins? Multiple children? 10 years? This morning I told my husband our baby will have to be an only child as I'm not doing this again.

I only ever give him one boob, no-one ever told me I should offer both. He feeds from one until he's had enough, I always try to give him more in the hope he'll go for longer but once he's had enough that's it. Should I stop him halfway through to swap sides?

And yes I caved at 6 weeks and gave him a dummy, but only at night. He does that exact same sucky, sicky cycle.

OP posts:
Sammie101 · 26/09/2013 08:52

Most of my nights are also like this with 8 week old DD.
Last night we had a rare good night, dream feed at 10, she woke at 2:30 for her next feed and then again at 6:30 which was the start of the day. It's amazing how one good night makes you feel better, and reminded me that things WILL get better!

mrsspagbol · 26/09/2013 08:53

Soursweets I am on the verge of tears this morning. Must be something in the air.

My LO was 8 weeks old yesta and i am just so tired and low thinking of the relentlessness of it all.

I am EBF and she has bad tummy pains after EVERY feed. She burps easily and well but it gives her no relief, she just cries and cries kicking her legs and burying her head in my shoulder.

I have been to the GP 4 times, I do not know what else to do but I dread feedings now. Surely this is not right? The soothing, shushing, rocking, patting etc after every feed is EXHAUSTING. Do all babies do this? Is this normal?

Why do I have it in my head that you have a lovely calm bfeed, burp the put beautiful calm bubba down?

Sad

Sorry to moan on your thread.

I think you should scrap lunch. Or at least make it a "bring and share".

mrsspagbol · 26/09/2013 08:55

*burp, then

Sammie101 · 26/09/2013 08:56

Also @SourSweets, I only offer one boob as well. I figured out that after DD came off 1st boob she was asleep, I would wind her and then give her the other one which would wake her and she'd be wide awake. Then when we put her down it was an endless cycle of dummy in, dummy out, cry. So I started putting her down after she came off the first boob and it takes her a lot less time to settle!

Original poster
SourSweets · 26/09/2013 09:01

Oh Mrsspagbol, that sounds awful. Mine takes forever to settle too and I spend the whole time thinking how this is eating in to my sleeping time before the next feed. I'm not even close to being an expert on this (I wouldn't be posting if I was) but have you tried gripe water, infacol and burping in several different positions? Or might it be an allergy to the milk?

I'm cancelling lunch. Feel very guilty as I never cancel plans but fuck it, they don't have babies they don't understand!

OP posts:
KittiesInsane · 26/09/2013 09:04

Don't cancel it -- get them to make it! (And hold the baby for you while they do everything, and you go for a shower...)

ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 26/09/2013 09:06

Oh Sour those first few months are bloody hard work. You're doing fab, good on you for cancelling lunch. Tell them why though, if you were my friend I would bring round food and look after you! Hope you get a bit more sleep soon!

ChestyNut · 26/09/2013 09:13

Tell them you've been up all night.
I would bring food and Cake and tissues and cuddle lovely baby while you ate/showered/slept if I were your friend.

(I don't have and DCs either Sad so your friends might be better than you think.)

mrsspagbol · 26/09/2013 09:13

Hi Sour -

Yes have tried Infacol, gripe water, infant gaviscon and Colief.

Colief seems to work the best.
Gripe water just sort of works as a distraction cos she hates it and she tends to splutter but then forget about her tummy for a bit?

We massage and bicycle leg too.

I don't know what else to do. Got the GP at 11 and really cant think of anything to say that I have not said already.

I may just sit there and cry.

She feeds well but then you can literally set your watch by it - a few mins after the burp the crying and leg kicking starts.

Re allergy, what allergy might it be? I don't really like milk and dairy products [dairy upsets my tummy]so I only have about 5 mls of milk in my one coffee a day, and butter spread on my morning toast. Would that be enough to cause an intolerance for her??

Sad
mrsspagbol · 26/09/2013 09:15

Ps

i hope your friends come round and cook for you or let you take a nap!!

Fingerbobs · 26/09/2013 09:22

Oh dear, poor all of you - this the very hardest time, I think, when the absolute newness shock and awe is wearing off and the 2 hour feeds and no bloody sleep ever grinding on. Do please cut yourselves some slack, you are all doing amazing jobs looking after the babies and truly, don't try to do much else. It will, eventually, get easier, and you can cook lunches then. Definitely second the get your friends round with sandwiches (and cake, and prosecco). And go to bed with the baby and just don't get up for the rest of the day. Wish I had done much more of that, looking back!

gruber · 26/09/2013 09:27

Sorry to hijack but mrsspagbol have you thought it could be something you're eating? If its after every feed... My DS had tummy pains, would wriggle in pain etc then be sick - after a lot of research found out he was reacting to citric acid (I was having orange juice, grapes etc).

Original poster
SourSweets · 26/09/2013 09:28

Yeah, maybe that was a bit harsh about my friends. I don't feel like I can get them to bring stuff, or that I can go off to have a snooze while they're watching the baby, they're quite new friends and I'd have to properly "entertain" them. They're great with the baby but you go round someone's house for lunch and end up babysitting... I can see that as an AIBU thread itself. "To think that if you are invited for lunch you're not going as free childcare"

The milk allergy.. I don't know, I've heard that some babies can be allergic to the milk itself rather than anyhting you've eaten. I don't know if that's true or not but as you're going to the GP anyway it might be worth asking. Also have you asked on the breast feeding board? There's some very knowledgeable people there.

OP posts:
gruber · 26/09/2013 09:29

Ps OP you are doing great! It all got easier about 10 weeks for me :) Get your friends to bring lunch, sleep when you can, repeat "this too shall pass" and remember you are doing great!