To stay awake?

[lolaVie]

Really interested in opinions - quite light hearted!
DD is 6 months. Generally a good sleeper but stirs a bit, occasionally we have nights we she’ll wake and need a cuddle a couple of times. Nothing unusual but all fairly wearing. I’ve gone back to work recently almost full time in a quite demanding job. Also have a school age DS. So knackered!

DD has her final feed of the night around 11pm. My alarm goes off for at 5.15. She tends to wake 5.30/6.
I am always ready for bed and propping my eyes open with match sticks by 9pm! However I stay awake because I think I’ll feel worse to sleep for a couple of hours, wake to feed her then try to go back to sleep. I’m always worried I won’t get back to sleep and be up all night. DH thinks this is crazy and tells me I should get the extra couple of hours before the feed. Wwyd?

(DH has a job with odd hours so can/does for this later feed when it’s possible but it often isn’t).

yanbu - you’ll feel rubbish to sleep for a couple of hours - better to just wait up
yabu - you’re nuts! Get all the sleep you can. You’ll be fine getting back to sleep.

Why don’t your try it for a week? TBH 6 hours sleep sounds grim and unhealthy. If grabbing a 2 hour nap earlier in the evening helps you make up some sleep, it’s got to be worth a try

I think forcing yourself to stay awake is pushing it. You might be surprised
how much difference that extra bit of sleep makes.

I know I’d feel worse after only an hour or two of sleep.

For a start get rid of that 5:15 alarm if she isn’t always waking until 6 as that is half an hour that you could gain right away.

@Daffidale trying it for a week might be a good shout. I am soo tired!

@User183642 I do consider it (every morning!) but the early alarm so so I’m up, can have had breakfast and got myself ready before both kids are up. We have to be up and out the door by 7.15 so it’s really important to me I’m “with” them as much as I can be in the mornings because the time is quite precious with them. We’re not all home again until around 5.

I would go to sleep.

But really I think you should split it - either express or use formula so DH can do the night feed, and you do the AM. Also as PP says, stretch it till 6

@Thementalloadisreal this is what I’m afraid of! And that doing the feed will wake me enough that I then can’t get back to sleep -you know the awful clock watching at night thinking “I’ve got to be up in x hours…”

@theduchessofspork we do whenever it is possible to but DH’s job has a weird structure with odd hours and quite frequent very early (before 4am) travel starts. Our usual routine is when I’m then flagging by the evening he’s able to do more then as he tends to be home earlier.

I'm sorry but you're bonkers 😁

Take the extra time in bed in the morning; it really isn't necessary for you to be fully present for your children the minute they awake, to the extent that you exhaust yourself.

It's perfectly normal for families to muddle through getting ready together, not have the kids wake up to a perfect 50s housewife.

Get some sleep woman!

I used to do this when my daughter was a newborn. For a good few months at least. I'd tell myself I'd go back to sleep after each night feed.. but I'd end up with the telly on, as I was so scared of being woken up once I'd drifted off.
It was so depressing, I understand 🩷
Give it a go though. As in the long run I think if you're able to get into a routine of having an earlier night, waking up for a feed and then going back to sleep for the night, you may feel much better.

Definitely sleep! As she transitions onto solids hopefully you'll soon be able to drop the late night feed x

I'd sleep. I have to get up at midnight every night to do my toddler's medications, change his feed and turn him. I have an alarm set to wake me and have learned to go back to sleep once it's all done. I used to stay up until it was all done but, like you I am up early and I definitely feel better now I have learned to sleep before and go back to sleep afterwards.