Calling all nighttime feeders!! Let's all keep us company during those early hours of the morning when we're feeding instead of sleeping!

[Writerwannabe83]

This is a thread for everyone to chat to each other about their experiences of night time feeding, the good, the bad and the ugly!

There are already a few of us who have been chatting about this in another forum for a few months now but we want to migrate over here to meet more sleep deprived parents!!

Log on and post, no whatever silly hour it is, and vent away about how knackered and stressed you are!! There's a good chance someone else is up and feeding crying with exhaustion too!!

Introductions: I have a 7 week old son, first baby and exclusively breastfeed. He's normally a nightmare to settle to sleep, screaming for hours on end, but will go for 5 hour stretches of sleep!

Thank you for your kind replies. Got her down for 1.5 hours, which is better than nothing, I suppose. We were doing really well up until 3.5 months, so I guess this is the 4 month sleep regression that we're dealing with.

The problem with my DH is that he's not willing to make any allowances for tiredness and the horrible feeling you get when your baby is inconsolable. He just talks about lack of control, and I know he has a point. I'm not a bad person, though, I just have a short fuse at the moment and he's frustrating at the best of times. Luckily for me, he doesn't stay angry for long. It's just him I get angry with, not the baby, I hasten to add - she can't help it. I deal fine with it all when he's not here.

The important thing right now is getting through this phase and not making any irrevocable decisions about the future of our relationship in a state of sleep deprivation.

Writer and mrsmugoo, so sorry you're going through this. Sometimes it just seems so relentless, doesn't it?

Singsongmama, glad you've had some sleep. Just getting a few hours in a row makes so much difference!

Another hour omg

Hugs to singsong writer thorn mrsmugoo and everyone who had a bad night. Both Fin and the dog were sick at 7pm not sure why they synchronised! Fin was fed at 8, up again at 11,12,2 and 4,at 4 he fed for 45mins and is now asleep on my chest. Was alone as oh is working nights.

I can totally sympathise with everyone feeling inadequate. At 2am through sheer frustration I told Fin to shut up then cried the poor mite is only 7 weeks old. Just telling myself tomorrow is a new day.

Cuddling my boy now and feeling guilty

Another one hour of sleep!

Oh mrsmugoo - you're doing a grand job and just remind yourself that things will get better.

pug - I hope the guilt has gone, like I said earlier, I've also shouted at the baby and hated myself for it. Don't be hard on yourself, we all say and do silly things.

queen - it sounds like tough environment to be in when you don't have your DH's full support and understanding. My DH isn't very good at dealing with a screaming DS and when DH is stressed it makes me stressed. I find DS's crying easier to deal with if I'm on my own as to some degree I can zone out from the noise and just focus on cuddling and rocking him, whereas if my DH is with me and stressing and complaining I feel my focus I'd more on him than DS.

My attempts to feed DS back to sleep at 3am were pointless and my DH eventually told me that he'd take over and I should go in the spare room and try and get some sleep. In the past I would have declined but I was so, so tired that I couldn't leave our bedroom quick enough! I got about 2.5 hours sleep which although not much, is lovely. I'm back in with DH and DS now who has fell asleep on my lap after a feed. I'm going to attempt the transfer and hopefully get some more sleep!

I just feel so sorry for the little lad, he keeps yelping out in pain and scrunching his legs up. I just literally put him back down and he woke straight back up in pain. After a fart he's now back asleep on me.

Up again hoorah. Think I'm throwing in the towel now and waking DH.

We are up now. Up at 5, took a while for him to go back down. He woke me up with his little snuffles and heavy breathing. I got a lovely smile when I picked him up tho!
We have a long day ahead of us, off to visit relatives with the dgp. Letting DH sleep a bit more since he'll have to drive, he plus one won't fit in the back with the baby car seat!

Back up again here too, Fin is clawing at my boob like a feral cat!

Hope you manage some sleep now mrsmugoo

Thanks for the kind words writer

Have a lovely day with the relatives owlina

Awake again an hour after going down....

Why have all our babies suddenly turned into unpredictable crazy monsters???

Hehehe it's like they all got together and decided!

Full moon?!?

Mugoo and writer - what a tough time you are having!! These hourly wakings are just torture. Maybe tonight will be better. Fingers crossed for you both.

Thanks singsong - DS has been really grizzly this afternoon and had a complete screaming meltdown!! I think this was from being overtired. After lots of rocking, singing and eventually feeding he fell asleep about an hour ago and I hope he has a really good rest or I dread to think what the night will have in store.

DH is going out tonight at 6pm and won't be back until 01.00am-ish so the last thing I want is a stressful/screaming bedtime when I don't have DH to take over when I just need a break!!

I'm so glad I found this thread. DS has been a nightmare lately. Had his 12 week jabs on Weds and was a bit grizzly later. Total nightmare Thurs morning - he needed to sleep so I fed him to sleep lying down but every time I removed my nipple from his mouth he'd wake up and start rooting around for it again, this went on for over an hour, by the end of it my back and hips were killing me from lying at an odd position. Then in the afternoon he actually managed a 2 hour nap though I had to lie beside him to prevent him from waking himself up as he tends to flail around. And miraculously he only woke up at 3am and 6am after his final feed at about 1030 that night. Usually he's up every 2 hours. So I felt good yesterday morning as I'd had the most sleep is had since he was born and thought perhaps a corner had been turned.

But nope! Last night he was up every hour screaming and refusing to go to sleep. He hasn't pooped since Monday (not uncommon for,him) and is clearly very uncomfortable and windy poor thing. He managed a 2 hour nap today but DP had to take him out in he pram and walk him to sleep but after he woke from that he was screaming again. Fed him and managed to get him to sleep by rocking him in the pram but god only knows what tonight will bring. I am beyond shattered!

Absolutely dreading tonight after last nights shambles!

I've been like a zombie today and DS has only taken 3 very short (45 mins each) naps today (all in my arms, he will NOT be put down in the day)

He hasn't pooed at all today so I hope that doesn't aggravate his wind tonight.

Anyway, about to start the night, although struggling to get him to settle as he's already tensing and grimacing with wind.

Could be in for another shocker!

Ok I think he's asleep, attempting to put him down!

Good luck

Welcome Cariad...you've come to the right place. We're all in it together, such a fab thread. As the name suggests it's the good (5 hours sleep...like the holy grail!) the bad (up every hour) and the ugly (ie my baby thinks night time is day time, my baby is unwell, mastitis, DP issues, tongue ties, nappies, oysters and a cockerel.....)

After last night I am approaching tonight with a certain level of trepidation (ok, dread!). I Know you ladies are more shattered than I am today so sending your babies super sleepy vibes.

See you in a few hours....

Extra sleepy dust for you Mugoo

Thanks singsong. Here's hoping!

He was in a lovely deep sleep so I'm just having a fennel tea and a few minutes wind down then it's lights off here.

Welcome cariad - no wonder you are exhausted!! I've had a few horrendous nights with DD, I got about 8 hours sleep over the course of 3 days or something - I honestly don't know how we function!! Especially considering we have these babies sucking our bodies dry of all our goodness!! I hope you have a better night tonight, but if not, do come and rant away, there's usually one of us awake too unfortunately

mrsmugoo - I have a feeling that wind is going to be the cause if an unsettled night for DS too - I'm mentally preparing myself for it. His stomach had been giving him pains all day, he so desperately wants/needs to do a poo but it just isn't putting in an appearance. He was shattered earlier and slept for 3.5 hours and then I woke him because I was worried if he slept too much he'd be awake all night. That was 3 hours ago now and he hasn't stopped grizzling or crying since. He fell asleep on me about 10 minutes ago after LOTS of rocking and singing but the minute I put him in his MB he woke up. I'm kind of hoping he will settle himself back off to sleep but I can hear him wildly flailing around

Does anyone else have a DC who flails in their sleep? My 13 week old DS will fall asleep in my arms, I'll put him to bed, he's fine for about 10-15 mins and then suddenly he'll start to flail around madly and wake himself up. I literally have to lie next to him and hold his arms and legs down. Not sure how I can stop it, and he hates swaddling.

I can't believe we just cross posted and both of us were talking about our flailing babies My DS has the most manically flailing limbs but only when he is awake.

Have you tried putting him a sleeping Gro-bag type thing?? It might at least help control his legs??

Sending sleepy dust to all the babies and hoping it's a good night for the mummies!