struggling with newborn - when did it get easier for you?

[sotough]

our gorgeous daughter is five weeks old and i adore her and am thrilled to have a new baby but i'm really struggling with the lack of sleep and general exhaustion. all pretty normal, etc, but i'm trying to encourage myself with thoughts of when it starts getting easier! can you remember when you started finding it easier with your newborn? with my son it was at five weeks, when he started sleeping a bit better, but he was much bigger than she is and could go longer stretches at night. it got a lot easier when he was 11 weeks and dropped the night feeds but i don't think this little one will be at that stage by then

I'm still doing two night feeds at 5 months but when I accepted that I felt so much better as I'm not fighting it, so a quick wake, feed then back down in 15 mins is actually really easy! I think my day to day life got a lot easier at 3 months which is also when he started going to sleep in his cot at bedtime and not needing to sleep on me at any point in the night, and I really got the hang of his nap needs etc in the day so I had a loose routine of how the day would go. I actually do miss the newborn mad days and sitting for hours with him asleep on me actually, but I'm probably crazy to say it :) and transport me back to 5 weeks I might change my mind!

I read on here once to view the first year as an endurance test and then you get the joy of the wonderful little person you've made/their character etc.

I don't know why but it has stayed with me and when I've struggled with my little one (10 months) I've thought of this. With both of mine I found the early baby days very hard until they were able to sit independently (both 5 months) and then it felt less like I was just lugging them about all day, they can play and interact more with you and the world. (And they can be put down happily while you pee in peace or wash up using both hands!)

I have a DS who is 7 weeks old. It is better than it was. I had a conversation with my mum when he was 4 weeks old where all I did was cry and when she told me to sleep when he did I replied with "he doesnt". I felt like the world had conspired against me not telling me how hard it would be. Of course you love them and of course you are doing your best but dear Lord is it tough.
Like I said 7 weeks old here and we have very bad nights and amazing nights, awful days and brilliant days. BUT what I have found is worth remembering is that it all changed and passes. Also mumsnet is a great support.