Exhausted f/time working mum, need advice

[Hamster555]

I'm feeling very fragile, I'm exhausted. I've been exhausted since the 20 hour Labour and the non stop interrupted sleep from the beginning that is still the case now at 20 months old. The lack of sleep I've experienced for me personally has been horrendous and now I'm struggling with what the dr thinks is chronic fatigue, I feel nauseous a lot of the time and a usual walk some days feels like a marathon. We have no family help, I work full time as does husband. Is it normal to have got to a point where I feel like I am really struggling to cope? It's the sheer lack of sleep! What has triggered this being worse is our LG has got a bad cough the dr is aware and she's had it almost 2 wks with the rubbish being present for almost a month. She's being sick with it at night so it's been exhausting sorting bedding etc, they said there is nothing they can do. I feel like trying to balance working FT feeling like this is impossible but OH doesn't think working PT is an option either, I don't know what to do because I feel like I've hit my point of exhaustion, is there anywhere I can go to for advice on this to discuss this in more depth? Sometimes I wish I could just leave my job for a break, using the leave I have left is not enough for how long off I feel I need. Me and OH argue a lot and just feel like there is no part of my life anymore that I enjoy at all except for my lovely daughter who I only see for snatched time in the evenings and at wknds which by time I've got to the wknd I'm exhausted from working etc and feel like it's so hard to keep up with her all wknd & it's back to work again, feeling so depressed like ground hog day and this lockdown is making it so much harder, just so uncertain about all of this and what best to do 😓

@Bridget83 @Thatwentbadly @FTEngineerM Thank you all so much, what a marathon it's been omg!!! Some days are like wading through mud aren't they 🤯 we have slept in the sep rooms every other this wk since I posted this and what a difference it's made! It was such a relief to know I was gonna sleep that night with the ear plugs as someone suggested I slept straight through, that's not happened since before DD was born. I've realised that I also shouldn't be having to ask that I've been doing that without realising and spoke to DP about him being more aware of this and he has 100% shown willingness to watch out for this. We put the extra towels and the sheets as a few of opi suggested and that was a life saver just chucking it in the bath and sorting in the morning! I never even thought of that one. So many useful things that you just don't have capacity to think about when your knackered every single day! Thank you all! So much appreciated x x x x

Sleep deprivation is the worst. The uneven division of labour after a baby is very common and unfortunately not being the default parent is something you have to battle. I think for some parents, those with no family support, non sleepers and who work 1 to 2 years is a case of being in survival mode again. It’s like the new born stage all over. Make sure you don’t over stretch yourself.

Fab news @Hamster555 it’ll get easier, it won’t always be this way.