I absolutely cannot bear the early mornings

[Mummy2022FT]

Before DC i was an early bird. I would rather do just about anything earlier rather than later. Now, things couldn't be more different.

DC (9mo) wakes up anywhere between 5.30-7am. When he does, a moment of dread fills my whole body. It's like in cartoons when they look up at the sky and go 'NOOOOOO!!!!'

It's the only time out of the whole day where I'm incredibly envious of the child free by choice women.

For some context, DC wakes every 4 hrs roughly but will go straight back to sleep (I don't do night feeds anymore)

So my question is, first of all does anyone else feel this way? Is there anything practical I can do to make this dread go away? Is it mind over matter?

Babe I'm the exact same the hardest part about motherhood is being forced to be a morning person when you aren't im 1 year in and still ain't used to it🤣I try setting an alarm for just 5 mins before I know my babas gonna wake up in hopes that would work sometimes it does but when the alarm goes off and the baby doesn't wake up I think fuck it go back to sleep then when baby wakes me up feel sooo much worse I tend to just wake up open my eyes put the tv on for him on his cartoons give him his juice that I put on my night stand that I made the night before and just shut my eyes for 10 more mins then get up it really does pain me the mornings😭😭😂😂

Just say to yourself (whilst rocking in the corner) "it's just a phase.....this too shall pass". And console yourself that soon they'll be old enough to watch telly and you can put cbeebies on and snooze on the sofa 😂

I think you just get used to it, sorry to say. Although it's never going to be enjoyable. I am surprised yours doesn't want night feeds at that age (just from my experience), maybe that's a reason for the early mornings? Hunger?

Try a later bedtime, it sometimes works

Please tell me if I'm being daft but could you go to sleep earlier?

Mine are teenagers now but I still get a stab of fear and dread when I hear a noise in the night. It’s from when they weren’t sleeping through.

Coffee.

I have young children and hate waking up early too so I get it. Today it was 5:30am.

I've been a mum for nearly 5 years now and the earliest I've ever had to start the day in that time was the truly unforgettable 3:45am. Just brutal!

I do mostly go to bed early. I still wake every 3/4 hours so the broken sleep does affect me. I also think maybe it's the 'all go' approach that I didn't have pre DC when I was getting up early for work

Bakewellbride that is awful !

Mine are adults now but I remember the sheer shock to the system of those early mornings.
I shifted my whole day back, went to bed at 8.30. Even with several wake ups that helped me clock up more sleep.

I also vividly remember when mine were younger having a hideous early start and convincing myself it would all be ok if we went out to a cafe for breakfast. I will never forget standing outside the cafe for 15 mins, waiting desperately for it to open at 8am! We were the only customers when it opened.

I feel like this too. Just sending solidarity! Feels like such a long long day!

Ha I remember being the first ones at the playpark at 8am on a Saturday in February, frost everywhere. Or queuing outside ikea, waiting for it to open.

Do you have a partner you can take turns with, op?

Just sending empathy. I actually much prefer night wakings or split nights to a DC being up for the day at 5am. I hate it. Luckily DD1 went through a very short phase of this and then had a longer phase where she woke at 10pm for about an hour and a half and then went back to sleep till 7, which was way more pleasant and I would take that any day. DD2 is high sleep needs so haven't had that issue her, but there is something so soul destroying about being awake for the day so early and how long and relentless it makes your day.

Do you have a partner? If so please take turns to do that early shift! I don't do it's always on me and I literally HATE my ex during those early hours of the morning

No Auntie June, single parent. Once I'm up I'm up. And after an hour I'm fine. It's just that initial wake up period, urghhh it's horrible

@Unexpectedlysinglemum it feels relentless doesn't it

It's awful isn't it. It helps me to remember there are parents across the country also awake and that it won't last forever. Best thing about this time of year is you can get out and fresh air makes things better. The play park is more tolerable at 7am!

They're silly little things really, but when my DD was sleeping poorly and waking early (or when she was up for 3 hours straight in the middle of the night, which went on for months) I used to make sure I had really lovely food in for breakfast, and had a tv show that I was really enjoying but only allowed myself to watch on those early mornings. So when I was led in bed practically crying at the baby monitor going off, I'd remind myself that "Ah but getting up now means you can go and have a nice cup of tea and "insert delicious thing here" to eat and watch a few episodes of "insert enjoyable programme here".

It made it marginally more manageable.

I also used to make sure I was reading really good books (and had engaging audiobooks on the go too), so I could do as good a job as possible of convincing myself that I could use that enforced awake time to enjoy myself.

This too!

Yup it's awful. Solidarity.

I also had a child that woke in the morning literally if my eyelashes moved. That thing about 'getting up before the baby to have some me-time' never existed. I don't think I would have done that anyway but even 5 minutes without ds being awake might have allowed me to keep a semblance of mental calmness.

Im sorry to have to say that it was school/age that fixed it in the end. But not straight away. Some time in the second term.

I have an only child. Wasn't doing all that twice.

Practical thing you can do... Decide a wake up time, like 730, then just don't go in until then. I know its horrible when they cry but he's safe, and he's crying out of tiredness probably. He'll learn in a day or two to roll over and go back to sleep. Then happy mum happy baby!

Hopefully it won't last forever...our 'problem' is now that the almost 3 year old won't wake til 9! Need to try and change his cycle back to 7.30 ready for when the 7 year old is back at school as we need to be up and out!

Mine are older now but I used to have the same feeling of dread. DC1 started the day at 5am between the ages of 2 and 5 (I used to go to bed very early). It does get easier, mine get up and take themselves downstairs now and I sleep in. Coffee is your friend for this phase.

Single mum to a baby is the hardest job I'm doing it now too.. they get better at sleeping after 12 weeks was a good turning point for us! He's now 6m and has stopped feeding at night time a few weeks ago (but started rolling over and then shouting for help a couple times a night!)