How to stay awake

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Practical advice please! I have a newborn who is a generally calm baby but being a newborn isn’t keen on being put down. I’m up for hours with him in the night and am very tired.

The question is - any handy hints for physically staying awake? I’m worried about falling asleep and dropping / suffocating him. My eyes are shutting even if I’m stood up bobbing him.

If you're breastfeeding, safe cosleeping helps lots of people. I started as I was dropping off and in danger of dropping my baby during night feeds in the chair. Also nap in the day if you possibly can.

Another vote for safe co-sleeping. Sleep is inevitable so better to do it in a planned controlled way than an unplanned unsafe way.
Sending you strength. Sleep deprivation is awful x

Safe co sleeping all the way, if it's a un-putdownable one. I used to scroll on my laptop during night feeds with 2 of mine, far from ideal but kept me awake..

But, 2 of them (no.2 & 3) would happily go to sleep in the cot after night feeds, so I stayed awake only because I could put them down when they finished. The other 2 of mine (no. 1 & 4) absolutely wouldn't go in the cot ever, so I co-slept with them until they night weaned around 10 months.

Do you have anyone to help in the day so you can go for a sleep. When I had my twins my mum came round in the morning and I went back to bed. I know I was very lucky that she could help.

Oh bless you, so hard. Did shifts with DH, he’d take baby in morning so I could get a few hrs. Later learned the co sleeping lying down thing. When I was exhausted I found a shower and coffee to help a bit…

Take turns with partner. You need rest.

From a mum of 2 children with chronic sleep problems who has had nearly a decade of sleep deprivation

Share as much as you can
If you think you'll fall asleep, get up and walk around as you can't fall asleep whilst walking.
Put water on your face and the back of your neck.
If desperate, screw up your foot to give yourself cramp. It hurts like crazy but the pain keeps you awake.

Swaddle him

Thanks everyone. We don’t have any help nearby and my husband looks after our daughter overnight as she doesn’t sleep either, so we can’t take shifts as it were. But co sleeping worth thinking about. Self inflicted cramp also may be necessary at times! Thank you x