Chronic insomnia breastfeeding and no help

[Overtiredmama]

My son is 11 weeks an apsolute dream he sleeps from 9.30 to 3am wakes for nappy change and breastfeed. Goes back till 4 repeat of before then wakes often at 6,7. I cannot sleep. I wake at the first feed do not go back to sleep. I have a partner who never changes him at night cos we sleep separate due to my insomnia. I'm going mad. Right now I have a bacterial cellulitis infection in my leg I NEED to sleep but the worst is I can't take zopiclone like I used to for my insomnia I'm afraid to take antibiotics cos of breastfeeding. My boy us so healthy abd well on bf I don't want to make him sick with anti bs also I am scared of formula I just dont have the energy to go through the sterilisation etc and trying to get him on it when I'm so sleep deprived. Does anyone know how the hell I'll cope. I have no family to help. My partner is away this week I want to scream it's nearly 4am. Am I alone???? :(

Hi

No your not alone. I'm awake since 4 when one of the children woke me.

Little chance if dropping back off now. Just horrible starting the day at this hour. My children are 3.5 and 10 months.

Sorry about your medical issue - suppose you've checked GP already to see if meds can be changed?

Wouldn't think using formula would especially change things. My baby has a 10 pm formula feed (rest bf) in the belief that would help him sleep through. He had that since he was tiny, and only started going past 3am wakeups when he was 9.5 months!

depending on what antibiotics you need you might be ok while breastfeeding. i had an infection in my CS scar when my DS was a only a few weeks old and had to take 2 kinds at once!

it does sound like your wee DS is doing really well and i know what you mean - adding bottle washing and formula prep probably wouldn't really help.

may i suggest that you put a post asking about your insomnia medication while bf in the breastfeeding/ bottle feeding forum? i don't know the links but there are internet resources which have info on drugs and feeding which i am sure someone will link you to.

hope you can get more sleep soon. :)

do you think it would help if your partner occasionally changed and settled him after a feed to let you get back to bed quicker? even if it means going into another room and poking him awake!

you can take most antibs when bf, I think. see this info from the bf network.

I share your insomnia, but my dcs do not share your dc's sleep pattern .

when I can't get back to sleep I now get up for an hour or two. clean the kitchen, read a book - never the internet or tv as this seems to wake my brain up. I have a friend who says just resolving to go clean the kitchen floor helps her back to sleep, sadly I have to actually go do the work. but it does seem to reset me to be able to sleep again. lying in bed exhausted and awake and counting the hours is horrible

thanks mamachoc, am on my phone and it would have taken about half an hour to search for the links!

Thank you kind ladies! Without sounding mean I feel so relieved I'm not alone. I've has chronic insomnia since I was a child but the parenting a newborn gig means that when I eventually drop off like this morning at 6 means I got woken up every hour after till 8 due to wet nappy noises etc sadly there's no point expressing or asking partner to help cos il just wake up anyway as we are still in a small flat. I wonderifirs safe to take quiet life herbal tabs? The conflicting ideas about what's safe and what not driving me mad at least the infection in my leg went sown a bit this morning with topical anti bs.
Thank you for supportive vibes. The depth of night is awful for twisting your brain into many many negative scenarios :(

Hi Overtiredmama,

I had similar issues when my DS was younger - being unaBle to go back to sleep at 3/4am, made more galling when you know the rest of the family is asleep and counting down the hours til you'll have to be up... insomnia is the absolute pits, and you really can't function on minimal sleep.

Like you, I got fed up of not knowing what is/isn't safe to take; ended up contacting Breastfeeding Network to ask about sleeping medications and was told that Valerian is ok (I think that's the main ingredient in Quiet Life?)

It does get better, I promise. You won't die of sleep deprivation - I honestly thought I would but you somehow get through it.

All the best.