Let's all meet here for a sleep deprivation support group

[ImNotAnsweringIt]

I though it might be helpful to have a general thread with survival tips for dealing with the exhaustion and misery of the long or short term effects of lack of sleep. I bet we can all find someone worse off than ourselves, and that's always a help, hmm?

My little tips for making things more bearable:

Make sure you are warm enough when you have to get up in the night. Have dressing gown and slippers by your bed if neccesary. This also helps you get back to sleep quickly, should you be fortunate enough to have the opportunity!

Have lovely breakfast things in. I always have expensive cereal in the cupboards Just For Me.

Anyone else? Hang in there everyone, I am having a very down day today which is what inspired me to start this.

Hello lovely fellow tired people. I haven't posted in a while cos I don't want to jinx myself but just wanted to share a bit of light. After chanting 'consistency is the key' to myself through hideous nights of doing CC, arguing with DH at 3am and sobbing into my pillow, DD is now sleeping 7-5.30 and I put her down sleepy but awake and she goes to sleep without crying!! . I can live with the 5.30 start in exchange. It's not even that she sleeps through, she still wakes and sometimes needs a quick pat but she stays in her cot all night and usually self settles. Ingrate that I am, i'm weirdly more tired than when I was co-sleeping and feeding but guess that's just work in the mix. Naps still a disaster so take all of them in the pushchair. Plus still sleeping in the lounge as too scared to move DD out of our bedroom

Like wifey I also want to say a HUGE thank you to you all (and a special thank you to imnot for starting this thread). Over the last several dark months it's been such a safe, lovely place to come and hide from the horrors of nighttime, vent and get some moral support and be in a place where no one says anything spectacularly unhelpful like "well have you got a good bedtime routine" etc. So thank you, thank you all and truly wishing for sleep for you and all your LOs x

MrsD.....that's excellent...well done! The first few nights are the hardest aren't they? But you did it !

Last night was the best we have had in weeks...DS only fidgeted for dummy once. Slept 8pm-7am Feeling more human today.
The two nights before were not too good as he was very restless as he is teething again so was crying out every few hours.
I'm upping the activity/walking etc that we do which does seem to help. Its odd but if DS has a nap..he sleeps better at night.
How was everyone else's night?

Congrats MrsD!. V happy for you and your LO. Has the big sleep meant any changes to how she is during the day?

Last night slightly better,2 feeds then awake at 5 which is a really good night for her,best thing was that she went back down straight away after each feed which i think is key to feeling like I've had a good night. Managed to get her to have a quick feed at that point and then nap in my arms so although i didn't get any more sleep at least i could lie back with my eyes closed!

Haven't had any luck with the pantley pull off as DD just gets a bit pissed off!

Quite a good night here too - lots of wake-ups but dd fed and went straight back to sleep each time. Amazing what a difference that makes (and how quickly your definition of a 'good' night changes when you have a non-sleeper)!

I've rediscovered the slumber bear that we used to try and keep dd asleep when she was younger. For some reason we'd stopped using it but I set the womb noises going every time she woke last night and she drifted back to sleep while feeding. Not sure if that's what made the difference but I'll definitely be trying it again tonight!

We rely quite heavily on the slumber bear too!

Amazingly we had a good night too. He slept from 10pm til 3am. Might have something to do with the fact that I gave him some fruit and cereal at 5.30. Not banking on it for the future, but that' the only thing that was different...

Good luck tonight.

SBx

Hello! Can I join? My DS is 5 months next week and is currently waking every hour. I've started keeping a sleep diary but it just reminds me of how little sleep I'm getting ha ha!

He's fighting naps of longer than 30 mins which is the problem I think but he will not go to sleep for longer than 30 mins before 6.30 for love nor money. As soon as we put him down to sleep after 6.30 it's like a switch and he's asleep for 3 hours! After that though he will wake every hour.

All I hear when I ask for tips though is 4 month sleep regression, which isn't entirely what I want to hear. He's EBF, really don't want to mix feed yet although a couple of times I've been very tempted to try hungry baby milk but he's not hungry when he wakes so probably won't help anyway.

Anyway that's my ramblings!

Hi shush. My DD's a similar age with similar difficulties tho she does give us the odd good night occasionally. Definitely don't have advice as don't have a good sleeper but have lots of sympathy!

Hi shush, my DD will be 5 months on Tues and we are having similar problems so can offer sympathy but not much advice. DD is my first so I have the luxury of being able to lie down with her in the afternoons if we're not out and she will usually take a nap of 2-3 hours (with intermittent feeding) if I do this. Also gives me a chance to rest. Might that be an option for you?

DD was finally diagnosed with tongue tie yesterday and we had it divided so I'm hoping that the hourly feeding will start to improve now. I'm not getting my hopes up that it will improve her sleep but you never know.

DD has big bags under her eyes this morning, despite being bright as a button and I feel so bad that I don't seem to be able to help her get the sleep she needs

Welcome shush.

Things are getting worse here. Last few nights DD has woke up every 40 mins until I bring her up with us and then she sleeps fine but I'm uncomfortable so don't sleep very well. She's also getting very difficult during the day, she howls every time I leave the room. Think its separation anxiety. Can that affect sleep?

No advice for anyone but very pleased for the babies and mummy's who are getting a bit of sleep and sympathy and for everyone who isn't.

Quite behind I'm afraid but just seen MrsD's post - Congratulations! I am so pleased for you, thats wonderful news. I guess you'll be leaving us now for pastures new. Well done to you. Come back and visit wont you? It feels like you have been released from prison and we are all watching you leave and thinking 'One day, that'll be me. My time will come...'

I haven't read the last page or two other than this but will do so, hope everyone is ok. I am hungry and a bit fed up on this dairy/soya free diet but it does seem to be helping. DS is still waking but maybe just 3-4 times a night, and, get this, Going Back to Sleep Quickly so it is bearable. He seems much more settled and comfy, I think we are just dealing with normal hunger and also habit (he has never really learnt to sleep for long periods, and is used to constsnt feeding/comforting back to sleep due to being unwell). Not going to worry yet though.

Hi sophie My Ds was like yours, it was Hell. Sorry it is so tough for you. You can survive it though, I really think your body adapts. DS is now 7 months (nearly. I think.) and when I think how much sleep I've had since he was born, well it aint much! Hope you are feeling ok, can you sleep during the day at all? My DS1 has now dropped his nap so i dont even get that now. Luckily, things are much better for me now, phew.

Just saw you do get to nap in the day Sophie, thats good news. It saved me on many occasions, even 20 minutes helped.

Welcome shush, ironic name We discussed ff upthread somewhere. I dont think it helps unless hunger is the reason for waking, and it doesnt sound like it is with your DS. I think you might just make a whole heap more work for yourself. Where does he nap? Is it possible for him to nap on you? i know it means you dont get to rest but it might help as a temporary measure, to break the habit of waking so quickly. I have a woven wrap for DS2 which he would sleep in for hours, it always meant he slept better that night too.

I find a sleep diary helps, as you will see any small improvements. If there are none, you have a good tool for eliciting sympathy from anyone and everyone. Proof, actual wrtten, I'mnotexaggeratingaboutsleep Proof.

Argh so for the first time in ages I decided to rock DD to sleep instead of letting her fall asleep in her cot. And she's slept beyond the 40 min mark for the first time in months! She seems determined to do the exact opposite of what she's supposed to.

Glad your finding things more bearable Imnot although it still sounds tough.

Hey guys. Happy for everyone who has had a couple of better nights (secretly !)

We've had a few bad nights again culminating in last night with a refusal to feed to sleep,waking every 40-75 minutes and twice screaming on waking even thought she'd been fed within the preceding hour. Took lots of rocking and feeding to re-settle her. After feeding from 4-430 she woke at 515 screaming and i gave up and got her up. Changed her and fed her AGAIN and she settled for about an hour before more crying and feeding AGAIN and is now asleep on my chest. What is going on?!? Tearing my hair out. Each time it feels like its getting slightly better it deteriorates again. Last Tuesday night she managed 5.5 hours,quick feed then another 3.5 hours then within the same week we have the hell of last night.

Sorry,just needed to vent. Any ideas ladies?

ooooh, marking my place so I can read through later!

Hi,

With you, Scottygirl. Just when I thought things might improve we've had three bad nights and last night was the worst of all. He woke up 6 times between 10pm and 3am. The only upside is that he went down fairly fast a few times and once I got him to sleep from putting down sleepy rather than sleeping. My gentle sleeping training goals are giving me something to think about and try to feel good about, but in the cold light of day I still end up facing the day on 2 hours sleep. DH has started talking about CIO and I feel weepy. Trying not to take it out on him but I really don't think we've tried enough to resort to that. Not when he's just 6mo. Anyone else having trouble with their other halfs?

Here's wishing you all a good night.

SB

script....what is CIO?
My DH rarely helped/helps with bedtime or night time waking...I have been doing that since day one. It's been a struggle
It's hard to function on 2 hours especially when it involves a day with a baby/toddler.

Broom they are always one step ahead of us, its a conspiracy. Perhaps they get our phones/laptops/pcs, read this thread and talk on their own board about their next ploy. What a thought! Hows the dummy weaning going?

Scotty that sounds shit. Certainly doesn't sound like hunger. Is she EBF, I can't remember? Sounds like she is in discomfort doesn't it? Something must be causing her to wake. Maybe you need to keep a diary of things like feeds, bowel movements, temperature, days activities, any solids she may have(?). See if there is a pattern.

Some dairy passed my lips on Friday (I was starving, DS1 had a chocolate muffin in a coffee shop, I had black tea. So sue me.) DS2 has been A Nightmare. Back to waking every hour, not settling etc. Grr.

What I mean is, I had some of his muffin, in case thats not clear!

Hi everyone, I have been reading all your posts but only get chance to reply on my phone which is very slow. Will reply properly when I get chance to use laptop. Things have gone from awful to unbelievably shockingly shite here. Dd is awake in the night for 4 hour stretches and I have been up for the day at 3.30am some days. Huge hugs to all those having a rubbish time, and hurray for those finally getting some sleep.

I have decided that any form of cc is not for us and am now going to stick to my elizabeth pantley plan as best as I can. Wish me luck.......

Oo my goodness Thisis....how are you functioning? We are all here to offer support whenever you need it. Have you spoken to your HV? (sorry if question has already been answered).
I have found making changes to my DS diet/lifestyle has helped him sleep better.

Hi Wifey - sorry by CIO I meant CC. Can't bear to have any of that...

Respect Thisis. Let us know how the Eliz Pantley plan works. That's sort of what I'm thinking of doing too...

Good luck, all.

SB

I couldn't bear CC either script...we decided that SS was the best technique for us. Wishing you all a better night.