Baby sleeps but I don't

[PeaceLillyDoge]

DC1 is 7 weeks old, sleeps pretty well to be fair, not always a big fan of day time naps but will go from 11pm-8am with only one or two feeds inbetween. Will do a 5/10 min feed, asleep on the boob then back in the moses basket. Easy peasy.

Problem is that I sometimes really struggle to get back to sleep after say a 5am feed and it is driving me insane. I am exhausted.

I've tried cutting back on caffeine significantly, not using electronic devices in bed, trying to be accepting of it etc but it is really starting to have a detrimental effect on me.

Has anyone experienced this before and got any advice? I can't nap when she naps in the day either.

I had this with DD1. Have you tried lavender oil? A drop on the pillow helped me coupled with relaxation techniques - closing eyes, breathing deeply and focusing on letting every body part relax gradually. It also physiologically helped when I read that deep relaxation can be almost as good for you as sleep - it stopped me stressing about actual sleep so much and allowed me to properly rest rather than tossing and turning, worrying about being exhausted.

Agree with all notadoctor said

I was like this. It was hard to relax. I'd get up sometimes and just watch TV for 20 min, or I'd put some music on my phone through headphones (relaxing music). I also invested in black out curtains for my room too.

I never napped when my daughter napped, and I rarely slept when she slept. So what I'm saying is, I never slept. When my daughter was 3 weeks old my husband reckons I got about 8 or 9 hours of sleep that whole week. I had a constant buzz of anxiety running through me and I could never switch off.

This may be of NO help at all but I'm expecting DC2 in August and if it's anything like last time I will try taking a half-dose of diphenhydramine (25mg or less). I'd be OK taking a half dose as a one-off while BFing but some may not be. If it gives me just one decent nap then it would be worth it. That's just as an acute relief, and I think what you're looking for are some longer-term solutions to help you switch off. In which case, I am useless, because I wasn't really able to do that until LO was several months old. Some people swear by Calms Forte - if you try that and it actually works, please do let me know!

Thank you all for your replies, you've all hit the nail on the head re it being about not switching off.

Will give the lavender oil a go and hope it works.

mow that sounds horrific, I don't know how cope with that!

Totally feel what your going through, after over 1 year of sleep deprivation with my daughter - I was physically incapable of switching off. Yes lavender oil is def a good suggestion, as is cutting back on caffeine, but the one that works for me is acupressure points. I discovered them when I was looking for something to help chill out my daughter before bed time - they work a treat on me too. I still use them now to help me get a deeper more restful sleep (even though my daughter now sleeps well). Here's the link to my blog post on it. mydaughterwontsleep.com/2013/12/27/the-sleep-inducing-power-of-acupressure/ Scroll down to the big on 'for mum'. Good luck.