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Misery loves company: to ride it out or Something Must be Done- pick your camp :)

999 replies

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 29/06/2014 21:50

Hello again all- may the sleepers continue sleeping, the new arrivals due or here get the idea very quickly and the rest of us see the light at the end of the tunnel!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Pusspuss1 · 10/12/2014 18:34

Really, Elph? You're right, I need to persevere. It's so hard in the middle of the night though, my self control goes to pot and I just want an easy life, when I should by rights be asleep! DS isn't well this week so is regressing big style, which is very frustrating when we've just done all this sleep work, but when he's better I will get back to it properly. Thanks for the encouragement!

fuzzywigsmum · 10/12/2014 20:58

Sympathies Puss I am so sick of shhing. I have a repertoire of different shhhes depending on how bad things are. Currently I'm mainly using the really hard "go to fucking sleep" shhh.

I'm in a horrible regression with DD2 after 2 weeks of illness. She's generally up 3 times a night and usually 1 of those will be a good 2 hour stint unless she wakes at about 5 and then she's up for the day. DD1 is also ill with a cough, so is also up once or twice a night.

All might seem manageable except from next week we essentially become nomads as we move to New Zealand in Jan. All our stuff gets shipped next week and we begin a grand tour of family over Xmas and new year. I have a ridiculous amount to do and zero energy. Plus am feeling increasingly despairing about an unsettled DD2, not to mention adjusting her to a 13 hour time difference Confused. Harrumph.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 11/12/2014 17:44

Oh god elph don't talk about serious sleep regression in your ds1! I couldn't take it if that happened here Shock But actually more important go the fuck to sleep your DS1, you've learnt it now, innit? I still have to sit outside on the landing for ever and a day but other than that we remain good here. And yes we started with Ann at 26 months and he started sleeping through regularly around 30/31 months (32 now)

rubbish, got to go, ww3

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ElphabaTheGreen · 11/12/2014 19:34

Well, I did some Ann-stuff with DS1 yesterday and DH did some this evening and he's letting DH do bedtime solo for the first time in weeks Shock Magic stuff, really.

I'm giving DS2 til six months to see if he's one of those fabled babies who magically sleeps through (or, at least, for stretches longer than two hours) with solids. If we're still on hourly wake-ups after a couple of weeks, I'm getting in contact with Ann again to try and get him sorted before I go back to work. I'm not nearly as bothered about the prospect of working on no sleep as I was last time but it's really not pleasant, and if Ann is as good at cloning and substituting sorting out babies as she is at toddlers, I don't see the slightest point in suffering.

ElphabaTheGreen · 11/12/2014 19:36

Oh, and Dreaming, I'm pretty sure the regression is new-sibling-related, so unless a DC4 suddenly materialises in your house, I'm sure the terrible twins are safe! Grin

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 11/12/2014 22:39

Ahem. Those 'reformed ' terrible twins who may or may not have both slept with one of other of us multiple times over the last week. Just a minor lapse.... Dt2 was croupy last night though so he did need to be in my bed so I could monitor his breathing. Thank goodness ds1 is still susceptible to Ann's hexes.

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DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 11/12/2014 22:39

Oh and dc#4 is off the menu. DH is immovable.

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ChocolateIsMySleep · 13/12/2014 22:11

Hello fellow sleep-deprivees

Sorry for the lack of posting, just been too knackered to do anything other than some half-hearted lurking. We're still illness and teething central with some interesting conditions going on between the DD's including thrush and diarrhoea (DD2 - thankfully no vomiting though) and athletes foot (DD1 - god knows how/where although I suspect the local scuzzy swimming pool. Since when did they get rid of that freezing cold bleach puddle that you used to have to walk through?). Not to mention the buckets of snot that I smear across faces daily...

Sorry to hear about the sleep regression Elph, although it sounds like you are getting on top of it. It's hard getting to grips with having a new sibling so sympathies to your DS1. DD1 does adore her sister more and more as she gets bigger and more able to play (some times they sit at the table together waiting for lunch or tea and make each other laugh and laugh which is just amazing to watch) - but she does struggle with the divided attention and DD2 trying to grab whatever DD1 is playing with.

We've been struggling with sleep regressions here too, DD1 is currently not going to sleep for bloody ages, tonight I went up at 9.15 and found that she'd emptied half a wipes packed into her bed and consequently everything was soaking wet...

oh FFS.....

Back again... Nearly 10 bloody pm and she's wide awake. Again. No doubt she'll be up in the night again as she always sleeps worse when she's exhausted. Not sure whether to cut her naps short/out but am scared of making things even worse if she gets even more tired.

DD2 has also been having a shocker, I had two nights this week where I literally got no sleep between the two of them, every time I got back into bed and closed my eyes one of them started wailing.

But - I have a SMBD plan!

Fuck, fuck, fuckity, there goes DD2. No wonder I never bloody post.

Where was I? Ah yes, the plan (plAnn?) - OH is off the week after Xmas so DD2 is being night-weaned - I'm going to sleep downstairs for a few nights (with ear plugs as am shit at not interfering) and OH is going to deal with it - I figure there's not much choice if they are in the same room! She'll probably just end up in bed with him but that's ok, I'm not expecting miracles from this, it's just the first stage. At the moment I can't go near DD2 at night without her fighting to get to the boob, so hoping it might solve that issue. Then have to think about moving her out of our room and doing some gradual retreat....

Hopefully if I actually get a few nights actual sleep I might be able to deal with it all a bit better.

But if I'm not getting anywhere by the end of Jan, I've decided that i will stage an Ann-tervention and call for help from the Sleep Fairy herself. Sod it, it will be worth every penny to have some sanity back!

Right, sorry for epic post, I'm buggering off to bed to try and get 10 minutes sleep before the next wake up....

Good luck all!

ElphabaTheGreen · 15/12/2014 19:38

Been lying here in the dark in the bedroom with DS2 listening to DS1 standing at his gate crying and shrieking for me for over twenty minutes while DH is sitting with him in his room trying to coax him into sitting with him for stories Sad between the two of them up was up 12 times last night then up for the day at 5am. I just cannot cope with doing bedtime for both of them every night. He has to start accepting DH again Sad

ElphabaTheGreen · 15/12/2014 19:55

...now sitting happily with DH chatting with him about his Postman Pat books. Confused DS2 oblivious and asleep throughout ConfusedConfused

Oh why can't they be simpler??

AnotherStitchInTime · 15/12/2014 20:21

I hear your pain.

Ds is teething. 15 wake ups for him the night before last. Dd2 is having apnoea and night time asthma attacks. She has her surgery tomorrow afternoon. What am I going to do with a toddler who is nil by mouth for the 6+ hours while we wait I wonder? I predict a major meltdown. Toddler and Mummy.

ChocolateIsMySleep · 15/12/2014 22:33

Are you in hospital the whole time Stitch? Or at home for some of it? Personally I'd be relying on good old tv/DVDs/tablet for that length of time, that would be the only thing that would keep DD1 distracted and me sane

Sorry to hear you are also suffering with dreadful teething, am currently sat with DD2 who is her third wake up already and intermittently dozing off and waking up crying again. I've given up on the back rubbing and shushing for now as it seems to be making bugger all difference so might as well be on MN which is much more fun

On a positive note, DD1 was asleep before 10pm tonight - last night was 11.30. I gave up and went to bed with her wide awake with bedside light on and chatting to all her toys.

Bugger, 5 minutes of peace, was starting to think about moving but no, back to wailing....

Stupid comment of the day from MiL when I told her that DD2 had been up all night (again) and barely napped all day - "oh well she'll sleep well tonight"!

Yes, MiL, because that is all it takes....

Elph, stick with it, DS1 will settle down and get back being to Ann-gelic sleep child at some point, DD1 has been there many times and it takes a lot of patience but pays off in the end.

AnotherStitchInTime · 17/12/2014 16:55

So I have had 1 hours broken sleep. Dd2's surgery went well and she was eating and drinking after the op. In the night she deteriorated suddenly and was on the verge of being transfered to Intensive Care at another hospital from the HDU. I spent all night sitting up with her on me trying to maintain her airway whilst holding an oxygen mask on. Luckily she responded to treatment and is now much better. Do we have an exhausted emoticon?

ElphabaTheGreen · 17/12/2014 17:32

Holy crap, Stitch Sad Flowers

Can't believe an adenoids op could go so pear-shaped. Very, very glad and relieved she's better.

I'd say go home and have a long sleep but you have two other children. Confused

AnotherStitchInTime · 17/12/2014 17:41

I wish I could go home but she is still in hdu and may need to go back on bi-pap oxygen for the night. Poor thing still has a tube maintaining her nasal-pharyngeal airway and a naso-gastric tube :( DH would just freak out if he was here and it got bad again, so it is another disturbed night for me. Wish us luck!

ElphabaTheGreen · 17/12/2014 18:55

Oh Lordy. Sad I hope she's tolerating it all OK, or at least is appropriately medicated to do so! If she's got all that in situ, though, you should hopefully be able to get some kip. Everything crossed for an uneventful night. A very un-Mumsnetty xx

ChocolateIsMySleep · 17/12/2014 21:36

Blimey Stitch, that sounds terrifying. Really hope you have an uneventful night and your DD recovers quickly.

There should definitely be an exhausted emoticon - matchstick eyes maybe?!

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 17/12/2014 23:42

Oh goodness stitch sounds like the stuff of nightmares. I really hope she's more settled tonight and you get a bit more rest. Get well soon vibes for your DD2. What happened?! xx

I will now definitely not be complaining about the illness induced lack of sleep here because it is nothing compared to that.

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ChocolateIsMySleep · 18/12/2014 20:34

Hi Stitch, how is your DD? Hoping you had a better night and day today.

Sunbeam18 · 18/12/2014 21:28

Just found this. Who is Ann and how do I get in touch with her??? Got an 18mo DS who has never slept through and it's killing us

AnotherStitchInTime · 18/12/2014 22:32

dd2 a lot better thanks for asking. coming home tomorrow. will post properly tomorrow. right now sleep calls. dh at hospital so I am in my own bed.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 18/12/2014 23:58

sunbeam Ann Caird is a gentle sleep consultant who has cloned our children and replaced them with models who sleep She gets very booked up but us worth the wait. You can find her here Magic Ann

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ElphabaTheGreen · 19/12/2014 10:42

Got a sleep chat with Ann about DS1 on Monday. Hopefully she'll be able to tweak my clone back to his original (post-Ann) sleep-settings.

Glad to hear the original StitchAteMySleep is on the mend Stitch Grin You have a good rest.

Sunbeam18 · 19/12/2014 21:31

Thank you, Dreaming ! I am definitely going to call Ann! I'm sorry that I jumped into this thread with a question when someone was needing support for a trauma. I hope your DD is recovering well, Stitch, and apologies for the insensitivity.

ChocolateIsMySleep · 23/12/2014 22:16

Hello all, how goes it? Stitch, how is your DD2 doing? Elph, did Ann have any pearls of wisdom?

Am on knees after week 2 of illness central and zero sleep plus all the getting ready for Christmas shenanigans. All I really really want for Christmas is 8 hours uninterrupted sleep...even 3 would be a good start!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas (and manages to get some shuteye...)

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