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Original poster

Sleepless of Mumsnet - join us if your LO consistently laughs in the face of sleep!

999 replies

Purpleboa · 05/12/2015 13:53

Hi everyone. I thought I'd create this thread when I saw that there were quite a few of us lingering on the 4 month regression thread, with babies that clearly didn't get the memo about things getting better!

I've seen another thread for parents whose children are long term poor sleepers but I think it's been relegated to zombie status. So I hope nobody minds if I start another one! If your LO consistently struggles to sleep, whether it's down to diet, night terrors or just sheer bloody mindedness, please pull up an armchair and join in! I'll supply the espressos, hugs and chocolate, wine and tears served after 4pm.

I'll start: my DD is 25 weeks. She's gorgeous, adorable and the absolute light of my life. Unless it's between the hours of 7pm and 7am! She's struggled with sleep always. I thought things would improve following the 'fourth trimester' but she got a cold, reacted badly to her jabs...and before I knew it we'd cruised into the 4 month regression. Which she's either still in, or she's teething, or developing, or wonder weeking, or fck knows really!

The past two weeks have been particularly painful and I feel I'm reaching the limits of my endurance. I love being her mum, I love spending time with her...but not sleeping makes it oh so very hard.

I have found Mumsnet to be a wonderful source of support during those dark and lonely hours when you feel like you're the only person in the world going through this. So I wanted to give back and support others too.

I'll put the kettle on...

OP posts:
Moomazoo · 09/12/2015 09:41

Dixie I have DS 6 with ASD and other issues ... Since birth he wakes at about 2am. He has melatonin and chloral hydrate to help him go off to sleepy but 2am is his morning..... Sleep clinics are poo .... We've done it all! Our consultant tells me children wit ASD don't need much sleep!!
Baby TV has saved my sanity

Original poster
Purpleboa · 09/12/2015 10:16

Wow moomazoo...that sounds intense. I feel bad for complaining now. What do you do with him from when he wakes? Are you able to get rest while he's awake? Flowers to you, you sound amazing.

Update here: better night last night. But up at 530 and she's still awake now. Her morning nap was the most reliable, could set my watch by it, but for the second time this week she's refused it. I really hope this is not a sign of things to come!

HV said she should be napping in her cot.. but when I do that she screams and screams. Until she's wide awake again. So I've given up and put her in the sling. Feel like a failure but she has to sleep! Anyone got any daytime napping success stories to share? I was using the pram quite a bit but with the weather like it is, we're house bound.

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Original poster
Purpleboa · 09/12/2015 10:25

Sorry, realised quit a few of you asked me questions!

DD on average (and I use that loosely as there's no consistency to it) will sleep about 7 hours (I'm detracting the waking hours for feeding and just, well, being awake). During the day she gets about 2 to 3 hours (3 on a very good day).

That's nowhere near enough sleep, is it?

Starfish, I don't think it is diet related. She had wind but that has stopped and she doesn't seem in much discomfort. But maybe she is and I don't know. Problem is, I would really suffer with cutting out dairy - I'm a vegetarian and it's a big part of my diet. Already losing weight and feel very faint if I don't eat enough. I need my strength! We'll be weaning soon so hopefully that will help.

HV did suggest DH do bedtime settling. So last night I fed her downstairs and he took her up. Took ages and lots of crying...but he got her to sleep! Must admit I'd have relented and boobed her! So hopefully that will help.

OP posts:
DixieNormas · 09/12/2015 10:40

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DixieNormas · 09/12/2015 10:47

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Pyjamaramadrama · 09/12/2015 10:53

It's so easy for hcps to say. 'Oh they should be napping in their cot'. There've been days where it's taken an hour for ds to go to sleep in his cot for him to wake 10 minutes later. It's soul destroying. He can fight and fight his sleep until he's wide awake.

He has got better at napping in the cot, it was just getting too unsafe to put him on the bed as he's almost crawling. I make it dark by closing the curtains, put him in his sleeping bag, and have even put a blanket over his eyes, staying with him of course. I've been giving him a teddy to hold too.

Nights has been loads better but last night he was terrible again. He missed his late afternoon nap though.

We've started weaning, he doesn't want to eat either.

It doesn't sound nearly enough purple I just wish I had some wise words.

I saw a friend yesterday her baby is younger than mine and sleeps 7-7. If ds sleeps till 2-3 I'm over the moon. However he doesn't sleep as bad as some so don't feel I can complain really either.

zombiemeow · 09/12/2015 11:41

Moomazoo what do they actually do at sleep clinics? Is asd the same as autism? Or is it something different? I only ask as my friend has two children who are autistic and they were great sleepers apparently. And what is this baby tv? Sounds like I need it!

Purple ds will not nap in his cot at all either, he just wake up and screams, so he has a bean bag he naps on in the living room but very soon he will be too big for it Confused

Pyjamar it makes me want to cry hearing about babies who sleep well Grin I remember when ds had one of his worst ever nights, waking more than hourly, I went to see my friend who's baby was about 11 weeks and he sleeps 7-7. She told me that she had an awful night, her ds had woke up in the night once. I didn't even know what to say Hmm

DixieNormas · 09/12/2015 11:54

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DixieNormas · 09/12/2015 11:56

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thinkfast · 09/12/2015 13:24

Hi op napping in cot doesn't happen here but do does at least reliably nap in buggy at home. We have a v soft sheepskin liner and I strap her in when she yawns - not completely flat she's doesn't like that and rock her to sleep. If she cries I sing and push her up and down the hall and that normally works.

zombiemeow · 09/12/2015 15:13

Oh no we haven't got sky Sad I want I want!!!

DixieNormas · 09/12/2015 19:01

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fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/12/2015 19:04

Sleep is a big issue for my DD with ASD. She is 9. She is awake and keeping us up from about 130 to 4 every night. And still full of energy

zombiemeow · 09/12/2015 20:00

Fanjo how do you do it?!

Ds has slept lots today Confused he didn't fight naps like he usually does. He had an hour and a half in the morning, an hour in the afternoon and an hour a bit later. He's been in bed since just before 7, we would usually expect the first wake up anytime now. Will see how it goes.

It's strange as every few weeks he will have a good night (only 2/3 wake ups) so he can do it.

I wonder if it's just chronic over tiredness. He never has been a sleeper, in the day or night. Or maybe he was still worn out from all the fun he had yesterday.

Good luck tonight everyone!

thinkfast · 09/12/2015 20:50

First wake up already - 50 mins after putting dd down. This is torture. Started to dread what each night brings.

DixieNormas · 09/12/2015 20:53

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Original poster
Purpleboa · 10/12/2015 05:18

How's everyone's nights? Bad one here. Woke up at 230.. still awake now, won't stop crying. DH has taken her but I'm too wound up to sleep. Meeting my mum for a shopping trip today (she lives a few hours away so we're meeting in the middle) so I really wanted and needed sleep.

I want to run out on my life. Anyone else feel like that??

OP posts:
fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 10/12/2015 05:30

Zombie..not sure..just have to keep going..we both work too. Dd had a lie in til 4 today but that's me awake for day now since then :(

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 10/12/2015 05:31

Dh is taking it much worse than me..he has been really angry and shout recently through tiredness and I have been ill which doesn't help

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 10/12/2015 05:33

GP is investigating options for DD as melatonin doesn't work and Phenergan now doesn't either. It's far better for her if she has a sleep too...she is calmer and happier.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 10/12/2015 05:34

Purpleboa yes I have felt like that. But it's usually better in the morning. Hang on in there x

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 10/12/2015 05:35

Plus keep remembering you will still be able to enjoy your outing today even though you will be a bit tired. .just have lots of coffee

zombiemeow · 10/12/2015 07:59

Purple Thanks** i don't know if your the same but I always feel worse in the night, like on the verge of a breakdown, then it seems a tiny bit better during the day. Hope you enjoy you shopping trip.

We had a really good night Hmm one wake up and then up just before 5. It's very strange, the past two nights have been good. But I know that means bad nights are just round the corner, he seems to have good nights, then very bad nights Shock

zombiemeow · 10/12/2015 08:01

And also my h doesn't deal with it very well Hmm he gets very frustrated with ds to the point I've told him to just leave us alone at night now.

DixieNormas · 10/12/2015 12:32

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