How to cope with sleep deprivation

[Aliveinwanderland]

DS is 2 weeks old. I expected to be tired but oh god the sleep deprivation is killing me. DH is back at work and DS is breastfed so it's me up all night with him.

He isn't even a difficult baby, he doesn't cry, just wants to be held so I can't put him down until he is sound asleep only he wakes.

He wants feeding every 2 hours. By the time he has been changed, fed and settled it gives me about 30-60 minutes sleep before we have to do it all again.

How do people cope with the lack of sleep? I had a scare earlier as I nodded off sat up feeding him and woke up to him fast asleep under the duvet.

I'm currently sat with ds (dc3) 12 weeks as he needs to be held slightly upright after feeds. I've had nearly 6 years of waking at least every 2 hours (often more) and no naps after dc2 appeared as dc1 had stopped napping by then. Dc1 woke every 45minutes until she was 9months old, then every 2 until she was 2.5 years. Dc2 just woke every 2 hours until she was 2.5 years.
Honestly? You just cope. I have frequently hallucinated from tiredness. Seeing things, bendy walls. Feel dizzy and sick and have done for weeks now.
I bedshare. Couldn't survive otherwise. Drink way too much tea and eat way too much chocolate. Take vitamin supplements. Get fresh air every day. Use a sling until they are at least 18 months.
Grab every offer to have them for an hour so I can nap (doesn't happen often in my world! Haven't had a nap since before ds was born!)

Good luck

Thanks everyone. We managed a 2 hour sleep in the crib yesterday afternoon so I got an hour sleep in the day. Tonight he has been going down in the crib much better but is only ever down for 30-60 mins at a time. He wants a feed every 90mins to 2 hours. By the time that is down, he is winded and settled there isn't much time before the next feed!

Feeling much better now I've managed to get him in the crib and he hasn't been in our bed for past 2 nights (apart from at 7am when DH goes to work).

Does he definitely need winding in the night? My DD brings up milk after every feed during the day but somehow doesn't at night and had never needed winding (at night). Not sure why but I have always just been able to do a quick 10 minute feed then put her straight down. It could bring down your turnaround time a bit.

He hardly ever brings anything up day or night when winded. The other night he was sick though and brought up a whole feed so I've been religiously winding to try stop it happening again.

With DD I slept propped up on pillows with her on my chest or in the crook of my arm between feeds - it was bliss compared to how I naively tried to get my DS to sleep in a Moses basket between feeds. Just do it the easy way!