Will NEIGHBOUR'S newborn keep MINE awake??

[TTC1985]

I'm expecting my first child in about 11-12 weeks and I'm really concerned about my upstairs neighbor's newborn keeping me and mine awake at all hours.

They are a family of 4 in a 1 bed flat (like mine is downstairs), and are expecting another baby a couple of weeks before mine is due.

They are all very nice and we are friendly, their 2 children (~4 and 6?) are nice and fairly quiet/well behaved, but their floor/my ceiling is PAPER thin as it is.

The parents sleep in the living room, which is above my bedroom. Their kids sleep in the small bedroom, which is above my living room. I expect they will keep the baby in with them, meaning I will have two adults and a newborn above my bed. There isn't room in my living room (weird shape) to get my bed into there and a crib.

Will their baby keep me and mine awake all day and night and vice versa??? I literally don't think I can cope with that and there isn't much scope to move at the moment. The parents (and existing kids) seem fine to only sleep around 5-6 hours a night any way, whereas I need to get my head down around 11pm for work the next day.

I'm very aware there is nothing EITHER of us can do about screaming babies, but the idea is stressing me more deeply than even giving birth.

Any tips/advice/thoughts appreciated.

I think you are very much over thinking this. Their newborn certainly won't keep yours awake as your baby won't really care about anything other than milk/sleep/cuddles and pretty much don't register noises particularly for the first few weeks.

I really think you need to spend your energy thinking about other things!

Get a white noise app on your phone and blast it. It really does help.

Two babies in next door bedrooms while visiting my parents didn't bother each other, and mine grumbled on and off all night.
At home my upstairs neighbours' christmas through to new year parties bothered me more than dd.
I think it has all become fairly normal noise for her which is why she doesn't sleep so well at my parents in the country.
I have no advice about your sleep though unfortunately.

No. It's what's going on inside the baby that keeps them awake. They'll sleep through intense noise.

Yes I'm definitely over thinking this, but at a push I can possibly leave for a quieter flat before he's born at the end of april. Coincidentally my tenancy is up or needs to be renewed at the start of april. Classic!

Am I right in taking away that DS will not notice at all, and it's only me that will go slowly mad? With so many parents on my FB and my own sister's feedback I feel like that will be par for the course any way.

At what age will he start to be bothered by noises? I live on a B road with single glazing on the front (only) bedroom as well. So it has taken me a good year or so (and expensive ear plugs) to get used to it.

Well, neither of mine ever slept through any noise - a slug taking a deep breath would have them awake and screaming since birth, but in that regard you don't know yet what kind of baby you're going to get. Do get a white noise app or machine, though - that does definitely help.

Of more concern is that the noise will probably wake you more easily. The sound of a baby crying will rip you instantly from sleep, ready for action. Once you realise it's not yours, you'll be seriously pissed off. In the reverse, if you end up with a colicy screamer, you are equally going to annoy your neighbours and your stress over the colic will be quadrupled because you'll know they can hear it, but there's not a bloody thing you can do to stop it.

If you can move, and imminently need to anyway, I'd get on with it.

Yeah mine was like Elphaba's - plus when I was getting sleep in hour blocks if lucky, being woken by something else made me incandescent with rage. I was woken by some arsehole drunkenly singing in the street and I remember thinking really clearly that I hoped he got run over.