As the subject says really. Just emerging from yet another trrrible night of sleep with DD2 who is just getting progressively worse at sleeping at 18 weeks. Last night she went to bed at 7 then woke at 9.30, then 12 then at 2 when she just wouldn't go back to sleep. I'm sitting here now with her finally asleep in my arms and can hear DD1 is now awake in the next room. I hate that I'm dreading the day ahead, all i want to do is sleep but I should be looking forward to spending a day playing with my lovely children. Anyone else feel this way?
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How on earth am I supposed to enjoy my children on so little sleep?
18 replies
user1487969570 · 09/04/2017 06:19
OP posts:
Beyondtheshore ·
09/04/2017 14:11
You can't enjoy anything much when you're that sleep deprived. I remember similar; feeling like I was wasting my sons' babyhood just waiting for the fog of sleep deprivation to end. In the end we sleep trained at 10 months. That was 3 months ago; they've been sleeping through ever since, and I feel like I'm a whole new woman. It's such a relief to finally be able to enjoy myself and enjoy them. It doesn't last, but I remember the foggy headed exhaustion and feeling of being permanently exhausted all too well. Sorry, not much practical advice there, but all my sympathy 
Semaphorically ·
09/04/2017 11:04
Oh you have all my sympathy 
DD2 is a few weeks older and we're just coming out of that sleep regression now. It's rough. We split the challenge - DH deals with toddler DD1 at night if she wakes up, I look after DD2.
I agree it's better to try cot naps from that age, DD2 stopped being able to nap with distractions recently as well. We found that putting her in a sleeping bag for all naps helped, she wakes up if she gets cold. She's also learned to suck her thumb so sometimes she will settle herself back when she stirs, but DD1 never managed that - we introduced a dummy for her at about this age to help her settle. Safe cosleeping (I bf lying down at night) has helped me get more sleep as well.
Good luck - cling to the the knowledge that this too shall pass and take care of yourself as much as you can!
MissObsessed ·
09/04/2017 08:31
I really hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs but here's what worked for my DS:
He was chronically overtired as he was only having catnaps so I decided I would get him to sleep "any how, any where" This meant rocking him to sleep. I still rock him now but he goes to sleep within 5 mins and I will deal with cot naps once his naps increase in length. So maybe rock DD to sleep at first? Even if if means supervising your other DD while she plays/colours/reads and you bounce DD2 until she is asleep. Then let her sleep on you while DD1 has a cuddle or story. It won't last forever, she won't be napping on you at 35 years old 
Naps will be short. 30-40mins is normal. I just made sure I reduced the awake time between naps. Sometimes DS would have 30mins sleep, be awake for 40 mins and then be ready for another nap. He would often have lots of 30-40min naps during the day but when added together he was getting a good 4hours daytime sleep in total, this had a massive impact on his nightime sleep.
My DS can now sometimes do 1.5hr naps but more often than not they are still around 45mins. He then has around 1.5hr awake time before I'm getting him back to sleep.
Another thing that helped was lots of feeding during the day so he was "tanked up" to last longer at night.
Again, apologies if you've tried all this. These are just things I found had a massive impact on his nightime sleep (and they are all things I learnt after coming on here in a sleep deprived funk 
)
MissObsessed ·
09/04/2017 07:40
Sleep deprivation is awful, there's a reason it's used as a form of torture!
My DS was the same at that age, you're right in the middle of a sleep regression. He went from waking only once at night to waking every hour. I cried with tiredness at times and when it got really grim I often wondered if I'd made a terrible mistake having children 
Saying that we are now coming out the other end at almost 6months. DS now goes down around 7.30pm, wakes around 3am for a feed and then we get up between 6am and 7am.
I survived by going to bed early, sometimes 7pm if it meant that I could catch up on sleep. I left the housework or DH did it in the evening when I was in bed. Shopping was ordered online and some days I just dozed on and off while he napped (much more difficult with another little one!)
It will pass and you will survive it. At the time though you just have to do whatever you can to get you through it.
What's her daytime sleep like? I've found a massive difference in nightime sleep now DS has regular naps.
DoItTooJulia ·
09/04/2017 06:36
Oh god. You've just bought it all back. It's horrendous.
My youngest is 4, so I'm over all that now but he was the worst sleeper ever. The things that helped me were:
You or dp get up the other one lies in. When the other one is up, you go back to bed. If no partner/not possible, bring the duvet and a pillow down stairs. Get children set up, fed, safer and relax. And I mean just sit there. Leave the kitchen, the washing up, whatever. It's down to the basics. Nappies,sick and food.
Phone someone for some help. 4 hours should give you chance to get to sleep, have a sleep and shower. They can sit downstairs (earplugs) or whatever.
Go to bed early. Like 7 if it
Means you get some sleep.
Keep everything else easy. Online food shopping. Easy meals. Buy prepared carrot batons to make sure the toddler gets some goodness while this is going on type of thing iyswim?
Toast helps everything no matter the hour
And remember it will pass. It might feel like it won't and it might feel like it will break you before it passes, but it will pass.
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