Ageing Prematurely

[ieatmydinner]

Will my DS’s current SAS sleep training programme cause me to age prematurely?
He’s 4 months and wakes every 2 hours for either a feed or for comfort. I feel like I’ve aged 5 years since he’s arrived. He is baby number 3 so you’d think I’d be used to this but i just feel so old and achy.

What is an "SAS sleep training programme"?

It’s basically when you are just about to drift off and settle into a nice slumber then .......BAM DS wakes (sometimes crying, other times whining/grunting) every 2 hours from 6pm - 6am!

Oh I see. I thought you meant you were putting your baby through some sort of SAS sleep training.

Yeah, it's exhausting. I'm ten years older while parenting my fourth child compared to my first. And blimey, I can feel every one of those extra years in my energy levels.

There are ways to cope. Have you discovered the boys joys of the sidecar cot and dummy? It means you can dummy reinsert and settle baby back to sleep without moving from under your duvet or even opening your eyes.

I don't know why that "boys" is there.

I do have the side cot but my little buster won’t take a dummy & seems to be using me instead!😬
I think that’s why I’m finding it tougher this time, my DD’s took a dummy & were pretty easy going with feeding.
I’ve tried a bottle of formula as I’m hoping this will also encourage a dummy but he’s having none of it! I know they’re not little for long (well he came out big haha!) so I’m trying to go with the flow and savour every last minute of baby life but I do find it physically tougher than when I had my DD’s. I’m the same as you - 10 years older this time and have found my body ain’t springing back like it used to!
Think I need to invest in a good night Cream! It’s nothing that a good stint on a desert island complete with nanny/maid/chef & masseuse won’t fix!

At 4 months our little angel decided he would like 2 hourly feeding and cuddles day and night. He has never taken a dummy either! He had been doing well, only waking once or twice in a full night. I looked like a burst couch and thought about selling him on eBay.

At 5.5 months he is now a different baby. I stopped picking him up every time he whimpered, and tried to soothe him in the cot instead. He was rolling onto his front, so I also just allowed him to settle like that. He is now learning to self-settle and in a matter of a week is sleeping much better. We've had one night of 10pm to 6am, so I'm full of hope and renewed optimism!

It's hellish, but it will get better.

A burst couch 😂
Ah there is hope out there! 🤞🏻