Non-sleepers unite...

[Jellybean2017]

New thread for night (and daytime!) chatter for those awake more than they'd like with a non sleeping baby/child 😊

My DS is five months. First baby likely to be only baby if I don't start getting more sleep He is a nap and sleep fighter but incredibly cute so I choose to forgive him 😂

@AMagdalena you're doing so much for DD and making a big sacrifice in terms of food in order to keep breastfeeding her just shows how much you're doing. Be kind to yourself 😊 hopefully the diet changes will help and you'll be able to carry on feeding her

What the others said @AMagdalena- you're a bloody brilliant mum! You've been through a lot with DD's health and persevered to get her a diagnosis. You're amazing!

Sorry to hear about your news @utterly. Be kind to yourself

Nice day here spent with my friend, catching up on the gossip. She's overdue and fed up - so glad I don't have to go through that again!

Dreading the night ahead. Having a glass of wine despite my knackered state. Not really enjoying it though!

@jellybean
@xxrealistmumxx
@whoateallthepercypigs

Thank you. Am feeling very very low and have been crying on and off all day. I know it’s probably very sad but kind words said here even though it’s a forum mean a lot; I’m feeling very alone. No family or friends close by.

@amagdelena - that sucks re bf. Hope the new diet sorts it out - so difficult! Well done for doing this.

This baby won't go to sleep, feeding, rocking and humming are not working. I've put him in his cot as he's just squirming and he's rolled on his stomach banging the mattress like a drum, great fun...

Hope everyone is having better luck than me

Thank you for your kind words, ladies
I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself (or DD?) lately.
I am trying to do the best thing for her here and just can't trust formula more than bf...How do I know she won't have reaction to it? I know it's amnio acid formula made specially for allergic babies, but since we don't know what's causing her bowel problems, who knows she won't react to the formula?
I don't know. I think it would massively upset both of us. I know I had to fight tears very hard at the appointment.

This new diet is mental, but it's not forever.

Btw, DD is asleep next to me taking up 80% of bed space

He self settled!!!!! He maybe sleeping on his stomach facing the bottom of his cot but he did it!

Aww well done baby meepmoop!! 😊 that's the dream hey! Hope it's continued going well.

@AMagdalena it definitely seems odd to be advised to give formula when you don't know which ingredients she may react to. Glad to hear she is sleeping though, it amazes me how much space a little baby can take up in bed!

Second wake up here. DH came in to join us / give some moral support after the first wake up at 22:54; we all dozed for an hour or so but DH has just gone back up to "his room" to sleep 🙄😂 at least I can wake him early to take DS as it is Saturday 😊

Is everyone else asleep 🤔 I do hope so!

Woke up to baby crying as he'd rolled on to his front and scared himself 🙈

Now I'm really hungry... No snacks so ny glass of water will have to suffice!

Happy sleeping everyone 😴

utterlyconfused:big hugs, sadness is tough anytime, not least when you are sleep deprived. Be kind to yourself.

Amagdalena You are doing an amazing job and don't let anyone make you think otherwise.

xxrealistmumxx we're off skiing in a small resort in France. I won't get much skiing in with bottle refuser DS2 but I'm still super excited.

Just done feed 3 here, I think DS2 knows DH has gone ahead in the car and is back to waking more frequently after a couple of much better nights. Zzzzzzz

Evening/morning everyone

Disappointed in myself to admit I didn't go to afternoon tea in the end

To be honest I think it was part DS being so unsettled and unwell and my emotional state because I broke down several times yesterday before baby club at 10am and then When I got home too.

After we got home changed BF and then gave DS a bottle and saw he was settled and fell asleep my DH made me go out with my mum to the retail park 5 mins away for an hour of retail therapy and it did the world of good prob spent money I could've done with saving but made me feel more normal buying clothes like I use to etc

Came home to DS still asleep and tbh after chatting it was good for DH because yes there was a fussy moment where DS wanted me for some comfort and I wasn't there to access so it forced DH to try different things and get creative with swaying/singing/chatting and distracting him worked and settled him and has now helped give DH more confidence which was lovely to hear!

I feel I'm the one that needs rest and a confidence boost and I just don't see it coming anytime soon I'm just anxious all the time because I know I don't have a baby that's comfortable or happy enough yet due to reflux etc

Sorry always feel like I'm moaning on here and offering very little back hope all you mommas are ok and this really helps so thank you!!!
X

user well done for getting out! It doesn't matter it was y the afternoon tea and great that your DH stepped up. It's more progress.

On feed 4 now, only 1.5 hours after the last, I tried to resettle but he was being very noisy and I didn't want him to wake DS1 so.o took the easy boob route. I have the stingy eyes

@Catscatsandmorecats thanks Hun I think baby steps for me getting out and made it easier just going somewhere that was just down the road.

Oh no not the eyes it's so hard when you have to battle against them feeling like that!!

Well done @user for getting yourself out! My baby was incredibly unsettled in the earlier days too, so I know it's hard. To be honest a lot of the time I couldn't even settle him anyway so it didn't matter if it was me or DH listening to him scream, as long as one of us was there to cuddle him! He's approaching six months now, still a fusspot but happy to spend a couple of hours with his daddy while I rest or go out for a bit. Daddy will be getting woken up I. 35 mins to take over 😂

After a couple of nights of fairly good sleeping, we've gone backwards. DD2 slept worse than when she was a newborn so I think she must be sick. 45 minute tranches and inconsolable screaming in between. DH left the room about 3am to get some sleep. TBF he did get her settled downstairs shortly beforehand to allow me some sleep but then DD1 kicked off and it all went to pot again.

Well done user for venturing out and great to hear that baby meepmoop self-settled.

Well done for getting out of the house for a bit user1489931797, my ds is nearly 11 weeks old and I haven’t been out without him yet. Glad you enjoyed yourself😊
On feed #2 here, we’ve had an okay night but I’d still like to get another hour if I can before we start the day so I’m making this a brief post. I’ll be back.

In hindsight I wish I’d gone out sooner without my little one. I was so anxious about him starving without boob but he’d’ve survived an hour or two. And it would have been great for my sanity.

Also in hindsight, I would have tried him with a bottle sooner but I found breastfeeding so hard I was scared to sabotage it. All good to know for the next one.

As we’re past 6 months now, we’ve started some sleep training. I’m back to work soon and I can’t imagine getting up every two hours to feed plus working full time. I wish we’d started sooner! Between 8 and 6:30 I only fed him once and my partner handled the other wake ups. He clearly doesn’t need food in the night, he was just using my boob as a sleep crutch. That makes me feel better about sleep training as I don’t feel like I’m depriving him of anything, rather we’re teaching him new skills. He self settled at bedtime, and then at every wake up which he’s never ever done.

Hi, everyone. Can I ask your opinions on some travel I have this summer? I am flying back to the US to visit family, and plan to rendezvous with my sister before the long haul flight so that we can travel together. I have two options for this meet up, and I can't decide. Here they are:

Sister will arrive in Amsterdam on day 1. I can either:

1. fly to Schipol early in day 2 to catch the long haul flight at 10:30 with sister, OR
2. fly to Schipol anytime on day 2, stay overnight and sister, Dd and I fly out at 10:30 on day 3.

Dd will be 7.5 months old. I'm leaning towards #1 because with #2 I'll have to faff about with airport shuttles, unpacking/packing, sleeping in a strange place, etc...

What would you do?

Good morning all.

Not too bad a night here. DS slept from 930 till 230 on his cot so that was good. Nothing better than waking up and expecting the time to be midnight and it's actually 3 hours later! He slept on me till 430 then was very restless. I handed him over to DH at 6 but annoyingly couldn't switch off, managed 30 mins until I woke to the sound of DS loudly crying...

I'm going to get him checked for tongue tie I think. He's very fussy on the boob right now, and does seem to struggle with his latch. I've been holding off cos he's putting in weight, but I'm wondering if there is an issue. Plansto go to a bf clinic near me and see what they think.

Despite a better night of sleep I'm shattered today. Stingy eyes here! And a morning of soft play and afternoon of food shopping to get through...

@actino reckon I'd go for option 1 too - as you say, less faffing about with a little one. Are you from the US originally? Do you miss it?

That said, I've not yet been on a plane with either DC! My toddler is the only one of her peer group not to have gone abroad. Sleep was so dreadful in the first year that we didn't have the strength to travel, then we were trying for baby 2 and then I was preg! So DD has travelled as far as the Lake District Hoping to go away next year when we can enjoy it more.

Think I'd go with a too @actino 😊

When did you start sleep training @lallypopstick? I don't know how I could go to work at the moment so I can understand why you're going down that route!

Six wakeups here but had a couple of hours on my own this morning. Taking him to catch up with some friends over tea and cake in a while. Then my parents are looking after him for a couple of hours. DH and I were going to spend the time packing but I might suggest going out for an early dinner and wine instead. Packing can wait!

Thanks everyone again for your kind words.

Really hope DD spits formula out. It smells horrid (like dead fish), so there's a good chance she will.

We had a tiny 3 am poo and another wake up at 7am and that was it, so pretty good. Only need to get her to sleep in the cot now hahahaha

@Jellybean2017 only started last night. We’re trying today for naps but it’s not going well so far!

DS has been asleep on me since 2.55. My parents arrived to look after him nearly an hour ago and I'm upstairs stuck under him. So looks like I won't be having an early dinner out with DH after all 😔 I don't want to wake him as it's such a battle to get him to sleep normally. It's typical. Hope you're all having a good day.

@lallypopstick hope it works soon!!

Sounds like some ok nights last night. Up every two hours here til 5.30am when there's never really any settling to be had. LO did a massive poo at 6am so was taken to DH whilst I crawled under the covers for another hour or so.

DH has been making lots of comments recently about the possibility of us starting to bed share again. We've only shared a bed a handful of times in over 6 months! It's getting ridiculous but I still don't think it's a wise move whilst LO is sleeping so poorly much prefer having the bed to myself

We started weaning today! I know deep down it's not going to make a blind bit of difference to his sleep but can't help the little bit of hope that it might make it just a bit better

AMagdalena I did an elimination diet when LO was 10 weeks in the hope it would help his tummy trouble / green poos. It's hard going to begin with but then you kind of get into the flow and it's worth it even if only to rule out dietary factors.

utterlyconfused I'm so sorry to hear you're feeling down. Please, please reach out for help, here or anywhere else. Motherhood is a bumpy ride and, like I mentioned before, we just don't have the help to hand / solidarity that is vital to help us through the journey.

It's awful that so many women begin to internalise the very real and natural struggle of having to raise children pretty much by themselves and feel like they're somehow failing when in fact it goes against nature to have to raise children on our own. That's why we've typically lived in tribes / extended families. From what I read on here everyday I think we're all doing a bloody amazing job of holding it together. The early years are by far the hardest. Let's keep being kind to ourselves