Exhausted

[kittylily2305]

Hey everyone!

I love my baby so much, more than anything but I'm really finding the lack of sleep horrendous

I know it's part and parcel of having a baby but I feel every time I have him I'm so tired that I can't always enjoy myself with him. I just feel very frustrated and also very guilty for feeling frustrated. When I was pregnant I always thought I wouldn't care about the lack of sleep as long as I had my baby which is still true but I'm finding it so much harder than I ever imagined. Am I a bad mum? Has anyone else been through this?

My baby is 5 months old and constantly fights sleep

Yes it's really, really hard. I totally understand now why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture! My dd woke every 2 hours (sometimes hourly)'until she was 6 months, it was so hard. But her sleep slowly improved and she started sleeping solid 10/11 hours at night just before she turned 12 months which made our lives so much better!

When you say baby fights sleep what do you mean? Does baby need you to get them to sleep? Are they in their own room, in with you, how do they nap in day time etc?

Of course you’re not a bad mum! The best way I dealt with this: go to bed early sometimes, get a lie in on the weekend when partner is home, cosleep. Are you breastfeeding? Have you looked into safe cosleeping?

We a 2 yr old and a 1 yr old who have been fabulous sleepers... however... we've had a 2 month run of chicken pox, vaccines, nightmares, viruses, chest infections, ear ache, sickness... I haven't slept in 2 months and I'm broken.

You are not a bad mother. It is horrific!

Have you tried putting him down drowsy but awake?

My baby is 5 months and things aren’t so bad at the moment, this can of course change at any point - things can get better or worse at the drop of the hat.
If I was sleep deprived, and when I am going to be, I will find it really miserable and tough.
I hate the sort of ‘man up and deal with it’ attitude that’s supposed to come with being a mum. I hate being tired, it makes me fed up. So you have my sympathy and you aren’t bad for moaning - I would be and will be moaning a LOT!!

Thanks everyone for your kind replies. It's nice to know I'm not alone in finding no sleep horrendous! I've had a better couple of days and I think that's down to just putting him in his crib whilst drowsy like some of you suggested, although it has been hard to walk away when he cries. I'm ready to put him in his own room to be honest to see if that helps us both sleep but dh is dead against it until he's 6 months, even though he sleeps through every noise

When did everyone else move their babies in to their own rooms?

DS was 8 months old
DD went in with her brother at 4 months... she always slept better with him so we shoved their cots side by side. She did have a sensor in her cot that we got because DS was a poorly prem.

No need to put him down drowsy but awake and leave him to cry. Just soothe him, it will pass. You’ll never regret responding to your babies cries.