SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK PART 5....... God have mercy!

[Tamdin]

Can't believe we're onto another new thread already!

morning all,

Tibs - glad you are well. Great news re FIL. Didn't want to mention it before, but my fil was a NIGHTMARE for a few of weeks after his heart attack. He was signed off work, couldn't drive etc. This (plus nicotine withdrawal) took a LOT of adjusting for him. But a few years down the line he has definitely adjusted to life's new pace, and is finally taking all the healthy living advice seriously. I'm sure your FIL will too.

Tam - sounds like you are making consistent progress! Sorry for PMT related grumps. It happens to us all. I find the solution normally comes wrapped in a Cadbury's packet - think both you and DS deserve a treat.

Meg - hope things go well with the house. Sounds exiting. Where's the new place?

Amber - glad for your good night but for your cold.

We had an ok night here. DD finally settled in her room at 8pm. Awake 1am. Then 4.30. Didn't really settle after that and dozed off and on in bedside cot, so i feel a bit knackered despite good stretches.

Just put DD down for am nap in a grobag, instead of swaddle. This took 45 mins as her hand and foot obsession continues. She still grabs her feet through the grobag. I would like to wean DD off the swaddle for daytime naps, before nursery. I'm hoping to continue swaddling at night though. I wonder - do you all think this is ok, or will it confuse her/set her back?

hi ibs! for your good stretches but for your feeling knackered. i'm with you on that one, but reluctant to go back to bed as this is the only nap dd is likely to have, so the only time i get to have a coffee/read a book/come on here!! in peace.

She's gone down very reluctantly i dont know whats up atm, dont think its teeth she just wants to be with me all the time, or on the boob.....i actually asked her earlier to 'give me some space goddamit'

ibs, dont know about the swaddling per se, but i know that tams ds has two seperate routines, in that he goes down to nap on his own, but tam stays with him to go off to sleep at night. i think thats tight tam isnt it? am sure your lo could learn to associate the swaddling with just nighttime

Hi Barry/Bags. Good luck with losing the swaddle. DS also has tendency to grab feet, I have started giving him a blankie for naps, gives him something to fiddle with before he drops off (and distracts from scratching hands too).

We are moving about half a mile away to a HOUSE -- not huge but gives us a bit more room and means DS can theoretically have his own room (bet he still ends up in bed with me at 1am though)

Lo still grabs feet through grobag, or gets a bit of the grobag and sucks it, or licks the mattress, or grabs the side of the cot. etc. etc. etc. i just leave him to it now. he ends up asleep in the weirdest positions!

Hi all . Glad to hear there were some good nights out there.

IBS (d'you mind if I call you Baz?): so pleased about the improved nights. Hope the long stretches continue.

Tibs: DS is really really clingy atm as well. Not sure if it's developmental or teeth. He follows me around when I'm at home, clinging onto my legs and hates being put in his cot - I've had to revert to making sure he is fast sleep before putting him down (not very NCSS but never mind). He's still waking lots at night as well, but no long periods awake last night, thank goodness. I have NO idea why this is. We have the bring him into bed to get some rest, but he gets very hot and uncomfortable. Don't know what the solution is - any suggestions welcome! I'm pinning my hopes on When We Move (hopefully later in the year) and DS has his own room (this may be optimistic!).

Meg: good luck with the move

Tam: my periods came back at 5 months despite the constant bfing . Such a pain. The only small consolation is that I didn't really enjoy being on the pill cos it ironed out my natural cycle IYSWIM - strangely enough I'm much happier with the highs and lows of my own hormones if that makes sense. I get teary rather than angry before my period, though (very irritating).

Amber: hope you're not feeling too bad. Being ill on top of little sleep is awful. Get as much rest as you can and leave the laundry!

Meg: we are aiming for a house move as well - ridiculously excited about the idea of having more than one bedroom and even (gasp) a garden!

Ginger: I felt awful about going back to work but it was fine - DS loves being at the childminders and I appreciate the time I have with him more (except when he's refusing to sleep!). I foudn 3 days really nice - I'm now up to 4 days and though it's easier work-wise I am rushing round like a mad thing on my days off. 3 days means you have 2 weekdays free and it's always easier to get stuff done/meet up with other mums on those days. Are you doing Mon-Wed or another combination?

tibs so pleased your fil is recovering well. i'm sure dp is relieved.
Tibs is right baz my ds goes to sleep on his own in his cot for naps but as ALL know by now (even starting to bore myself!) I have to stay with him at night until he falls asleep and then he comes in with us for most of night.
your lo will learn to assiociate day nap with totally different routine to night sleep. You may even find learnign to go to sleep on her own at nursery means she'll do it at home.

ep amber and meg thanks for pmt sympathy. unfortuantely no choc in house and ds asleep. will venture out when he gets up for large bar of whole nut!

Tibs: glad your FIL is improving . He's have a lot of eagle eyes on his lifestyle now!

EP, thanks, just had an hour nap. and going to get some lunch at the cafe so i don't have to make anything. plus i think LO needs to get out of the house.
i hate the pill too. feel like it messes my moods a lot. keep thinking about taking it, but then resisting. also don't want to think if it might reduce milk supply etc. hmmm, but also don't want to end up with anohter bub ifswim.
for all the wakings. where are you planning to move to? similar area?

thanks for the kind thoughts for fil, he will have lots of beady eyes on him for the duration

amber, forgot to say for feeling rotten. fresh air sounds like a good plan

EP, maybe it is developmental? dd just learned to climb stairs a week or so ago ....i thought that separation anxiety was at 10 mths and am sure we've been through this stage already, but read it happens between 10 and 12 mths, so could be that dd wont go into her cot atm unless fully asleep
your move sounds good, hope it all goes well for you.... i love my garden

tam, hope you're feeling a bit brighter, a bar of whole nut is my choccie drug of choice too!!

Tam, hope you're feeling happier now.

Bazza, we never swaddled (couldn't get the hang of it) and dd still went through a 'feet phase' where she'd just roll around grabbing them. Think you just have to let them get on with it. My DD displays her new skills in her cot, at the moment it's crawling although she doesn't crawl on land. Odd. She did pull herself up to standing today for the first time tho.

Tibs, glad about fil. I was never a do nothing kinda person and slowing down has been the hardest thing to adjust to with having a baby so I sypathise.

EP, thanks for the reassurance. I'm doing Wed-Fri. Just the way it worked with child care but think it'll be ok anyway. I always hated Sundays because of the Monday morning thing and by the time I go to work on Wed it'll feel like the week is almost over. I'm quite keen to actually work but it's the thought of my poor lo's face when I leave her. I'm being a bit melodramatic I know and in a coupld of weeks she'll understand the routine but It will be good for all of us tho.

Tam, we do the same. Naps and nights are so different even tho they take place in the same place. During the day she's happy to put herself to sleep but nighttimes are something else.

Good luck for all those house movers. We moved a week before DD was born and it was a NIGHTMARE. (only cos i was preg) I'm not used to not lugging boxes when I see them so not helping was painful. Then there was the small matter of the house being filthy and in mucho need of repair. I was so flippin fat I couldn't do anything. DH was amazing and was working all hours actually tiling the bathroom while I was labouring in the other room . We now have a house, a huge garden (with our own veg plot and greenhouse) and loving it. (that is not supposed to be a boast btw. I have ALWAYS wanted a greenhouse and a veg patch so feel I need to tell everyone.) Having a bit more space makes all the difference although it's a nightmare to keep tidy.

Ginger my DH has always wanted a veg patch so might get some green tips from you! He grew some tomatoes from a growbag a couple of years ago but they weren't very tasty. Also we planted some spring onions but the cat decided to use that spot as her outdoor litter tray

Well, we have just been to sign contracts, just got to sort buildings insurance (DH on phone now) and hopefully will exchange this afternoon or tomorrow!

yay for exchange megs! i am so jealous of these veg patches. when i was at uni, i lived in a great 2 bedroom house all by myself with a huge permaculture garden, for amazingly cheap rent. i grew all sorts of wonderful things. i used to pride myself on being able to make a meal from my backyard. now in london we have a back garden about 2 x 1m, so no room for anything. i do have some mint growing atm though.
ginger, LO seems to prefer practicing his crawling efforts in his cot too. he does better in his cot than on land too.
we also moved 1 month before LO was born and was tough. had to try to stop myself doing too much, was hard not to help. my dh was a wonder also

meg congrats on new house. I am as we won't be able to mov einto ours until nov and will have missed the point of having a garden. i'll be shoving ds out there in december to make the most of it

Ginger very of your green house and veg patch. the house we've bought had a green house but it was knackered so we had the builders remove it. part of the garden was taken away to allow for the extension and i wanted a large patio area as summer bbq/parties are my favourite thing. there's still a good sized grass area for ds to play ball but a green house might be pushing it!
you can post me your produce instead!
also ginger i was exactly the same about leaving ds with my m&d and worried about him wondering where i was and that was family so totally symapthise with your concerns.

tibs i'm sure dd will come around again soon. every phase seems to have its reason which only they know!

x post amber

Argh DS been awake about four times already tonight. Sent DH in cause I was getting too stressed. Why can't he sleep?????

No-one around to give me sympathy?

sorry meg, had a very early night. hope things improved for you.
we had a good night but 6am waking - blerrgh.

morning all,

meg - congratulations! hope it all moves quickly for you. hope ds settled eventually.

ginger - sooo of your lovely veg patch.

in fact of all of you with gardens! we're in a flat for the foreseeable future, and i'm dying for sometime outside space of my own.

tibs and ep - for your Dc's newfound clinginess. hope you got a little bit of a break yesterday.

good night last night. asleep 8pm, awake 2.30, then 4.30. didn't settle back so into bedsie cot for a few 10 min catnaps. yesterday's lnuchtime nap in grobag was a bit . hoping for improvements.
dd has not napped at 4pm for the last 4 days, which i think is helping her nights. no sign of longer naps though!

amber for your good night!

morning. meg for last night hope dh got him settled.

amber for your night

Baz sounds like a good (ish) night

ours was ok not great. went to bed at 7.30 woke at 11 and then wouldn't settle gave in and gave him his bottle early and he went to sleep. not sure if he needed it for comfort or hunger was very restless again around 4 but told him no more milk. went back over about 5, woke at 7.

has his last mmr jab today at 2.30 so that'll no doubt throw things out in a week or so. Has no other side effects except he goes back to waking every 2-3 hours after his jabs. what a surprise (not!)

Baz: sounds like an improvement

Amber: yay for your good night. Hope you're feeling better today.

A slight improvement for us - DS still waking every couple of hours or so but he did stay in his cot till about 5am. I put him back in his pjs after a couple of nights in just his vest and it did seem to help. Still needed to get him asleep before lowering him into the cot. He's nearly 10 months so is hitting the clingy zone.

Meg: great news on the house. Enjoy the space! We're plannig on doing some cosmetic work on the flat (much neede) over the summer and then putting it on the market with the aim of moving towards the end of the year. We'll probably be moving north of London to get some more space so we should sort out that London meet-up sooner rather than later

Got DS's 8 month check up later today - managed to miss the last 2 appointments and they only run the session once a month. Am NOT planning to mention DS's sleep unless they ask