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

[Tamdin]

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

Think piriton does work as a sedative as it's what is in medised that knocks ds out when he has a cold!
amber you're perfectly entitled to feel fed up/Sdd/Sdn it's hard work being a mummy esp as good a one as you are.

night to you both. Having an early night. Tv crap and have eaten so much indian food mixed with red wine that feel like i weigh 50 stone!

I should be having an early night as am pooped, but am watching Austin Powers instead, I love it!

i SHOULD be having an early night too. but dh has gone out, and am actually enjoying the quiet time, checking out the blog (it looks soooo great) and drinking tea.

Well, after putting DD to bed and clearing up I sat down at 8.30 promptly fell asleep until DH went to bed at 11. The woke at 6.30 this morning (he was on night duty) I went into DD's room to see what was going on and they're still asleep. Curled up together, she has some very pink cheeks and he's snoring away. Very cute. I was so tired it wasn't funny.

Amber, you're doing an amzing job and you've been so supportive to me and everyone that I hope you wake up feeling happier today. You're probably a bit run down having been ill recently so take it easy and don't try and do too much.

2nd everything ginger said. Ginger your dh is very good. dh has never 'taken over' at night unless i'm away. He's not an old fashioned kind of man so i don't know how but it has ended up that i deal with 90% of sleep issues.
Then again ds is in our bed and dh is supportive about that so guess it's ok. Plus i wouldn't let him help in the early days (blaming the hormones) so no wonder he thinks he should butt out!

another goodish night here.
bed at 7.30
woke at 12 (in with us)(this part is such habit it's like he's sleep walking!)
woke at 4 (3oz milk)
woke at 7 for the day

Hi everyone,

Amber for your sdd day yesterday. You really are doing so well. I hope the tea and time out yesterday evening has helped you to feel less stressed.

Meg - that Piriton thing sounds rather interesting. You seem to be able to score most drugs down the road - will consider tapping up the local hoolies next time we have a bad night . Seriously though, is it long before you see the paeditrician?

Ginger - sorry you still feel knackered after your night "off-duty". The image of your two curled up is very cute though.

Tam - is it my imagination or is DS having much less milk at 2nd feed? you'll be midnight-milk free in no time! I think we have rather a lot of habitual wakings here too, as you tend to be able to set your watch by dd's wakings. let me know if you have any bright ideas.

Very good here. Asleep 7pm, awake 1.30 for feed. According to DH went straight back. Then up at 5am. I tried for 30mins to resettle DD in her room, but no joy, so into bedside cot for usual series of catnaps til 7.30. I think at the moment she is settling better at night for DH than me. It was the same before we cut the second feed, so I don't think it's that. Maybe DH should do ALL the night shifts .

ps - Would you mind indulging me in some judging of strangers? Our neighbour (we don't know them, but their garden backs onto the flats' car park) has a baby around the same age as my DD. This baby cries hard every single evening until about 10pm. I think they are keeping their DC up, so that he/she has the long stretch of sleep at a time that suits them. I don't quite know how they do this though - the crying tugs at me, and I'm 50 yards away!

IBS sounds like a good night for you

re neighbours maybe they're doing CC at 10 and trying to get lo to go back to sleep? or maybe they are keeping him/her up to suit their bed time. either way doesn't sound great to me but each to their own and all that!

hello all, after my mega whinge last night, ds went for a wonderful 1 wakeup night. thankgod. i had enough of the two hourly wakeups in the morning again. thanks for boosting my morale!
hope the rest was good ginger.
tam, glad you had an ok night.
IBS who knows what those neighbours are upto. maybe their baby never grew out of colic?

Hey Tam,

I know it's wrong to judge - but couldn't resist. The baby is up with them (these flats and houses are like glass boxes and we're all too pretentious for net curtains) so I can see him/her in their sitting room!

Part of me thinks "poor baby"
Part of me thinks "bet they're getting more sleep than me - wish I had the nerve to do it their way"

Horses for courses and all that .

x-post Amber - glad you feel rested and back to your usual positive self!

Ginger: for your childcare probs. As you said, she should have told you she was applying for a job. Doesn't sound like miuch notice either. Hope you get something sorted soon.

Amber: hope you're feeling a bit better today. It is draining, this long-term worrying about sleep. You are doing brilliantly so chin up

Tam: sounds like def progress on the night feeds

Baz: great night!

Tibs: hope the bedsde cot worked its usual magic.

Bit of a mixed night for us, late to bed as we were out walking (ended up near Enfield Lock) and not home till after 8 and DS didn't get to sleep until nearly 9. Slept till after midnight, then awake 2, in bed with us, couple of wakings then woke up at about 8 so a bit of a lie-in

ooh, a good night Amber

Ooh, loads of posts.

EP: were you following the Lea Valley? We go up there quite often (to the Enfield end), it's lovely.

Baz: sounds like a great night for you. And you too, Tam.

Ginger, sorry you're still tired. Have a lie-down if you can!

We had an OK night, by recent standards. Bed at 8 (took a while to settle), woke 10 (resettled with a shush/pat), then 11.30 (fed and back in cot), then 2 (fed and in with me), think he stirred around 3 but then nothing til 6, when fed and back asleep til 7.30.

We had the humidifier on (thanks Ginger for the tip) so maybe that helped him settle a little more?

I meant I was tired before my full nights kip. Can't really complain after all that sleep can I although DH and I were discussing today how we don't actually feel any better after a good sleep. In fact sometimes we feel worse. Figure that one out.

Tam, I did it all until recently though too. We agreed that as he had to get up for work it was only fair although after so many months of that I almost cracked up so it was divorce or compromise . I do make it very obvious when I'm not happy tho. Definately not the subtle type. When your little man is in his own room your DH may find himself doing the same. It's just not funny when you have to get out of bed. Having said that you may have cracked it by then.

Bazza, some people are under the illusion that if they keep their lo up for the first part of the night it might make them sleep longer and better during the later part. It's definately not my experience but I've certainly had it suggested that I either need to keep her awake longer or reduce her daytime sleep. I'm not about to do either as she's got this far on her own so I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I've become very sensitive to babies crying, not just that newborn need to be fed type thing but the distressed cry and definately the tired cry. Sounds really desperate doesn't it? It's hard not to get involved isn't it? I'm an interfering busy body tho. it's in my nature to poke my nose in. Would the mother be receptive to you approaching her asking how she's finding it? You can never have too many sympathising neighbours and with a lo the same age she would realise that you're asking for the right reasons.

Ginger - that's a lovely idea. Our paths are bound to cross at some point as there's a big park nearby. will definitely look out for my neighbour!

Re: DH input. I initially thought I would do the lion's share of night wakings, as I didn't think it fair that DH should get up at night when he has to work. But I didn't factor in our respective body clocks! DH has always worked funny hours, and as such seems to need far less sleep than me. So he gets up to DD most nights before 3, and I then take over.

I feel a bit cheeky, but he honestly seems to function ok.I do make sure he gets at least one night off each week. I know I'm really lucky though.

DH doesn't do the night shift, but I'm still feeding DS back to sleep which isn't something he can do! He does help with settling in the evening, but doesn't work if I'm in the room.

DS very restless last night heat? In bed with us, but I think he weas getting abit frustrated that he couldn't roll over )no room). Might try keeping him in the cot a bit longer - we've been here before, haven't we?

Off work today instead of my usual Wednesday and then on Thursday heading off to inlaws and parents for a couple of weeks while DH gets on with the decorating. I may be without internet access for a while - how will I cope?

Meg: yes, we were walking along the Lea Valley. About 10 miles in total but with lots of stops . It's lovely along there, especially at the Enfield/Waltham Abbey end. Strange suddenly finding youare out of London and there are sheep instead of industrial units.

still feeding ds backto sleep most times too, so i get up most times. occassionally dh does it if i think ds REALLY doesn't need a feed. dh does a wonderful thing though, a lot of days he gets up early with ds so i can sleep in. after that sleep in i do feel vaguely human again.
ginger, totally agree with feeling worse after getting some sleep. i figure that you can't make up for months of sleep deprivation in one night, or not even in a week. i think when i was getting so little sleep, i ran on adrenalin or something. and then when you get a little rest it's like a come down or something.

mornin' all, just a quickie. DD was a bit unsettled in the early evening so when I went to bed at 9.30 I plonked her in with me (still in her room) she slept until 3. Brief burst of energy then nothing until 6 . I can cope with that. I just wish we were either co-sleeping or not tho. The matress that I use is mega uncomfortable because it's from a sofa bed so very thin and hence I woke many times with creaking bones! Still, can't complain, it was good by recent standards.

Hope ya'll had good weekends.

EP (I wrote some self guided walking leaflets for walking along the River Lee particularly Waltham Abbey, Broxbourne and Hertford in my previous job. I'll try and find a link for them. It's quite nice around that area isn't it?)

morning all
have read the posts, but soooooo many, just wanted to say, amber, i'm glad youre feeling brighter my lovely, dont like to think of you down.
ginger, what rotten news about the cm. hope you manage to get it sorted.
EP, dd restless too last night, think it may well have been the heat. think she may take after me and not fare too well if its hot
and hi to the other hardcore elite, tam, ibs, meggy!!!!!

we've had a couple of ok nights, not another allnighter tho think it may have been a fluke
dd been waking for boob, but its been so hot, i think shes just been thirsty.

anyone got anything nice planned today??

Morning ladies.

Ginger would love to see your leaflets too. We often go up to Broxbourne woods, there's a lovely walk with loads of carved figures along it. (Saying that, we haven't been since having DS! Never seems time to fit it in between naps!)

Well, my night was what I would call a 'shit sandwich'. Good start and end to the night but awful in the middle. LO settled well in the evening, with just a couple of brief wakings, fed at 11 then back in cot til 1.30. Then brought in with me when he kicked and fidgeted and cried off and on until 4 when in desperation I gave Calpol, he then went back in the cot and slept til 6, then back in bed with me and this time settled fine until 8.

Ginger, re: humidifier, this morning it was surrounded by a puddle of water -- that can't be right, can it?

tibs, i think i want to go and buy some new clothes. a shop that i like has a huge sale on and some skirts are reduced to £12 and such. it's a good shop because the stuff looks nice, but is also hard wearing and won't disintegrate after being thrown in the washing machine with food/vomit etc having been on them!
that's about as exciting as it gets. will attempt to get to BF clinic, but i think naps are already going askew today ...

for your shit sandwich meg. all these walks sounds lovely. i should try it one day. though god knows how, some days i have trouble getting to the corner shop!

I am considering retraining as an NCT antenatal teacher (not sure going back to my old job in the meeja is going to be practical with a nipper). Have got the info pack this morning so will spend today reading through it and deciding a) if I want to do it and b) if I can afford to do it!

what does it cost to do it megs?