I am not sure how much longer I can cope with this

[popsycal]

DS2 is still dreadful at sleeping. Last night he woke 9 times, twice for over half and hour. DS1 is now having nightmares, waking several times a night. LAst night, even though I went to bed at 10, I did not get to sleep until 1:30 due the combination of them both waking.

I think got 2 hours of broken sleep all night. That was a bad night but a normaal night is not much better.

DH is dead to the world and he hears nothing. DS2 climbs into bed with us and kicks us in the face or climbs over us. It is easy to say take him back to his room, but there comes a point where i physcially can't get out of bed.

No chance of respite from family
I have had a permanent head ache for 3 weeks now

Develop the art of kicking your husband in the back.

I do that. He sleeps through it. I am sick to death

Know the feeling. It does get better eventually. How old are they are why are they getting up?

Kick harder. Seriously, why should you do all the childcare at night? What would be his reaction if you asked him to take his share of the work?

sleep deprivation is a killer. I really feel for you popsycal. Why are they waking so much?

Ds1 is 5 and ds2 is 2.5

DS2 has always been dreadful. We are going to a sleep clinic next week to see whether he has sleep apnoea. Even if he has, they won't touch his adenoids until he is at least 3 - more realistically 3.5.

Dh does do stuff in the night - mainly when ds1 wakes as I am usually sorting ds2 out. But the last few weeks it has been less.

For the first time since the mind numbing early days with ds2, I repeated one of my sad sad jaunts today. Drove him around until he fell asleep then parked in Sainsburys car park for an hour and dozed off myself. I used to be Tesco or Asda 2 years ago. SO I am going up in the world. At least that is something

popsy I'm so sorry it's still so hard. I wish I had helpful suggestions. I know the dh-sleeping-through-it thing, although ds usually sleeps well now and dh will wake (eventually) when kicked. I think a Very Serious Chat with your dh is in order - he needs to know what torture it is for you.

He does know - and he is shattered too. He is having dreadful trouble getting off to sleep and often doesn't fall asleep until the early hours. We are both stressed, shattered and bickering. The boys are fab - real characters - but I just want some peace. Feel like Snappy Mummy today

Popsycal,

Could you take it in turns to have nights off, or better still 2 nights on and two nights off (as this recharges the batteries more). I know it could be tricky if both boys are up, and if they are in the bed, but maybe you have a sofa or spare bed somewhere to get a good solid block of sleep. I have heard that the body needs a solid 4 hour block to function OK, and broken sleep is horrid. Other people I know split the night into 2, so one has to sort out the children if its say between 10 and 2 and the other between 2 and 6.

Pops, can you put a lock on your bedroom door and lock it BEFORE DH goes to bed? That way he'll have to sleep with your DS or outside the door. Either way he'll be first in the firing line.

Actually Popsycal, have you tried co-sleeping? I'm guessing that with 2 over 2 you will have but that is the only thing that keeps me sane.

Thanks everyone.

This is so hard to sort out. Last night was bad again - but slightly better. We went to bed at around 10:30. we put ds2 back to bed around 3 times before we went to bed DH ended up in ds1's bed as he was full of cold and having nighhtmares. Ds2 ended up in with me at around 2am. I had no energy to put him back in his own bed. ds2 was awake and ready for the day at around 5:30 after having woken at least 10 times in my estimation. I am just too bloody tired to Do Something.

The taking turns thing just does not work in practice. It really doesn't.

I am dreading the sleep clinic on Wednesday n case it says there is nothing wrong with ds2

co-sleeping is even worse but happens every night

Posycal, I really feel for you. My DD is only one and we have multiple night wakings and co-sleeping and I can't see it changing soon.

Out of interest does your DS2 go to nursery or anything? i've noticed that my DD sleeps more deeply and wakes less on nursery days.

childminder on monday, grandma on tuesday ad me the rest of the time.

NO rhyme or reason to his sleeping at all

oh weel
will have to let MIL sort it as she reckons she is the guru and he WILL SLEEP FOR her...

Perhaps she could babysit while you check into a hotel for a couple of nights then good luck at the sleep clinic.

dh and i are actually haing 2 nights away in octber when She Will Sort Him.

looking forward to it. W ave not been away for a nihgt by ourselves since....oooooh....February 1998

Ooh, if she's successful she can come to mine afterwards. have a lovely time when you go and do send a progress report afterwards.