SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK PART 8 -- Pack the bags under your eyes and join us!

[RoRoMommy]

Well...I had to think of something! DH's suggestion "Eyes wide shut--the art of sleepwalking"

RoRo, glad you are getting some more sleep.

Hi Amber

We had another terrible night. Sooo tired of it and of the constant arguments with DH about the dummy. So we have got a plan. From tonight we will use the dummy whenever he wakes (which I have previously resisted at all costs). We will try this for a month, and if by Christmas he still isn't sleeping any better, we will consider some form of sleep training. I'm not over the moon about all this but I feel totally desperate and like I have tried everything else.

Anyway hope everyone else is feeling a bit brighter this morning.

Thanks Amber, that's really helpful. I think he's doing it because he thinks it's funny and because he's teething. He's stopped laughing when he does it now, so I think he's getting the idea, but it's always at the end of a feed so he's getting bored. Teething, boredom...etc. I will try stopping the feed and going about the day and see if he gets the picture.

Meg, poor you! It's funny that DHs typically think things have gone all amok after just a few weeks and a setback, when really it's just that, a setback, and things will return to normal soon. You were having some great nights before DS got ill, so don't forget about those. I am sorry you're having a difficult time, but you're a SIFTW veteran so you already know that this will pass.

Check out this woman on my employment thread...next post.

Xenia the Great

evening all

roro - for the biting. as soon as i read that, i knew amber would respond as she went through it not so long ago....and i see she did! glad you had a lovely weekend. you deserve it.
re. the post !!

meggy for your night. it really is the pits, and if its causing arguments as well, something's gotta give. my lovely, you know we'll be here for you, whatever you decide to do. big (((hugs)))

hey amber

well, my night was horrendous, and i cant blame it on dd either (she slept like the proverbial baby) i had to pay a visit to the emergency dentist as had raging toothache he gave me AB's to take, with the threat of taking the wisdom tooth out if it continues. went to the pharmacy and they said i could only have paracetamol as bfing (is that right amber?) anyway, i did swig some of dd's calprufen earlier
i must say, i can completely understand why these lo's are so mardy when teething, it really is a miserable pain
ah well, off to rest my face on a hot water bottle
hope there are some good nights tonight x

Oh, Tibs, for your toothache. I really hope you feel better. I've found that I can take one or two nurofen plus without having much effect on DS, just some constipation initially but that hasn't seemed to be a problem lately. Maybe that would help? I hope it gets better soon! (((hugs)))

evening all

apologies - have only briefly read thru the posts, so sorry for not making it personal but there seems to be more than at the moment

all fine here, thankfully, i don't really need SIFTW but you aren't getting rid of me that easily! DS2 is still only just over a week old so there is plenty of time for him to want to join in!

will be still popping in to see how you are all getting on (lots of sleeping i hope!) so don't forget me just yet!

tibs, it's fine to have paracetamol or ibuprofen, just not aspirin. what were you wanting to take, something stronger? for the toothache, hope it goes away soon.

skirmish, hi. don't tell me your baby sleeps?!>! what? is that possible!? good on you for having a sleeper!

morning all

thanks guys, was obviously feeling a little sorry for myself. feel brighter today

amber just wanted something stronger
nurofen plus sounds good roro - will remember that.
you know, neither the dentist or pharmacist were completely au fait with what i could take. had to look it up in their books
anyhoo...

skirmish - yay for lo sleeping and i hope the littlest lo sleeps too (((hugs)))

our night was unsettled, a shame after some really good uns, but both dd and i were restless. ho hum

hope there were some sleepy bubs out there last night

morning, haven't posted for a while because have had a house of sickly LOs (and DH!!!). Now poor DS2 is sick so not a lot of sleep to had round here . Will post more when i have more time/am less exhausted.

charlie for poorly everyone. sending you all get well soon wishes and lots of rest soon (((hugs)))

glad you're feeling a bit better tibs. fyi the breastfeeding network has a drugline which i find more useful that those books that pharmacists have. the woman who runs it is a pharamacist but obviously knows about breastfeeding. there are a lot of things you can take if necessary because they have negligable effect on LOs even when sometimes the medicine packaging says not to take it during BF.

Morning all,

Tibsy glad you feel better today.

CM for poorly baby, it's a nightmare when they're sick isn't it?

Hope everyone else is well-rested today.

We had a funny old night
Bed at 7.30
Screaming blue murder from 10-midnight despite use of dummy, boob, Medised
Then nothing til 5 (quick feed)
Up at 7

Gotta be teeth, right? But still no sign of any coming through...

sorry CM for those horrid cold going around. seems like everyone needs to do a turn.
meg, yeah prob teeth. i know what you mean about not seeing the evidence though!

we actually had a good night after not getting LO to bed until 9 after a late nap and then a vomit session before bed. he slept until 7, with a very brief wakeup where he settled himself

Tibs, info on painkillers

Tibs, for your night, but that you're feeling brighter today.

Meg, that is a strange one! It does sound like teeth. Poor bear.

CM, miss you! I hope you and the LOs feel better really soon.

Skirmish, at your slumbering babe! You with a newborn has made me really clucky...

Amber, poor little DS! And you, with the vomit cleaning duty.

It seems like so many of us are ill, so I am sending out my get-well vibes again.

(((hugs)))

Oh, right...bed at 7:30, dream feed at 10pm, unsettled until 2:30 (rolling around, asleep but having bad dreams and whimpering ), up at 4:45 for a feed, then unsettled until 6am, then up for the day with DH. Nightmare.

These darn teeth!

Exhausted. I find out more about that possible open position that is proper 9-5 today...hopefully it will be good news!

Hello all! Haven't been posting as DS and I firmly in the arena of the unwell... we seem to have got over it now though. Spent most of Sturday in bed, luckily DS was of the same mind . It was odd, like having a newborn again! He'd be awake for half an hour or so and then get grotty and tired and off to sleep again for a couple of hours. CM: hope you're recovering as well. Amber: we had several nights of vomiting thanks to DS's cough - at one point we were down to the last clean sheet in the house and no duvet .

Meg: a plan and a timescale re sleep training sounds like a good idea. You may find that things settle down of their own accord before then. Going with the flow atm is prob the best plan, esp as you must all be so unsettled still.

RoRo: re biting, squashing the baby's nose into your boob makes them let go. DS went through this stage as well, but rarely does it now Sometimes he'll give me a cheeky look and then nip lightly, but I glare and unlatch him and he doesn't do it again!

We seem to have a fresh problem atm in that DS has decided that going to bed is Boring and he's prefer to be running around, even if he's so tired he's falling over. He scoots off the bed and runs off. Any attempts to stop him sliding away are greeting with screams and a back-arching tantrum. Am hoping that this is a result of loads of sleep over the weekend and will settle down - could really do without a return to bedtime battles yet again.

Good news is that DS slept pretty well last night, went to bed late but only woke a few times (briefly) before being awake at about 7:30.

Amber: re bfing, DS wouldn't eat anything (not even apples) when he was ill so I was reallg glad I had that to fall back on. My books will prob be exploding by the end of the day now I'm back at work!

oh and we seem to have another tooth! Which could explain some of the unsettledness as well as the cold/cough.

RoRo: x-posted - for your night. Is the other job in the same area? Will check out your other thread. Xenia is a MN phenomenon - I rather like her but she takes a very firm view on returning to work.

re: your other thread, glad you got some usefull advice and support. Good luck re applying for the new job!

Thanks, Effie! Re the other thread, I was completely overwhelmed by the support I received, including this job posting. Re Xenia, she said she often reveals too much and her identity is also revealed...do you know who she is? Just wondered if she's, like, famous or something. I would never think I'd be "found out" because, well, who would think to "find" me?

Re the biting, he just takes a bite, then lets go, so it's not like I have to disengage him. He bites hard, though, and it started with the cheeky look and nibbles, so I obviously didn't nip it in the bud as well as I should have! I've started taking him off before he's done when I think he's close, and that seems to be helping. Also, if he bites once I end the session because he either wasn't hungry or he'll get the picture if he was that he won't be eating if he's biting!

Glad to hear you're feeling better, it sounds like you got loads of much-needed rest over the weekend. That's so disappointing re the bed time battles, that must be really difficult! When DS starts to become mobile, I imagine we'll be in a similar position as our DSs seem quite similarly "spirited"!

ah EP, hope some health is restored soon is casa Effie. Re the bedtime battles, I'm so not looking forward to this. It is already starting to get difficult to get ds to close his eyes atm. Hence our vomiting episode last night as more feeding was the only thing I could think of to get him to fall asleep (too much milk though resulted in the whole feed and whole of dinner and perhaps also some afternoon snacks reappearing).

for your unsettled night RoRo. I quite like Xenia's committment and determination to her work. I think it's really quite admirable. I definitely couldn't do it to that extent myself but I do respect her for what she is doing.

Hey all, haven't posted as been busy, have visitors etc.

Wave to Cruise, most nights are OK Cruise but we're still getting mega early mornings and night wakings. Actually I slept with DD night before last and while she was quite restless most of the night she didn't actual wake herself up. Just me. I think once she's better I will start attending to her in the night and then trying to muster the will power to go back to my own bed because her restlessness is keeping me awake more than her wakings iyswim.

Meg, teeth most def. We have had nights like that recently and it took ages for the molar to make an appearence. Has he got nappy rash or any of the other tell tale signs? Could also just be left overs from the cold.

Anyway, must dash as have to entertain my father who is visiting.

Sleep tight everyone

PS EP, Hope you're better soon

Tibs, hope the tooth is feeling better

Hi all - aren't these bugs gone yet?!

Good luck with the job Ro - glad you're getting somewhere, it's no good if you're miserable on a daily basis. Poor tibs + tooth - thanks from me too for the link Amber, it's really useful . Sorry you're struggling Meg, I never feel I can be much help to you guys as my DS is littler than yours but your travails never fail to give me lots of new challenges to look forward to as he gets older ... . Effie - your laundry nightmare - sleeplessness+extra laundry = my idea of hell! Have fun with your dad ginger

Back to dire evenings here - DS won't sleep much more than 20 minutes without bing in close contact with me at the moment, so last night I was in bed by 8pm! Tonight I've done the second settle of the night but he seems to get stuck in light sleep for ages and ages and then after 30 minutes you think he's asleep then he's rooting again all of a sudden, so I'll probably give up and go to bed next time. Driving me bonkers. On the plus side have managed 4x90 minute naps in the last week, albeit on me with me rocking wildly. Am developing odd musculature on my back - bet the hunchback of Notre Dame had a sleepless baby... explains a lot!

Anyway, better go get something productive done in what's left of my 20 minute window ... hope everyone's on the mend soon and back to biiig loong sleeeeps