Need to sleep more than an hour

[Justwanttocry]

Day 4 of not getting any stretch of sleep longer than an hour and feel like I'm slowly going insane. DS is 5 weeks and has bronchiolitis and has not been able to be put down for days as lying down makes him retch/cough/choke. I've been surviving mainly on 30 minutes here, 20 minutes there.

Woke up earlier in a position I don't remember getting into and imagine i fell asleep cuddling him, it's getting quite unsafe.

I had a month of newborn sleep before this bad week due to the illness so had started pretty sleep deprived anyway. Though I used to get the odd 3 hour stretch back then which I'd kill for now.

DS just projectile vomited everywhere and I'm ready to cry. Would love to cry to DH but can't wake him up yet as we are taking shifts and my time is not up yet. I'm so lonely.

Even when it's DH's I can't sleep any longer as my brain just wakes me up through habit now. I do it on my own all week as he works so it's been weeks of constant waking. Think I'm too worried about DS tonight to even bear going into the other room when he takes over anyway as the vomiting is a new symptom. Plus I'm EBF and we were told to feed little and often until he is better so there's only so much respite I can get.

I'm so worried and so fed up. Will DS ever sleep again once better? Can't see any hope

Oh OP. Hang in there. It feels like it's interminable right now but you will get through this. I promise it will pass. Sending you all good wishes.

I'm there too with a sick 1yr old :( We'll get through it - sending hugs.

It will get better but it is so tough when they are ill. When it’s your shift to sleep, try putting some headphones in and listening to an audiobook or calming music. Don’t focus on sleep, just focus on relaxing. You might just nod off that way.

Thank you all. I woke up DH earlier than planned as it was getting too much and I just needed to rest. It took me a while to nod off but then I managed 3 hours. This should keep me going for a few more days.

@thisonenow, so sorry you're in the same situation, hope your LO is better soon x

If you're worried about new symptoms then get him checked out. Hes very very young and no doctor will ever turn you away. While your husband isn't working, sleep and rest as much as you can though the days as well as nights. You'll get through this OP x

Sorry to hear your little one is poorly I agree if you’re concerned about him still then keep taking him back to drs.
He’s poorly, he will wake up uncomfortable. We as adults wake uncomfortable when poorly. It won’t last forever even if it seems like it right now. He’s still so tiny x

Thank you we spent the day in hospital today and they said he was doing well but to be very cautious for the next couple of days as he could take a turn since he is so young. It's all a bit of a nightmare.

Really struggling with not being able to put him down too as it limits the opportunity for rest and then I get worried it will be like this forever and he won't get used to the crib again. He has an older brother too who is up at 6am for the day and doesn't nap anymore so we are a bit stretched. Definitely in survival mode at the moment. ;(

My DS had bronchiolitis at 5 weeks old back in July and we ended up in hospital with him being tube fed as he was barely feeding and what feeds he did have he vomited back up, it was a stressful few days but as soon as he turned a corner and was able to feed better he quickly picked back up. My supply took a bit of a dip as although I was pumping on hospital it isn't the same but a few mad cluster feeding days once he was better and we were soon back on track.
I'm sure your DS will soon rally but you have sympathy as lack of sleep is a killer.

Thank you @artfulscreamer, glad your DS was OK, how many days did it take until he turned a corner?

Really struggling with my eldest, who won't let one of us sleep when up early in the morning. He's now throwing things, screaming and kicking because I said we needed to let daddy sleep this morning. These tantrums are killing me, and I honestly feel like I can't cope at all this morning.

We were on hospital for 3 nights and he'd been poorly for a day or so before being admitted so I think it was day 5. I also have a DD aged 2 and her behaviour was a little all over the place to. Luckily my mum is now retired so she came and stayed for a few days whilst we got back to normal and caught up on sleep. DD was more than happy Nanna was here as it means she's allowed chocolate fingers straight after breakfast and other such nonsense.

It’s so, so hard when they’re poorly. It does get better but it’s hard to see that when you’re in the middle of it. Hope you’re ok.
When you have another one to look after too it’s very trying. You will get through this!

Thank you @ArtfulScreamer they did say once we're past Day 5 we should be able to relax, should be tomorrow! Thank you the chocolate fingers made me laugh !! and its helpful to know we're not alone with the toddler behaviour. So much for him to process with the new sibling and he was upset that I was gone all day in hospital yesterday too. I did Google nannies in the early hours in case it goes on for much longer and we need back up as we don't have family nearby. Fingers crossed we won't need it!

Thank you so much @jamsandwich1 the support and empathy helps so much and I feel less alone. So good to hear acknowledgments that it's hard too as I struggle not to feel like I am failing both of them sometimes

My youngest was admitted with an infection at 25 days old (etched on my mind because he was too young to be measured in weeks). The lack of sleep almost broke me. I remember being with my GP a week or so later for a follow up for baby and saying I feel broken but it’s nothing a good sleep wouldn’t fix. And his (sympathetic, he’s a good GP) response was that unfortunately there wasn’t much he could do to help with that (I assume because breastfeeding and sleeping tablets are not the favourite combo). It did pass, but gosh it’s awful to be so bone achingly tired. I think weekends need to be about you getting as much sleep as possible tbh. Is there anyone who can come and be with baby during the day, just so you can snooze? When both my babies were small I used to roll into bed as soon as I had got them down. I barely saw my DH in those first few months but for me that early evening sleep before midnight makes a world of difference.

How are you getting on OP?

Hope little one is making a good recovery and you finally get some sleep.

I really feel for you OP, hope you are all doing better today

This is so relentless I'm losing my mind. At least the last couple of nights DC would settle on my chest so I could lie back and rest but now it's been 3 hours of trying to settle, so much crying and wriggling then coughing fits and I sit up trying to catch vomit with a towel. My mental health was a little shaky since birth and I can feel the anxiety creeping in.

I think you need to get your dh to help more. I’d make sure he gets a protected block of 6hrs to sleep so he can function at work but outside of that he needs to be facilitating you getting as much rest as possible.
I spent 6 years surviving on very little sleep when my kids were little and it has had long lasting health impacts. I wish I’d pushed dh to do more.

So sorry to read you're going thru this, OP. x

I'm so sorry you're struggling @Justwanttocry the newborn phase with a toddler is relentless, especially when one is poorly. My youngest is 5 months now and it does get easier slowly but surely. I agree with @SherryPalmer as long as your husband gets a decent chunk of sleep he could do more to help. Could you express so he could feed your baby and you get to bed as early as possible and get a few hours in?

I haven't slept tonight a combination of the fact that I finally have to accept coffee and I are not friends anymore, but more because my mother is unwell and had a cardiac procedure on Friday which they nearly didn't do because her effractions were at 10%, normal effractions are between 50% and 75% she is 82, have to drop DS to Work and I will be back in our town at 8.00 am as soon as they open and throw myself on their mercy and see if they can bring it forward from 11.30 then I can go home and sleep.

The point of this post is, I feel your pain now and I remember it all too well. I feel your pain

I hope you are all asleep. [grin

Just saw your post, I hope things are looking brighter today.
I really, really feel you with the shakiness and anxiety. DC2 was admitted to hospital at 13 weeks with suspected sepsis (she was fine in the end)
I was probably not doing great before but I ploughed on as my DH was busy with work and exams and I felt I didn’t have time to address things and I would be ok if I just kept going.
Things all came to a head around 6 weeks later when I stopped sleeping and was constantly having intrusive thoughts and I sought help.
I’ve completed a course of CBT and I’m feeling much more positive now but I just wanted to say if you’re not feeling so great please talk to someone sooner rather than later.
Sending hugs, hope tonight is better and you get some rest x

Thanks all, things dramatically improved after I posted and had reached breaking point. DS fell asleep at 3am, in his crib no less! And slept through till 7am. Not sure what happened there but I woke up a new woman. I still woke every hour through habit and to check he was breathing but fell right back to sleep. Only coughed a little in his sleep.

He projectile vomited badly after his first morning feed but hasn't since. He's been taking big feeds through the day so definitely getting back to himself, except a few coughing fits but they are to be expected.

I'm so happy we have turned a corner I could cry. Fingers crossed for tonight!

To answer PP, DH does usually do a 9pm to midnight shift so I get a few hours before the chaos but the last few days DS just wouldn't settle at all with him. He then also deals with our toddler when he wakes which could be anytime from 5am so I don't want to disturb him in-between those hours. I get woken up by my toddler too but at least I get to stay in bed and rest rather than get up.

@jamsandwich1 so sorry to hear and hope things are a little easier for you now. I similarly stopped sleeping for a few days through anxiety after the birth and did seek out help and was referred for CBT so I'm glad to know that's happening to hopefully keep me on track when things get challenging again. The mental effect of sleep deprivation is definitely the worst for me.

Thank you all for getting me through this bad patch, mumsnet is amazing in those situations!