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How on earth do you cope at work when you are up 3+ times every night? (bit of a rant!)

7 replies

madamy · 26/02/2008 07:08

I started back at work part time 3 weeks ago after having ds (9 months) and am at a loss as to how I am supposed to function properly when I'm up with either him or the dds every night.

He is bf and doesn't need an overnight feed but will cry until I go in and settle him at least twice. He'll try and feed, but give up after a few mins (I have a delayed let down esp at night when tired and stressed!) then promptly fall asleep.

Then there's the girls (4.9 and 2.5). Usually one of them wakes and comes into our room at least once and makes a fuss if sent back to bed, thus waking the other (they share a room). So they come into bed until asleep then I pop them back into their bed.

DH is, by his own admission, pretty useless. He sleeps very deeply and geniunely doesn't hear them 90% of the time. If I was to wake him to go in, it would take ages to rouse him and I might as well have done it myself.

I can cope with being a zombie when at home, but I'm a nurse and can't afford to go through the day at work in a daze - it's too dangerous.

I was in tears at 6 this morning and have worked myself up so much, that I phoned in sick today - it's only my 3rd week back and I feel shit for doing it, but I really don't know what to do. Sorry for the rant, feel a bit better for getting it off my chest!

OP posts:
aGalChangedHerName · 26/02/2008 07:15

God i know how you feel

I am a CM who works 7am till 7pm Mon to Fri and i am up anything between 3 and ?? however many times my dd2 decides to.

We co-sleep and she still looks for a bf during the night several times,am trying to wean her off it.

I have to say you get used to it tho,dd2 is 18 months and have been up during the night several times since dd1 was born and she's 3.5 now.

I just look like an old hag now!!

aGalChangedHerName · 26/02/2008 07:17

Oh and when dd1 gets up,usually once to be retucked in or lost a doll/teddy i make DH get up to her. He doesn't wake either but kicking him does work

madamy · 26/02/2008 07:22

at least I'm lucky to be part time! Those hours would finish me off!

I'm not normally so down, but am at the back end of a bug so not feeling 100% anyway!

OP posts:
aGalChangedHerName · 26/02/2008 07:26

I do tend to get run down more than i used to pre dd's tbh.

I am just about ready to let DH take over during the night. Next time ds1 is away staying at his gf's i am going to sleep in his room. I think even one good nights sleep now and again will make such a difference.

madamy · 26/02/2008 07:34

I can cope with ds, he's only a baby, it's the girls that wind me up! We've only got 3 beds so they need to share, but it means i can't do the 'putting them straight back to bed and ignore the yells' thing.

OP posts:
yurt1 · 26/02/2008 07:51

Go to bed earlier when you get a chance. I work full time now. 3 children, ds2 nearly always sleeps though, ds3 sleeps though 80% of the time but ds1 is severely autistic and can be totally random. He was up at 4am today, (unfortunately ds3 had been up as well at 1.30am) ds1 set off the burglar alarm at 5.30am. He was running hairdryers at 4am. nice.

If you do it long enough (I've had almost 9 years of it now ) you do adjust. If I go through a bad patch I just try and get to bed earlier for a while.

liv01 · 26/02/2008 18:58

You poor thing- I am just about to go back to work- dd wakes anything from 3-10 times a night. I too cannot afford to make mistakes at work...I don't know how I am going to cope! And don't know how safe I am going to be with driving

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