Sleep is for the weak - the reprise.

[BrokenliSpears]

There used to be a support thread for the sleep deprived among us. I thought I'd open it up again (hope that's okay with the original Sleep Is For The Weak-ers).

Grab some matchsticks to prop open your eyelids and share your tales of endless night feeds and unsleeping babies. It would feel good to know I'm not alone as I watch each hour in turn tick round on the alarm clock every night.

Last night my 6 month old ds fed at...
6.30 (when I put him to bed)
8.30
10.30
12.30
1.30
2.30
3.30 and stayed awake until 4.30
Then dd jumped on us and woke us up at 5.45 and the day began...

Going to go and Do Things now, but will check back later.

[gingerninja]

Ahh Broccoli, I set up the original thread almost 2 years ago (!) and it was a great support at times of hideous sleepless nights. Thanksfully things have moved on somewhat for me now however come March I'm starting all over again. Perhaps if this thread is still going then I'll rejoin!

Have faith all you sleepless ones, our old moto was 'it's just a phase' (admittedly my DD's was a bloody long one but we did get there in the end.) Hang on in there.

[moominsmummy]

hello iamaleaf - i know what you mean about the dizzy spells - it's abit like jet lag isn't it? i was just the same - so pathetic if I hadn't had a good 10 hour sleep-

well my cunning plan did not work - DS2 slept peacefully whilst I did all the dull clearing up jobs but wailed as soon as I had got my dinner ready to eat. fed him. he's gone back to sleep but worryingly doesn't want his dummy which usually means teething........

[moominsmummy]

btw- anyone got any hints on what to do about getting DS2 to settle to sleep? he was fine until was able to roll over -so now if even slightly awake will roll onto front, get stuck, wail, wake up. either have to put him down asleep or get him to sleep in his buggy

[mummyistired]

I thought I had it bad with my almost 4 month old DD, 3 weeks hardly any sleep, last night:
11.00
12.30
1.30 - woke with her still on me at 3.00, then she was wide awake, back down. 5.30
DH woke her getting up for work 6.15
Breastfed, wish she would take a bottle to try a formula feed.
Having read some of these messages my troubles sound meagre and short lived, keeping all crossed that this does not carry on for months, don't thnk it will be safe for me to leave the house!

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Might as well join you ladies, as even though ds is only 5 weeks so forgiven for sleeping badly at the moment, I'm not known for breeding good sleepers!

Ds didn't manage a sleep longer than 1 hr 15 mins last night, and bar his first hour, was sleeping on top of me all night, as he refuses to sleep any other way.

He has a cold at the moment, so am hoping things might improve a bit once that has gone.

[hopefully]

Well, if someone else with a small baby is allowed to join, I must be too!

DS is 9 weeks old this week, and although he is down to only two night feeds (10:30pm and 4am approx), he has taken to basically starting his day when he wakes for the second feed, whether that's at 3, 4 or 5am. This means me trying to settle him for at least 2 hours, and then he wakes without fail by 8am for another feed, no matter how short a time he's slept for.

[iamaLeafontheWind]

Lol Moominsmummy so I shouldn't be encouraging DD to roll, just one more thing to interfere with a restful night. Can i swaddle until she's, say, 18?

[RaspberryBlower]

Isn't it frustrating when they're asleep but you can't?! DD woke up at 6am (after a crap night) and I managed to get her off again, but I'm wide awake.

[weblette]

Last night we had 1.45, 3, 4.30 then up and at 'em at 6. He went down at 8 and only had one and a half hours sleep during the day. At 10 months he surely needs more than that. The longest he's ever done is a seven hour stretch but that was only once. If I had only one child it might be easier to deal with but with three others, it's a tad draining...

[Piccalilli2]

Last night actually wasn't too bad - these things are relative, you understand. Asleep at 7:15 with minimal crying, slept til 10:15, then awake again at 1, 3:30 and some time around 6.

[BrokenliSpears]

Wow - at the risk of alienating everyone just when we're getting started, I got the best nights sleep I've had for months last night !!

6.30 feed
7.30 feed
10.00 dreamfeed
1.30 feed
4.30 changed nappy, gave calpol, put mobile on AND HE WENT BACK TO SLEEP WITHOUT A FEED. No crying. A bit of huffing then SLEEP !!!!! This has never ever happened before.

He woke at 7 (though I'd been up hours by then with dd).

It feels like a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

Gingerninja - most excellent thread title. I hope for your sake you don't need to come back, but there will always be sleep deprived Mumsnetters to wail and gnash with if you do.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Well our night was different . He slept for longer than an hour at a stretch (though all on us rather than in basket/crib), but decided to stay awake between midnight and 3am.

Dd also decided to come through about 1:30am, as well as having me find her asleep on the landing when I went to bed at 10.

[Dietcokefiend]

Our night was a little better, he wakes (habitually I suppose) some time between 10 and 11 normally and then I brought him into bed for me as I'm so tired I can't be traipsing between rooms all night.

He seemed to sleep quite well (probably woke in between then for a quick feed but it was all hazy so it can't have been for long), but then it always seems to go pear shaped after 4am when he is clamped onto my boob again and won't unlatch and its really hard for me to get comfy. Gave up and got out of bed at 6.

Had to have a caffeinated coffee this morning (normally drink decaff) as had a business meeting that went on all on morning. Luckily the adrenaline kicked in so it wasn't too bad though I am SOOOO tired now.

Had a good look in his mouth last night as well and no sign of those dratted eye teeth....

[Sariska]

Glad to hear that some of us had a reasonable night last night. Maybe it is my turn tonight? Maybe??? After a rotten up-and-down night, during which neither DS nor I got more than 2 hours uninterrupted sleep, we've had a rotten day. DS obviously very tired (ditto me), uber-clingy (?teeth ?cold) and bad-tempered (presumably mine isn't the only LO who practically has apoplexy during nappy changes, (un)dressing and when inappropriate "toys" are removed from him?) Naps to date today: a grand total of 20 mins in the pram. Thank god the clock is getting round to bedtime. His and mine.

[Umlellala]

Helloooooo!

Can I join. Dd (2.6) goes to bed happily at 7ish - provided I have deprived her of her daytime nap. She pretty much always wakes once or twice (first one 12.30pm exactly). And we can't be bothered and put her in our bed where she sleeps lovely mostly. Is easier since we persuaded her to get out of bed but at the moment we just want slllleeeeeepppp! Have decided we are going to Be Consistent from New Year.

Now on to ds - he is 4months today! And sitting next to me because he fed beautifully, then I swaddled him, put threw him in his fancy hammock cot malarkey where he woke briefly and went to sleep. Came downstairs, all lovely for ten mins. Wouldn't resettle and was wide awake so have decided to try again in half hour. He has since done a big explosive poo! so benefit of doubt.. . I am sooooo not into CC/techniques but really thought that if I cracked the 'going to sleep from awake' business, he would sleep. NOPE. He still wakes and wants to suck.

Typical pattern - evening, asleep on me downstairs, 10.30ish feed and in cot, then co-sleeps and wakes every 2 hours til 4ish where he often is a PITA and struggles to settle. Awake around 7 !! Dd is now sleeping til 8ish. They sometimes share a lie-in but often not.

Hoping this thread will help focus me in my sleep-deprived fog. AND I've got a stupid cold from being rundown

Sympathies and will do my best to help to everyone else

[ragd0ll]

DD had a crap night again last night waking every 2 hours and refusing to settle without a feed.
Shes asleep now and has been since 6.45 so am expecting a screech anytime now!
I put her in her cot awake tonight but still had to pat and sing to get her to sleep, how can I teach her to go sleep herself?

[RinkyDinkyPinky]

Can I join too?
DD2 is 5 months and has been doing hardcore sleep avoidance for 2 weeks now. She hasn't gone more than 2 hours between feeds and isn't napping much either.
I'm hoping that by posting here I'll jinx the jinx (a la Broccoli) and get a better night tonight...
I put her down at 7.30 and am dreading creeping into the bedroom as I'm sure she'll wake up...
I think our ishoo is down to my poor milk supply and her not getting enough of a bellyfull- she fully BF and refuses a bottle of any sort.

[ragd0ll]

RinkyDinky we do the creeping into bed thing to, and having whispered conversations once in bed! with DS we could watch telly in the same room and he wouldnt stir!
Why do you think youve got poor supply?

[SomeKindofWonderful]

Well hello! I wonder how many oldies will return? Either with the first non-sleeper or perhaps new ones?

I thought i just pop my head in and say good luck all with managing your sleep, and if this support thread is anything like the old one, will be invaluable!

DD mostly sleeps. BUT, she has just started not sleeping again. She is 2.4 and now potty trained in the day, however she is very keen to not ever wear nappies again. Last night she woke up 4 times wanting to go for a wee, took her nappy off and refused to go back to bed/have another one on until she went to the toilet. But because she was tired, and did not actually want to be awake, she was very upset, and cried the whole time, refused to be comforted.

Combined with the fact that she fell out of bed twice for the last few nights and last night she was just awake through falling out of bed and wanting potty for most of the night.

She also has a cough, DH has a cough and the lady downstairs has a cough, so between them all I slept not a jot...

Last night I had 3 hours sleep. Went to work late (woke up at 8:30am by Dh with a cuppa, got out of bed at 8:45am, at work by 9:05 looking a right state (but helped by some good make-up which I did in the car while DH drove me in!)

However, on the plus side, she was so tired, she would not sleep for DH, which meant when I got home at 12:30pm she was exhausted. We snuggled, she went to sleep at 1:30pm and stayed asleep for 3 whole hours - which meant I could tidy before the valuation bloke came round to put our flat on the market

Anyway, thought I would share...

(oh it is pavlov by the way, in case anyone remembers me on the old thread)

[IHeartIona]

Hello again!
last night - dd went down at 7.30 (with calpol, first two teeth coming through) and was silent till 10.15! Managed to get her to sleep without feeding (I thought) by bringing her in bed with me (dh on sofa downstairs in the week) then awake again at 11. Can't remember if I fed then... Then awake again at 1.45 (bf) and then at 6.45 so I got a nice sleep between which was nice! Her nights do seem to be slowly improving recently, which is great. Naps in the day have been great for just over a week - at least one nap of 1 hour plus each day. This coincided with starting commando crawling and pulling forward, so am thinking she is maybe tiring herself out now?

[BrokenliSpears]

Ds has been asleep since 8.00 and I've been up drinking with friends instead of sleeping .

You guys avne't been wit me for he last few months of chronic sleep deprivation do you probbly don't realise how momenutous it is he slept for 4 hours* and the foolishness that is not being asleppe at the same time. I promise I am a geniuine Mmember of this thread. He's NEVER slept so long. Ooooh qwhy didn;t I sleep too? Silly silly Broccciloili.

I will regret tomorrow what I lived tonight.

xx

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Ah broccoli - it's always better to regret the things you have done than the things you haven't!

Another really crap night here. Ds hasn't slept for more than 30mins at a time before dh has thrust him at me for a feed. He'd got so utterly overtired and prob refluxy (on meds but we don't use overnight) or tummy-achey that I've given up and got up to settle him, and he's now sleeping on my chest downstairs, whereby I of course can't sleep.

[BrokenliSpears]

[RaspberryBlower]

Lol Broccoli - that has cheered me up!

[ragd0ll]

Morning everyone
Lol broccoli
How was the rest of the night? It makes the hangover so much worse when your up every 2 hours.

DD did 1 3 hour stretch then every 2 hours as usual, its driving me insane! Dp gets up with her and she screams till she sees me sit up, knowing shes going to get fed. I dont think shes hungry just cant settle without boob.

Hope everyone else had a better night then me!