Slumber Party...The Sleep Deprivation Support Thread

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

We're all in this together... how about a bit of mutual schadenfreude/grim humour/shared agony as we blearily stumble through another day...

OK, I'll start. It's early days for me, I know but the strain is showing in my delightful eye-bags and over-emotional reactions to EVERYTHING.

DD is 17 weeks. She is adorable. She also wakes up every couple of hours at night. Mostly she resettles ok (after a feed). But not always. And I hardly resettle at all.

Last night we had a post-imms raging fever and vomit attack. She's sleeping it off now, wish I could say the same!

Sadly, I've never been a great sleeper myself, so having a baby was never likely to improve things... I still don't sleep through the night and I'm almost 40 (!) - at least I don't need my parents to help sort out my insomnia, though.

Please join me in sleepless solidarity.

If my DD starts to manage more than 5 hours in a stretch, I will make a graceful exit from the thread....

zzzzzzzzzzzz

2 hours total last night. Blegh. Not wholly her fault. Partly my own for being so rubbish at resettling myself and also having this damn cold.

I guess all these threads are sleep deprivation support......I'll let this one die if everyone's happy with what's already out there!

Anyone tried hypnosis for better sleep (theirs, not the baby's?)

Sorry immaculada - am so down about lack of sleep that I am beyond talking about it. Have a big hug though - it really sucks doesn't it?

[was Dr Doobs]

Hi, my 15 month old is still co-sleeping and waking between 2 hours and 30 minutes every night! It's very distressful for me and my husband and feel there is NO real support from health professionals only the 'controlled cry' approach Which we have tried twice but he doesn't respond to.

If any one has any help or advice it would be greatly welcomed.

Anyway rant over hope you all sleep well tonight!

S

Hypnosis worked for me! I have a CD I play on my ipod. After my DS3 was born my sleep went to pot but it is much, much better now thanks to a famous hypnotherapist who says he can make you slim (as well as send you to sleep).

NSTW - it sure does suck. Big (unmumsnetty) hugs back to you.

Oh, HM, although I'm further back on the road, I can easily imagine your pain. I take it you've tried the No Cry Sleep Solution approach?

Ah, good tip BBL - many thanks! I'm desperate enough to try anything. It's so frustrating to have DD sleeping sweetly beside my while I lay there wide awake...

Now my IBS has made an unwelcome comeback, too. Caused by lack of sleep and then causes more lack of sleep. Awake since about 0200 last night. Marvellous.

Sleepy dust to all mums (and dads) and LOs...

Hello ladies. I wasn't going to join this thread as DS's sleep isn't too bad normally, but after a rough night last night I dropped in to say I was thinking of you in the small hours of this mornng, IC and NSTW. Sorry to hear things are so rough.

DS is cutting his first tooth - bad timing since I'd already started trying to wean him off swaddling, so the combination of the two does not make for a lot of fun.

IC, I used a hypnobirthing CD during pregnancy, which was frankly no use at all when it came to labour , but which I found really good for relaxing me and helping me to sleep during pregnancy and after DS arrived. See here and here. I wouldn't describe it as hypnosis and I know some people find the voice of the man on the CD irritating, but it might be worth a shot. The book has relaxation techniques in it, (although personally I think a lot of what it says about childbirth is a load of pants ).

Something else I read once is that doing jigsaws is good for insomnia - apparently it has the right amount of hand-eye co-ordination to keep you occupied & not fretting about not sleeping, but not enough to stimulate you into further wakefulness. Getting up and doing the ironing or filing bills etc was how I occupied myself during pregancy insomnia - as I felt like I'd been useful & productive with my time awake

But maybe I'm a bit odd in finding ironing relaxing!

Oh please may I join, too?

DS4 is 12 weeks old today and can only fall asleep and, crucially, stay asleep with boob in mouth, gah!
Dummy makes him gag, does not suck his own thumb or tip of my little finger like he used to when he was really new.
My nipples look like this most of the time.
Needless to say, we co-sleep which I do not mind in principle but there is no such thing as 'A Feed' he just nibbles all the time. And it Tickles. Which stops me from sleeping.

I feel he is a bit young for jigsaws . Might consider playing hypnobirthing CD to him .

Any ideas how to wean him off the Boob as a sleeping aid??
He is my 4th; you'd think I'd know what I am doing by now.

HarrysMammy, CC worked for our DS1 and worked v quickly (took 2 nights and he has been a good sleeper since). Sorry, I have no great Pearls of Wisdom.

NCSS was also good with previous kids but he is a bit young I think. I have let him cry on 2 occasions, just because I was close to losing the plot, and in 20 and 30 min he just screamed himself more and more into a frenzy - yes, I am a Bad Mummy.

Thanks for starting this thread, IC.

I'm still getting up most nights, and my LO has just turned 2.

FFS, WHEN WILL IT END ??!!??

Also, does anyone know another word for tired other than exhausted, shattered, knackered?? I'm bored of those ones and I'd like another one!

dear Lucy 85..

stanca da morire

its italian..roughly translates as 'tired to death'

the problem with no sleep is how i feel so dazed when awake. there is another one 'dazed and confused' or 'drunk on insomnia'... both good answers when someone asks 'how are you?'

DS, aged 12 months, can't sleep, won't sleep.
Wakes every hour or so. He needs me to settle him back down again. Back rub, hand hold, you know the sort of thing.
I've recently stopped night feeding, but that hasn't actually made him any worse.
He doesn't sleep much during the day, either.
What day is it anyway?

'Also, does anyone know another word for tired other than exhausted, shattered, knackered??'

Would 'psychotic' do you? I know, not v PC, but that's how I sometimes feel...

DS is a mere 17 days Whilst I can function (with 2.4 toddler too) it is so awful to know that this is continue for a very long time ............

Obviously I love him to bits but DD (2.4) has been sleeping 8pm-7am for a year or so now, what have I done?!!!!!

Is it normal to be jealous of your toddler as you tuck her in to know she is going get a solid 11 hours sleep

Oh god, I was hoping after a few good nights (including one that under the loosest of definitions could be called STTN), I wouldn't need to ask to join. But last night, we were back to a depressingly recognisable pattern. DS (12 wks) woke at 2 and then every half an hour from then on. Not particularly hungry just awake. Am trying not to feed him back to sleep every time as he was jet snacking away at me and then wouldn't be hungry come morning. Coincided with DH being away for work so no one to take it out on share the pain with. And will probably feck up today's naps which we've been working so hard on. Feel very sorry for myself this morning as we looked like we might have broken the pattern, but clearly not.

Ugh. Can't even follow simple instructions for how to strike out a word...trying again take it out on

Nope. >

Hi, Suchanamateur, hope you get some rest today. Striking out: you have to put -- at start and end of every word .

Well, it just took my over 1 hour to settle him for a nap and took over 2 hours to persuade him to go to sleep and stay asleep last night. He then went on to sleep from 10pm to 5.30am , had a quick and efficient feed, then went back into his cot without complaint and I had to lift him to make the school run at quarter to 9!! I am . Very.
He tolerated the walk to school and back without having been fed or changed but I am currently so much obsessing over this sleep thing that I just was not bovvered.

And hello, pamelat, I am regularly envious of my other boys good night's sleep. DS1 aged 7 had promised to 'look after the new baby at night' before DS4 was born; you think I could hold him to it ?
And yep, I've got the toddler thing going on here as well; 2 year old DS3 goes to childminder 2 days a week which makes me feel v guilty but also ensures I don't lose the plot allows me to carry on with this BFing lark (that's a whole other thread and there are plenty...). Do you have any help at all?

Sunny day here today, will have lunch now while I can.

Oh, and I have ordered a white noise machine, curly, thanks. Shooshing is making my hoarse..

Hello everyone.

AD, you are rapidly gaining guru status in my eyes(!)

PDW - you're one of the Mad Marchers, I believe? 4 DCs....wooh... My sis has 4 - I asked her a few details about the way they slept as babies and she said "that ten years has kind of passed in a blur, really..." Ten years!

Lucy er...shagged out? (hah!)

SAA - maybe you have to put the -- around each word... let me see... takeitouton
It's even worse if you've just started to dare hope there's light at the end of the tunnel, isn't it?

Well, a couple of better nights here... DD waking as much as ever, plus fidgeting, getting out of swaddle, losing dummy etc... but I have at least managed to get myself back to sleep a bit better. 5ish hours of shattered sleep feels like a good night now...

hugs to all

IC, it's geek, not guru. I spend far too much time reading random stuff.

Couple of better nights here but getting him to sleep takes 2+ hours, gah!

And day time naps?? In the words of Manuel of Fawlty Towers: Que? He who must be obeyed Does Not Do Day Time Naps.

I don't need camomile tea, I need espresso shots, preferably IV...

I'll take the camomile I think. So damn worried about anything making me ds any more awake that I've gone cold turkey on coffee. Oh how I miss it.. I'd put some emphasis or link in here but I won't embarass myself with that again. Glad to hear of some better nights. Who ever would have thought that five hours would sound good...? We've had two good naps and then non existant ones. Nervous about what this means for bedtime... Wishing sleep to you and your LOs

X-posted with PDW!
Pleased to hear you had a better night. 2+ hours of settling is rough, though - especially when you've got other LOs to look after too...

Day time naps... looks like they are becoming fewer and shorter for our DD - 4 month sleep regression, anyone? I hope it only affects her naps, her multiple overnight wakings are bad enough as it is....
The lack of napping's a bummer, ain't it? Grumpy baby and mummy at her wits end to get anything done....

I'm the same as you SAA - nothing with caffeine, don't want to add to the problem. Probably better for me with my insomnia not to have it, anyway. But yes - I do miss a good coffee! Couldn't face it while pregnant, but now? Ah well, decaff is pretty good nowadays...

Sleep to all!

Just saw your other thread PDW... that's a toughy... your poor boobs!

Thanks for the sympathy, IC !

I am currently in the process of creating a dummy addict as he seems to accept it now if v sleep and even napped x2 yesterday !

And as far as 4 month sleep regression goes - lalalalalalalala

How was everybody's night? Not too bad here...

PDW - glad to hear your boobs are getting a break. I surrendered to the dummy love a while back- I'll worry about getting him off that when it comes to it..
Day sleep in the Amateur household has been reasonable, just a pity I can't sleep in the day. Never been able to. Night sleep less good. Amateur baby basically waking every 40 mins or so after night feed (last night not so bad as this was at 4am though). I know he's not hungry, just doesn't seem to be able to get himself back to sleep after each sleep cycle.
Very nervous about the next week though - 12 wk jabs tomorrow, and then we're going on holiday to spain for a week on Saturday with friends and their total angel baby. Sleeps anywhere anytime. Feeds like a dream. All the things Amateurbaby doesn't... Seemed like a good idea when I was pregnant. Thought I'd have it all under control by 3 months and be earth mother, doing yoga with baby and breastfeeding like a pro. Turns out I'm not. At all. V nervous that a day travelling (when he won't sleep on the plane at all as needs darkness and totally no stimulation) and then new place will upset any of the progress we've made on day sleeps over the last few weeks and will make nights worse. I CAN'T go back to having to walk him in the sling for every nap - he's a hefty 14 lbs and its hot! Sorry - worry over...
How is everyone else doing?