How can I go back to work?

[whatthefuckingfuck]

I don't know if this is the right board but wasn't sure where else to post.

I'm due back to work this week but dds sleep has been awful for the past 4-5 weeks. I was just hoping it'd get better but it's just getting worse. She goes to sleep about 7.30 (she won't sleep any earlier) and from 10 she's so unsettled and I'm constantly up and down trying to settle her then once I'm up it takes me forever to get back to sleep. We've tried her in our bed and it's no different, in fact I think it's worse. I'm getting about 2.5/3 hours broken sleep a night and I just can't function during the day anyway and I'm so worried about how I'll be at work and that I'll make a mistake. I've also been diagnosed with pnd and anxiety which makes everything worse. I work with animals and it's a really physical job so I'll just be shattered even more than I already am. I'm not really sure why I'm even posting here, I guess I'm just voicing my worries.

Your partners needs to share nights with you.

How old is your dd? My dc didn’t go to bed early when I started back to work, she went to sleep around 9 and woke up twice in the night, then up for the day around 6! She didn’t get into a proper pattern until she was around 1 and a half. I went back to work at 12 weeks though.

Sleep deprivation is awful, so for you

I was also wondering how old she is? Could it be a developmental leap? Teething?

What are you doing to settle her? What does/doesn't work? We have a signing and glowing doll that helps ours settle on her own.

You can't not go back to work because of this. I say that having gone through all sorts of sleep deprivation when I went back to work full time after my first. To cope I recommend lots of coffee, water and good nutritious food that will provide you will energy. I would have porridge (full fat milk) and banana for breakfast as it's slow releasing energy and will keep you full for longer.

Dealing with this is the worst. It is horribly hard but it won't be forever either.

Sorry I should have said, dh is already getting up to settle her aswell but I've always been such a light sleeper so I wake up anyway.
She's 10months, at first I thought it was teething but I'm not sure now. She's also just getting a cold so that's not going to help things bless her. I try to put my hand on her so she knows I'm there which works but then when I take my hand away she gets unsettled again. Sometimes she gets so inconsolable that I have to get her out and cuddle her back to sleep which works after about 5minutes. We already have a white noise machine that we leave on all night as she's worse when that goes off and she has a dummy. She's up for the day at 5! I was sort of looking forward to going back to work now I'm dreading it, it's long days aswell. I may just have to sneak away for half hour every day to sleep in the staff room! Thank you for your replies.

Have you tried putting her in your bed and DH sleeping some where else?

I did think of that but we live with my mum at the minute so there's no where for him to sleep apart from a little 2 seater sofa!

Can you put your mattress and the cot mattress on the floor so you can all sleep together but have more space?

Ear plugs for you on the nights your DH is doing the 'shift'. Share the nights equally. It's one thing being the only one getting up when only DH is working but if you're both working both have to share the getting up. I'm a very light sleeper as well so you have my full sympathy.

And it's always worse when they've got a cold and your instinct is to get up! But your DH can do it just as well as you. Good luck