Background 1: DD is a terrible sleeper. She takes after me. My Mom tells me horror stories from my childhood regarding sleep.
Background 2: When DD was leaving that drowsy sleep all the time newborn phase it became really hard to get her to sleep. I asked DH to help because I was exhausted and because I wanted her to associate both of us with sleep. He made a few half-hearted attempts and then declared himself incapable of getting her to sleep. He didn't believe that it was just as difficult for me.
Fast forward a few months and I'm absolutely exhausted and sick. He tries to help with sleep and she screams bloody murder for hours on end. We try a few more times, all with the same result.
Yesterday I hurt my back. I can barely move. I can't handle having DD sleep on top of me or nestled up right next to me. My back seizes up even worse if I can't fidget. I hatch a plan that I will stay up until her first big waking at midnight. Get her back to sleep and then DH will sleep next to her until her 4 am feeding. I would go sleep in DH's bed so I could actually get comfortable (DD is regularly up 8 times a night so he needs sleep to go to work and sleeps elsewhere) I'm hoping that she will just sleep through because there is still a body next to her.
By the time he took over I could barely move. I had to have some rest. It was a disaster. She woke up a few minutes in and saw him there. She ran out of the bed (its on the floor and she can get in and out). He scooped her up and she screamed at the top of her lungs for an hour. I couldn't even move to go help. He finally brought her to me to nurse. We tried moving her back to the big bed. No luck. So I had to half-crawl myself to master bedroom, nurse and cuddle her to sleep, and then drag myself back to the other room because I knew I couldn't stay. It took us about 3 hours to get her back to sleep. When she woke again around 7am she started screaming again and I had to take over.
This absolutely sucks. DH feels awful because she is rejecting him. He feels guilty because he realizes he screwed up so long ago. I feel awful because I can't get the rest I need to heal.
She adores him during the day. But if he is around for naps or nighttime she just freaks out.
Background 2: When DD was leaving that drowsy sleep all the time newborn phase it became really hard to get her to sleep. I asked DH to help because I was exhausted and because I wanted her to associate both of us with sleep. He made a few half-hearted attempts and then declared himself incapable of getting her to sleep. He didn't believe that it was just as difficult for me.
Fast forward a few months and I'm absolutely exhausted and sick. He tries to help with sleep and she screams bloody murder for hours on end. We try a few more times, all with the same result.
Yesterday I hurt my back. I can barely move. I can't handle having DD sleep on top of me or nestled up right next to me. My back seizes up even worse if I can't fidget. I hatch a plan that I will stay up until her first big waking at midnight. Get her back to sleep and then DH will sleep next to her until her 4 am feeding. I would go sleep in DH's bed so I could actually get comfortable (DD is regularly up 8 times a night so he needs sleep to go to work and sleeps elsewhere) I'm hoping that she will just sleep through because there is still a body next to her.
By the time he took over I could barely move. I had to have some rest. It was a disaster. She woke up a few minutes in and saw him there. She ran out of the bed (its on the floor and she can get in and out). He scooped her up and she screamed at the top of her lungs for an hour. I couldn't even move to go help. He finally brought her to me to nurse. We tried moving her back to the big bed. No luck. So I had to half-crawl myself to master bedroom, nurse and cuddle her to sleep, and then drag myself back to the other room because I knew I couldn't stay. It took us about 3 hours to get her back to sleep. When she woke again around 7am she started screaming again and I had to take over.
This absolutely sucks. DH feels awful because she is rejecting him. He feels guilty because he realizes he screwed up so long ago. I feel awful because I can't get the rest I need to heal.
She adores him during the day. But if he is around for naps or nighttime she just freaks out.
