Talk to me about sleep!

[dctexan]

Alright mama's Benjamin is 3.5 weeks old and I am seriously DYING from lack of sleep. Even though he only nurses 2-3 times per night, each time we are up for 1-2 hours. I have not slept more than 3 hours in a row since Aug 28 and I am going insane. Usually I only get 1.5-2 hours in a row. I realize that this will not last forever and I realize that others have gone before me and survived, but I need some stories and words of encouragement. How are the rest of you coping?

[danotoyou2]

The three hours in a row thing is not uncommon. In fact, I realized the other day that I haven't slept through the entire night in more than 18 months

Your body DOES adjust to the lack of sleep. It just takes some time. I never would have thought that I'd be able to cope with this little sleep, but it happens.

Andre wakes up, but he usually goes back to sleep. Try keeping the lights off, or doing what normally gets him to sleep (rocking, singing, etc). Also, keep him awake with interaction for a couple or few hours before bedtime. You can get his schedule switched around, it'll just take some time to get it a habit.

[Marlet]

Are you able to nurse lying down yet? Once I mastered that with DD1 sleeping became a lot more used. Before that though I had to sit straight up and do some angleing and readjusting of body parts. I got mombo boobies so getting the hang of it was tough but once I did night times were easier.

And yes, you do adjust to lack of sleep. You also get very efficient at resetting and recuperating during the little bits you do get.

[quetinha]

The most I get is 4 hours.. but that's a bonus. He will usually go for 3 hour stretches. If I get less than 6 total I feel like I can't function at all. If I can get an accumulation of 7 I feel ok.
Last week I had a few very bad nights in a row. One night I only got 4 hours sleep. It put me in a hyper sensitive state and then I thought I'd try to nap only to find I couldn't. I'd lay down and my heart would just start racing.
I think it is better for you if you cosleep, but we don't. (I did with ds1.) Some nights I am so exhausted I can't sit in the rocker though. So we lay on the bed in the spare bedroom - and before I know it we're sleeping. If I lay with him we'll get closer to 5 hours.

[Lady Lilya]

Originally Posted by dctexan

Alright mama's Benjamin is 3.5 weeks old and I am seriously DYING from lack of sleep. Even though he only nurses 2-3 times per night, each time we are up for 1-2 hours. I have not slept more than 3 hours in a row since Aug 28 and I am going insane. Usually I only get 1.5-2 hours in a row. I realize that this will not last forever and I realize that others have gone before me and survived, but I need some stories and words of encouragement. How are the rest of you coping?

I had the same problem until about 3 weeks old when he learned to nurse side-lying in bed. Now I can stay in the bed for long periods of time. Because we don't get up when he nurses, he doesn't get fully awake and he falls back asleep fast. Usually he sleeps with the nipple in his mouth so it is easier to find when he wakes up. Otherwise he goes searching for it and starts to whine and I wake up and help him on.

[artgoddess]

Originally Posted by dctexan

Alright mama's Benjamin is 3.5 weeks old and I am seriously DYING from lack of sleep. Even though he only nurses 2-3 times per night, each time we are up for 1-2 hours. I have not slept more than 3 hours in a row since Aug 28 and I am going insane. Usually I only get 1.5-2 hours in a row. I realize that this will not last forever and I realize that others have gone before me and survived, but I need some stories and words of encouragement. How are the rest of you coping?

:

every baby is different, my first was like that and it was really tough. In facct I think he was nearly 3 months old before I got as much as 3 hours in a row. The best way to cope I found was to let everything else go. DP had to do dinners, we hired a housekeeper to come once every two weeks to do the bathrooms, kitchen and big stuff like vacuuming. I'll never forget DP saying to me when DS was 3 weeks old, "hey babe, I'm almost out of clean socks" I think the look I gave him made him seriously fear for his life. This time around I'm much luckier with the sleeping situation, plus DP is more on the ball when it comes to laundry etc.

[Yuba_River]

Rocking fussy baby as I type...

I'm still getting sleep in two-three hour chunks, but I think I'm adjusting. We're at 7 weeks. At first I kind of ignored the advice to sleep when he does during the day. When I finally had a total meltdown from tiredness I forced myself to sleep during the day whenever I could, and I started to feel a little more caught up. Now I don't do it everyday, and I mostly feel okay. I think it was the hardest right around where you're at, so there is hope! Are you able to go to bed when he does at night?

[artgirl]

my little one BFs every three hours or so but he's so gassy that we'll be up for at least an hour everytime trying to get the burps or farts out. It's really tiring. If I lay down and nurse he starts grunting after he's finished and I have to get up anyway. Plus we co-sleep with our other two and the baby's noises are keeping everyone up. I just started taking him out of the room when he wakes up so the others can sleep. Sometimes I just sleep on the couch with him to avoid the whole thing. So yes, I'm tired.
I did not have this problem with my 2.5 y.o. ds. I'm hoping that this baby grows out of the gassiness and that we move into a nice co-sleeping, lying down nursing relationship.
please, please, please

[michellemk]

Don't hate me, but we are all sleeping quite well. I'm pretty surprised by it. I hate that my mother in law keeps saying that she's so much easier than her big brother, because I believe we're still in the honeymoon period. I don't want to curse my luck! There have been nights where I feel like I don't wake up at all. Two things I know now that I didn't know with DS: breast feeding on my side, and Fuzzi Bunz. I don't change a diaper unless it's absolutely necessary, and I pretty much sleep through the nursing. I only nurse her once or twice during the night.
The thing that does keep me awake though is the fact that I am totally squished between two kiddos. Sometimes I abandon ship with baby Mia and sleep in another room and leave DS with DH.
I also take naps with both kids during the day. Sleep is essential.

[Alohamelly]

We're sleeping well at night too, but I figure that's my reward for dealing with a fussy baby ALL day long. It takes me hours to get him to sleep, but when I do get him down at night (most of the time), he's down and wakes up about once night to nurse. We cosleep and I'm positive that's why we get to sleep.

Hang in there, this will pass ... as hard as it is now. I almost think I'd rather have your problem in exchange for fussiness and colic.

[edenluna]

since week 2 ruby has been a great sleeper....i agree with michellemk i think it is co-sleeping, breastfeeding on my side and fuzzi buns!!!!