Fighting fatigue, etc.

[operamommy]

Oh man. So tired!

Any tried and true tips? I've been able to get a short nap most days, but between nursing ds3 constantly and running after ds2 - and mothering ds1 and dd, I'm worn out! My face is kind of ashy gray looking and I'm getting undereye circles...yuck.

Part of my problem is that it's now 10:30pm, I just got Peter in bed, and I should really go to bed myself now. But I can't unwind and sleep right away...I feel like I HAVE to have a bit of time to myself before bed every night. Anyone else dealing with this? I've got Peter nursing all day long (he's *hopefully* almost done with his 3 week growth spurt) and ds2 (age 2) sitting on top of me to boot. After school I've got my big kids to pay attention to, and then after dinner I have to at least attempt to have a conversation with dh! I know from experience that this doesn't last forever, but I hate feeling like I've lost "me."

[flapjack]

Time will help. River's two (three?) weeks older than Peter and he's just started going down for the night between 8 and 9pm. It's wonderful, even if I can't keep my eyes open- it took me an hour to knit 339 stitches last night, but it was worth it.

[operamommy]

Well, Peter went down around 8:15 or so tonight! Thanks for the reminder that it gets better, Helen. It can just be rough to keep hanging in there till it does!

[flapjack]

You know the irony? There's a pattern in the new Knitty that I want to knit more than the one I was knitting, so I frogged my 3 rows : I should have just slept

[Writerbird]

Sleep? For the night? Really?

I demand proof

[the elyse]

i'm insanely jealous if you mean all night.

[eilonwy]

"Through the night" means something different to all of us.

My advice is this: Make sure that you're not anemic. There's tired, and there's scarcely functional; The latter is often the result of anemia, particularly in the first weeks/months postpartum.

[flapjack]

: Yes, River is sleeping through the night. 8pm until 1-5am, and then eating two-hourly after the first waking until hiccup time at 5.30am. Or at least, he was until last night, when he got so tired he couldn't get to sleep and stayed up until 10, but I think he's growth-spurting.

[eilonwy]

Last night, Bear slept beautifully from like, six to eleven. He woke up, nursed, we talked a bit and he went back to sleep around midnight and slept until four-ish, when he seemed to think it was morning (that's when I took the cute, smily baby pictures). We played until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and then I nursed him again with the lights off, and stopped talking to him, just snuggled. He fell asleep until 9:30. I consider that "sleeping through the night" when the kid's a month old... but some people wouldn't because he wakes up.

[flapjack]

Let's put it this way- does it count if YOU don't get to sleep through the night? I say not...

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by flapjack

Let's put it this way- does it count if YOU don't get to sleep through the night? I say not...

Ah, but i don't sleep anyway. In fact, I know precisely when Bear went to sleep and woke up because I was online the whole time in between. :

[PlayaMama]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

"Through the night" means something different to all of us.

My advice is this: Make sure that you're not anemic. There's tired, and there's scarcely functional; The latter is often the result of anemia, particularly in the first weeks/months postpartum.

that's odd... i've still been craving the crushed ice...i'll have to start up with the floradix iron again to make sure! thanks for the tip.

[operamommy]

Rynna, thanks for the reminder - I tested anemic throughout most of my pregnancy, but had really slacked off my iron pills after Peter's birth.

Feeling a bit better now, whether it's due to the iron or just getting used to the broken sleep I'm not sure!