How do you function on no sleep?

*sparky*

I think it is the combo of not swaddling anymore and me being back at work, but DD has decided to wake up multiple times a night starting this week.  Some nights it is 11, 2, and 5.  At the 5 am waking I am up for the day because I have to get ready for work.  Last night she was up at 10, 1, and 3 and had trouble going to sleep after the 3 am feeding so I never got back to sleep and was up for the day.  My DS is not getting home until 9:00-9:30 at night this week so we are up until 10 pm.  I am seriously dead today.  I have started falling asleep in the glider while I am nursing her because I am so tired so not only does that make me nervous, but then I end up sleeping off and on in the chair for an hour or so and it is just dragging out the time I am not in bed, but I can't keep myself awake.

Anyone else having this problem and how are you coping?  How do you keep from falling asleep while feeding when you are up every couple of hours?  I am only averaging about 5 hours of sleep a night and that is broken into 2-hour naps. 

khammond3

With ya there!!! Honestly I had to change my attitude. I was waking up in a bad mood and mad bc I didn't get the sleep I wanted. I decided to start waking up thankful for the sleep I did get, thankful for another day with my baby, and to be happy for my baby's sake. I read an uplifting verse every morning and no matter how tired I am I go running outside which boosts my mood. Also my husband is in the army and is always away on training where he literally gets 30 min naps a day for days at a time, knowing he can still function makes me know I can too.

sprightlysparrow7

I generally just try to nap when he's napping when I've reached that state if tired that caffeine won't even TOUCH. It's not easy for me because I've never been an easy napper, but I can usually get 30 minute chunks here and there (my LO does not nap for long during the day). This usually gives me a *little* bit of energy, at least enough not to feel dead.

Other than that, I just have a cup of coffee every so often. It's the only way I can survive!

I also ask my sister or DH to watch him when I can and I will nap then. Everything else can simply wait.

Good luck, and I hope you can get some more rest soon!

*sparky*

Unfortunately there is no napping at work. ;-)

I know exercise would help. I just not sure when to get it in.

Rrrrrachel

The first time I was a major chair sleeper. This time cosleeping is really helping take the edge off. Plus my husband is chipping in a lot more.

Yogini6911

When did you go back to work? Until DS got used to daycare he woke up 3 times per night...then we were down to once per night and now we seem to be back to 2 times per night. DS goes to bed between 8-9 and even though I want to watch tv, I generally make myself be asleep by 10. I know that if I'm up later than that I will be dead the next day. Working out helps too...but I'm lucky to have a gym at work and can work out when my schedule allows. I also can work from home 1-2 days per week and will use those days to sleep in until 6:30-7 (my normal wake up is around 5-5:30). I take DS to daycare on those days too.

Yogini6911

Oh and coffee helps too

*sparky*

I went back Monday. She is eating less during the day than she normally does and napping more, so that is definitely contributing. My boss told me Monday I cannot work from home but I am going to talk to him about that again. That would help me so much because I would not have to get ready, etc.

And believe it or not our coffee maker crapped out this morning. DH and I are dying.

DH said he would help but he can't nurse the baby in the middle of the night so I am not sure what he could do. Unless we get this.

Yogini6911

Sparky- the first week was tough & the second week got easier. I've read that sometimes babies will wake at night to spend time with mom...once baby feels more comfortable I think your LO may wake less....hopefully!

Xxlilies

Sounds like almost exact times my LO gets up

I drink a lot of caffeine
I can't get into the whole nap when baby naps because that's when I need to get stuff done

Blaurier09

Usually we cosleep after the first feeding. I think it helps a lot.

Also, when I'm tired and in bad mood, I keep telling myself that it's just a phase and I have to suck it up. When I'll be old with an empty nest, SO and I will have all the time in the world to rest!

I read that in concentration camps, some people would only have 1 hour of sleep per day. They were forced to work the rest of the time. It helps put things in perspective.

Dixon813

*sparky* said:

I went back Monday. She is eating less during the day than she normally does and napping more, so that is definitely contributing. My boss told me Monday I cannot work from home but I am going to talk to him about that again. That would help me so much because I would not have to get ready, etc.

And believe it or not our coffee maker crapped out this morning. DH and I are dying.

DH said he would help but he can't nurse the baby in the middle of the night so I am not sure what he could do. Unless we get this.

Is your LO hungry when she wakes up? My DS has been waking 1-2 times at night but isn't hungry, just needs help going back to sleep so DH takes care of him. Obviously, if he won't settle and shows he's hungry, I'll get up and feed him.

Even if your baby is hungry, maybe have your DH take her as soon as your done feeding so you can go back to bed and he can get her back to sleep.

In regards to falling asleep while nursing, someone on here suggested setting an alarm on your phone (but not too loud to disturb baby!) to wake you while feeding.

Good luck!

cwm11985

Spark and exercise help me a lot. It's rough some days though. To stay awake while feeding her I use my phone: FB, TB, Pinterest, whatever.

Teresa1896

Coffee. And meth.

(Just kidding, obvs!).

jenskurn

Dixon813 said:

I went back Monday. She is eating less during the day than she normally does and napping more, so that is definitely contributing. My boss told me Monday I cannot work from home but I am going to talk to him about that again. That would help me so much because I would not have to get ready, etc. And believe it or not our coffee maker crapped out this morning. DH and I are dying. DH said he would help but he can't nurse the baby in the middle of the night so I am not sure what he could do. Unless we get this.

Is your LO hungry when she wakes up? My DS has been waking 1-2 times at night but isn't hungry, just needs help going back to sleep so DH takes care of him. Obviously, if he won't settle and shows he's hungry, I'll get up and feed him. Even if your baby is hungry, maybe have your DH take her as soon as your done feeding so you can go back to bed and he can get her back to sleep. In regards to falling asleep while nursing, someone on here suggested setting an alarm on your phone (but not too loud to disturb baby!) to wake you while feeding. Good luck!

This.  We are transitioning out of the swaddle, so LO stopped sttn.  He was up at 3, 4, and 5, but he was never hungry.  He fell asleep instantly when I picked him up and rocked him.  Finally at 5 DH took him so I can go back to sleep.  If he is hungry, maybe you and DH need to work out a schedule.  If your DH is home at 9, can he take the late feeding?  He probably isn't ready for bed yet anyway.  When I went back to work DH would take the 10pm feeding and I would do the middle of the night feedings.  I would go to sleep at like 8pm so I was getting quite a few hrs in early in the night.  Its not ideal but it really is so short lived.

RedDawnsRevenge

We own an espresso maker, enough said right?

Edit: word crimes!

momofmanyinthemitten

After 4 years of bad sleep, my body is just used to it. We stayed in a cabin Monday night for a family reunion and my 17 m/o was up every hour (I brought him I my bed at 5am), my 3 y/o tried to run out of the house twice in the middle of the night (DH ended up sleeping with her in her twin bed), and baby slept 12 hrs straight. WTF?!

Rogue237

I second coffee. DD is usually a "10:30, 2, 4:30 & 7" wake upper, but this week has been every hour on the hour due to what I'm guessing is a growth spurt from her milk chugging. I'm just trying to power through during work - there's not much you can do. My parents offered to have a sleepover with her this weekend so that we could get some sleep. 

pleasantsarg

Warning vent ahead:
I've been ok, however last night I was tired in my bones. I couldn't get him to sleep- i was worried about co sleeping because of how tired i felt. Every time i put him down he would startle and wake up. I was done.

I've been doing all of the night feedings and i work with LO on my lap (PT for now) so i feel like i am either pumping or he is BF'ing all of the time.

DH is just not helpful. He is like having another kid sometimes. He is envious that i get to be with the kids (I don't blame him for that- i would envy me too! He loses sleep bc he is working all of the time.) but he fusses if I leave the room for 5 minutes to get a drink.

I was wondering how other people handled this, it is one thing to be tired, but what I felt was that dead tired- the kind where you were fighting falling over.

*sparky*

@pleasantsarg - that is how I am feeling today.  Like I could just collapse at any second.  I am sure it doesn't help that I am 42. 

Amyboxer

I second the pumped milk for MOTN feedings. I would pump before going to sleep and that would be the night time bottle for when he would wake up and DH could feed him. At some point my boobs would wake me up and I'd pump for 15 min and go back to sleep

*sparky*

Thanks - if this continues we will give that a try.  This LO is such a comfort nurser it may not work but I am willing to try anything!  On the weekends i don't care so much because she will sleep until 7:30 and that is enough for me to be able to function - it is being up for the day at 3 and 5 am that is killing me.

fireflygirl12

All the coffee all day long.

Linnea503

Bedsharing and coffee. With my first bedsharing was the only way I got any sleep for much of the first year. This LO sleeps much better, but I still bring him in bed with me to nurse and often just fall back asleep.

I also feel no need to push crib sleeping so he often sleeps in the swing and gives me 8hr stretches.

*sparky*

I have thought about bringing her back into our room but she is so loud and she got to the point of not wanting to sleep in the RNP. If this keeps up I may have to try it though.

pleasantsarg

The comfort nurse thing is big here too.

CatherineDC2012

My DH thinks our LO is sensitive to caffeine so I gave it up two weeks ago. I'm literally dying reading everyone responding saying coffee.

I don't know how I get through days sometimes. Oh and I started to train for a marathon in the fall. Ever see phoebe run on Friends? Yeah that's about all I can muster.

macynsnoop

Coffee, exercise & dogs! LO & I have a kind of routine down for the week. No matter what he does during the night (last night he was up every hour from 1am on). We get up & go do stroller strides class for an hour. Then it's lunch & play time for him then we take the dogs

cd92007

I'm right there with you!!!! Our LO has been waking up at 4 AM every single day this week with no intentions of falling back to sleep until at least 6. Unfortunately I'm back at work and cannot fall back to sleep at 6 when he does because I have to get ready for work.. so it's been rough. 

What I've been doing is getting up with him and nursing him at 4 AM and try to get him back to sleep until 5 AM (never works...). Then I pass him on to DH and I try to get a little bit more sleep from 5 AM - 6 AM and DH comes and wakes me up. This morning I had to put in ear plugs because LO was crying with DH and it was breaking my heart but I know there was nothing I could do that DH wasn't doing and I needed to get a little bit more sleep. It's been working but I pray to god LO starts sleeping later again soon (his "usual" is around 5 or 5:30.. who ever thought I'd be so happy to "sleep in" until 5:30! haha). 

And I've also been surviving on at least 3 cups of coffee a day.