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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Dealing with lack of sleep
DS does NOT STTN. He wakes about every 1-2 hours to eat. During the day he does nap, but not for long periods of time either. I am finding myself SO EXHAUSTED. If I try to nap when he does, he wakes by the time I fall asleep. I am EBF, so I am trying my best to avoid caffeine (I have one cup of coffee in the morning and that's where I cut myself off.) Anyone have any advice here? I'm not asking if it gets better, I'm just asking what the heck i can do to make sure I don't fall asleep standing up!! LOL
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Re: Dealing with lack of sleep
Me: 37
DH: 36
Married: 08-25-07
DS: 11-20-09
Name change alert: Formerly Lisswastaken
My babies are about as old as your DS and in the past 10 days, I have been working to get them on a schedule. With the schedule, swaddling and the white noise machine, both babies are eating every 3 hours during the day (both are breastfed although I do pump and bottle feed, too) and are going 4-5 hours at night.
And dealing with the lack of sleep? Its hard. I also am not drinking caffeine but I drink alot of cold water and that helps. I also put a movie that I love in the DVD player every time I feed the babies so that I have something to hold my interest.
Hang in there, its early for your baby to be STTN. I am shooting for 8 weeks. We'll both get there!
Shannonlea- what exactly did you do to start getting them on the schedule?
(Oh and I know it's early for DS to STTN. I am just looking for a bit more than every 1-2 hours!!!)
I don't get much sleep. Wasn't really on the 8hr a night plan before LO came along either. Sleeping when the baby sleeps is a cruel joke I think because I can't fall asleep right when he does. I usually have to use restroom, feed myself and then try to lay down but by then he might be awake again.
I agree with other posters about letting someone else feed once in a while - it will be a huge diff. You can either pump BM or give an occasional formula. I have done this several times and my LO still loves to nurse.
Also, I drink coffee but I drink it cold slowly throughout the day and this seems to give me the most sustainable perk and is not enough to interfere with BFing. One thing rarely mentioned is the importance of eating healthy foods. If you are eating a lot of simple carbs and simple sugars this can cause your energy to spike and crash. I definitely notice a difference in how I feel when I eat a lot more fruits and veggies (esp. raw or steamed) and a lot less junk food.
Our LO is no where near STTN but we do frequently get a 3-4 hrs stretch now. Cluster feeding before bedtime and keeping him very warm and cozy seems to help.
I dealt with that for the first two weeks when I was demand feeding. Then I read Baby Wise. I don't follow every little thing to the letter, but the biggest help was when they talk about snacking, which from what you've described, is what your LO is doing. You need to work really hard to make sure LO gets in a full feeding (for my LO that means taking her down to her diaper, changing her diaper in between breasts, and sometimes using a wet wash cloth on her feet to keep her awake). I'm no lactation consultant, so what a full feeding for your LO is I'm not sure, but be sure he's swallowing the whole feeding, and not just taking little sucks which means he's just playing. At first it was hard to force DD to wait 2 1/2-3 hours btwn feedings, and I had to comfort her for a few days, but it's worth it! Because she was really hungry she would take in a full feeding which then allowed her to sleep 1 1/2-2 hours for naps, and I get a 4 hour stretch at night!
I would highly recommend reading Baby Wise. I know it can be really controversial (I think Toddler Wise is the one that's most controversial and I haven't read that one), but some of the information in it can be really helpful!
As far as the eating goes, I am doing pretty well myself (I think anyway.) I am a type 2 diabetic and am not taking any meds to control my sugar- it is completely diet controlled for while I am BF. My numbers have been terrific, which is because I am eating well.
As far as feedings go, maybe I am better off giving DS breastmilk in a bottle before bed so i can monitor how much he is eating? I love BF, but I hate not knowing exactly how much he is getting !!! (And I find pumping to be a PITA- I have been doing it to build up a stash for when I go back to work though.)
Here's what I started doing since I was having the same problem as you!
I am following a modified version of the EASY method (Baby Whisperer). I feed DS at the following times: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, 10pm and a "dreamfeed" right before bed, usually at 11-11:30pm
These times aren't always exact because if he gets hungry at 3:40, I feed him. But I try to stick to it as much as possible. I do wake him to eat. The idea is to feed him 3 hours apart during the day and just 2 in the evening to "tank" him up full of milk so that he is full enough to sleep more than an hour or two.
After he eats at all of the feedings except the 10 and 11, I change his diaper and try to keep him awake for a little bit, at least.
For the feedings right before bed I change his diaper first so that the feeding makes him sleepy and I can just swaddle him and put him down. It's actually working very well for us. He usually sleeps from about 12am-4am without waking. Sometimes he'll wake at 3 and 5, but I usually get at least one 3-4 hour stretch every night.
Big improvement from the every 1-2 hour wakeups! Good luck!
Hmmm... "it gets better" is really the best I can offer. I try to put something on tv and keep myself sitting up straight when I do night feedings so I don't fall asleep. Maybe have DH take the baby for a bit while you go to bed early?
I am really tired too. My little guy is up every 2 hours or so overnight and then I can't nap at all during the day because my 3 1/2 year old doesn't nap at all and my 21 month old only takes one nap a day. It's hard. But, I know that it won't last forever and I will get through it.
Kingston- I am totally going to try this and see if it works. Cross your fingers!
This sounds alot like what I have done, basically following the EASY method.
And I also think you have got good advice about letting someone else feed the baby after you pump a bottle. Even if its just once in awhile, you'll feel amazing after more than an hour or two of sleep. Good luck!
Some ideas:
Pump occasionally so that DH can take a feeding or two a couple times a week (maybe on the weekends so you can at least get a 4-5 hour chunk of sleep in a row)
Rest when baby naps, even if you can't fall asleep. Just lay down, read a book, close your eyes, whatever. This helps your body recharge.
Have DH or a family member watch the baby for a few hours so you can take a long nap.
Hang in there! I hope it gets better for you. DD was not sleeping well at all at night but the last few nights she's given us 3-4 hour stretches and it's made an incredible difference in how I feel during the day.