When did you feel like you were no longer in 'survival mode' PP?

AuthorMama · July 2011

This coming from the mom of a 2 month old. Things are slowly getting better, but I still feel like I'm in that mode of constantly having to tell myself "I'll survive this." Have you moved past this yet, or does it take a lot longer?

sarahdee678 · July 2011

When my LO started sleeping through the night is when I started to feel like things were getting better. She was about 6 weeks old. The more she slept, the more I slept and the more I slept the more stuff I got done during the day, b/c I was well-rested. Hang in there - it will get easier eventually!

tiffanyirene · July 2011

ummm....nope, definitely still in that phase, but we are going through teething hell right now

LaurenL977 · July 2011

I think it was somewhere between 3 and 4 mos. PP for me. LO still does not STTN, but it gets easier to deal with. I still have my days, though... I am feeling more and more in control these days, though. I agree with PP, the more sleep you get, the better. It WILL get better. I couldn't see it before, but now that LO is almost 17 weeks old, I look back and can't remember what those early weeks were like! (Well, I can, but it is mostly a sleep-deprived blur!) Hang in there!

katkat74 · July 2011

Definitely improved at the three month mark! Hang in there!

TiffanyTheMom · July 2011

I think I just got used to it. She wakes at minimum 2x a night still now, sometimes 3, but I've just gotten used to it.

Don't look at it as surviving, though- that makes it sound like you're suffering. Really, I know this is all corny and stuff, but when you're up with your baby at night relish that precious time with him/her in your arms. In just one year, they'll need you less. In 5 years, they'll love you at arm's length. In 15 years, they might hate you a little. Time goes by so fast, before you know it you'll be watching him/her start Kindergarten and wish you could hug them they way they used to when they were this small, that they still needed you this much.

My oldest is going on 5 soon, and I feel like I don't remember enjoying him much at this phase with him. Now that I'm on my last baby, even though I'm dragging myself out of bed to tend to her I still find myself sorely relishing the time with her. I won't remember this in one year, and neither will you. You won't remember that chubby smile as you lean to pick him up from the crib, or his weight in your arms when you hold him to feed him. It's hard to find joy in those tired moments, but try. Soon you'll be sleeping all night long, but you'll miss these days.

daisygirl2010 · July 2011

For us it was at about 3 months. Hang in there! It does get better. There are still those days when I wonder if I'll make it through, but there are more and more wonderful and fun moments as your LO gets a little older & interacts more with you & the world around them. Also, once you start getting regular sleep everything is a lot easier to manage. Even a screaming baby isn't quite so bad if you've had 6 or more hours of straight sleep the night before.

meheron80 · July 2011

About three weeks ago.... My H was having severe anxiety when I left for work calling me up to 10 times in the first 2-3 hours. He is a wonderful father, he can have her all day, alone, just as long as "someone" is around in case he needs help. When I went back to work his saftey net was gone. His anxiety finally led to him have a BP over 200 and being rushed to our local ER. After that I put some rules in place, made a detailed list of expectations with Madison at night (more of a flex schedule) and what I expected and needed out of him.

I have not had a call in three weeks, I have not had any complaints about her crying and him getting overwhelmed. He is now even letting me sleep during the day (I work 3rd shift and need to sleep till about 3-4 to function).

Three weeks I have had my sanity back!!!!

HenHen25 · July 2011

Right around the 3 month mark. DS started to have a more consistent routine and we got his reflux under control. We are still struggling with major sleep issues due to his reflux and changes in his meds, but I feel like I know how to comfort DS which makes a huge difference. DS has also become more interactive which makes things way easier and more fun.

MarchABC · July 2011

I like Tiffany's reminder about cherishing the moment - always good to have someone remind you that because in truth, this is really a beautiful time even though it's hard. I agree with PPs that once you get some sleep, life is a lot easier. Also, I've commented to others that the first 3 months were survival only but then at 4 months I started to get the hang of it. It's still really hard because now there's teething and STTN issues and new problems to deal with but now I know my son better, what he needs, and what I can do as a mom and I'm just better at it. I'm hoping it just keeps getting better! GL to you!

cgator14 · July 2011

Agreeing with the 3 month responses! DD was sleeping well, in somewhat of a routine for eating/napping, and she was much less fragile (able to sit in her Bumbo, play independently on her activity mat).

GL!

SecondTimeinMSU · July 2011

I think it was right around the 2.5-3 month mark that made a difference. DS quickly went from waking every 2.5-3 hrs to sleeping from maybe 10pm-5am. He has slowly increased his sleep from there to get about 9 hours at night these days. We've had some of the 4 month wakeful where he's been fighting going to bed but it is so much easier to takle now that we've had some good nights sleep. Also around that time his colic started to improve, he still can be fussy in the evenings but it is because he is fighting sleep not really colicy anymore. There are still hard times but I think there are a lot more good times that more than balance them out.

LynsiBHM · July 2011

The only time I felt like I was really in survival mode was the first week H went back to work. (3 1/2 wks pp) I was used to having an extra hand and had to learn how to do everything on my own and still manage to shower myself, clean the house, etc. I'm not saying it's all been easy, but the lack of sleep didn't get to me as much as some people and I think that's what makes everything esle so hard. I'd say routine really set in and I felt more comfortable around 3 mos though. At that point I couldn't really remember my life before... it just became "normal" instead of new, if that makes sense

Autumn Bride 2007 · July 2011

For us, 6 weeks marked a little more calm. And then by 8 weeks, she moved to her crib and she was pretty much STTN. Then I felt more human! 3 months is when I got constant smiles was my marker for actually LIKING this mom thing!!

MissYouDietCoke · July 2011

It took until about 2.5 months until I felt good about being a mom. I really felt like I "just had to get to the end of the day" for the longest time, and was really sad and cranky until then. Once he started being more vocal and smiling/interacting, it got a lot better.

He's fun now, except when he fights naps.

mrebecca · July 2011

I still have my moments, but for the most part, I feel calm now about everything. I barely remember the days I couldn't handle it.
Hang in there!!

LadybugPicnic2011 · July 2011

Months 3-5.5 were easy and I really enjoyed most of the time. Right now, we are teething, and though I still love her... sometimes she isn't happy with me because I cant make the pain go away.

MarchABC · July 2011

buffyanne02:
It was gradual for me, sometime between 2-3 months. The other day I was singing to E and realized I didn't feel like I was losing my mind any more.

LOL! I can totally relate.

LovingStepMom · July 2011

I agree with PP...when LO started to STTN I felt great...but then we hit 4 month wakeful and it asn't stopped (he just turned 5 months yesterday). I was actually just thinking of how I'm back in survival mode and would give anything to go back to feeling normal again.