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October 2012 Moms
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What should I expect in terms of sleep?

WinniethePoohsPantsWinniethePoohsPants member
in October 2012 Moms

Hi Oct Mamas!

I'm due any day and I was wondering how you were doing in terms of sleep.  Could you please tell me how much sleep you get now in comparison to how much sleep you got before?  For example: before pregnancy I would usually sleep about 8 hours a night, while pregnant I get 2-3 hour chunks and a total of 6 hours a day.  Also any advice on how to keep myself and my DH sane would be greatly appreciated, I'm at my most grumpy/ depressed when I'm sleep deprived. Thank you so much and congratulations on you lovely new LOs!

Sincerely,

a terrified soon-to-be mom 

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Re: What should I expect in terms of sleep?

  • hboo2011hboo2011
    Sleep? What's that?
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  • karkissy09karkissy09 member
    I thought I'd be a pissed off grumpy mess with lack of sleep. But honestly, I'm getting more sleep than I expected and feel great most of the time.

    While pregnant I usually slept from 10 to 6 and had to go pee once in there. Last night I slept 11 to 9 and got up 3 times I believe to feed DD, each time takes about 20 minutes. She's 2.5 weeks old.
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  • shlittertootsshlittertoots member
    Don't expect a lot!  I would say your 2-3 hr chunks at night will stay the same once baby is here, at least at first esp. if you are breast feeding.  My LO is almost 4 weeks and she'll give me a 4 hr stretch at night, then maybe another 3 hrs.  But when we first brought her home I was waking her to feed.  I don't know when I'll get to sleep a solid 7-8 hrs in a row again!
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  • WinniethePoohsPantsWinniethePoohsPants member

    imagekarkissy09:
    I thought I'd be a pissed off grumpy mess with lack of sleep. But honestly, I'm getting more sleep than I expected and feel great most of the time. While pregnant I usually slept from 10 to 6 and had to go pee once in there. Last night I slept 11 to 9 and got up 3 times I believe to feed DD, each time takes about 20 minutes. She's 2.5 weeks old.

    Wow!  Thank you so much for posting this!  I feel better already.  I am so terrified that I'll do something stupid to the baby (like leave him on the kitchen counter top and then go take a shower) in my super sleep deprived state. 

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  • mandapiemandapie
    imagepiffle42:
    I'm usually up a couple times at least at night. I think the hardest part compared to being PG is that you're not just getting up to pee, you actually have to get up and do a bunch of stuff change diaper, feed, etc. Your not just peeing and falling back in bed.


    This. Plus I'm more comfortable in your not pregnant state so it's easier to fall back to sleep which makes it that much harder to stay awake. I will say though as tough as it is, your body will get used to it and eventually you'll be on autopilot.
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  • wesleycrusherwesleycrusher member

    It depends on the baby.  If you read our late night thread you'll see some have a hard time at night.  As for me- I am very lucky! DD has been a great sleeper from day 1 (she's FF and I do think that makes a difference).  It also helps that DH stays up late, usually til around 2 am, and I go to bed at 11ish.  I do all the night time feedings after DH is asleep, but at least I know I'm guaranteed a few hour stretch.  Now that she's 5 weeks old she doesn't get up til around 6 am.

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  • Starry AgainStarry Again member

    The thing is you really can't expect anything. Some kids sleep relatively easily from go, some are up every two hours for six months or longer, and most are in the middle. It sucks that you can't really prepare, but that is how most of parenting is unfortunately, at least so far (like you don't know if you will have a fussy baby, a baby with health problems, etc.)

    The first few weeks you have to wake to feed them in the middle of the night regardless, every 3 hours. And in the early weeks, they take FOREVER to eat. So the sleep is pretty bad. I would just sleep on the couch with her in the pack and play since I was BFing and there was little for DH to do at that time.

    Anyway I think DD is an average to somewhat good night sleeper. At 8 weeks she normally gives one 5 hour stretch a night, but sometimes only 4. But then she will be up for 45 minutes to an hour (5 minutes of diaper change, 30-40 eating/burping, sometimes need another diaper change and/or change of clothes, then soothing back to sleep). Then I will often get another 3 hours but sometimes less (sometimes a little more).

    But there are going to be nights where basically you don't sleep. And you don't know when those will be, and that sucks. But I say, embrace the suck! You are going to survive either way. Good luck! 

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  • legalbeagle1legalbeagle1 member
    LO is almost three weeks and right now I'm getting sleep in 1.5 to 2 hour chunks and it absolutely sucks. It takes about an hour and change to feed him whether by breast or bottle, change him, put him back to sleep, pump my other breast to relieve the pain, do anything else that HAS to get done before the next cycle ex. Clean bottles and for me to go back to bed. If I'm lucky I sleep until his next feeding, but he is in our bedroom 1 br apt and fusses a lot in his sleep. Of course DH can't hear him but I can. Even if DH takes a feeding I am so engorged I have to get up and pump to relieve the pressure a bit.
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  • Cynthia1207Cynthia1207 member

    I think the best thing for you to expect is that you won't get any real sleep for a very long time.  Even when LO is sleeping, you're thinking about when he's going to wake up, everything you need to do, how much you're not sleeping, etc. 

    I have a very easy going baby and I'm still sleep deprived.  I keep looking forward to the day he'll start doing his nights.

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  • KLeighM23KLeighM23 member

    It just depends! Some nights are better than others. For the most part, we go to bed at 10pm, he's up at 2:00am, back down by almost 3:00am and goes back to sleep until between 6-7:30am. Then there are some nights that he's up every 2 hours on the nose! But if I can nap with him for about an hour during the day, I find it helps a lot. 

    I will say that it also helps to remind yourself the first 4 weeks are a complete wash in terms of expectations. I just felt really lonely (even though I had help from my husband and Mom) being the only one up with the baby all night combined with the hormonal changes and sleep deprivation. But it does get better and now I have to say, my body has mostly adjusted to the sleep patterns and on most days I don't even need a nap! 

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