Guest guest Posted November 7, 2001 Report Share Posted November 7, 2001 Karina wrote: > Little babe (DS) cried from 1 to 4 last night - yet again - then was > up from 7. How do you all cope...! I need more than 2+3 hours sleep a > night! Am very very tired, but grabbed an hour's sleep from 8 to 9 > after the nanny came in - and am now sipping strong coffee in the > office - but this aint going to work when I am at at home with the > babes from January. I am panicking now. Do you think I am going to > need a mother's help? Could I get one that only came in from 8 to > 9.30 in the morning just to give babes breakfast and let me sleep for > an hour? Not very lucrative for her I imagine. > How old is your DS? I know it is not the long term solution but what about you going to bed earlier after you have put the children to bed. At least you will be able to catch up on your sleep. As I said it is not a long term solution but would at least let you get your act together - I always think that when you have had a decent sleep then the problem (what ever it is) is never so bad as it appears when you are Zombie-fied. I would not imagine you could get a mothers help for that 1 1/2 hours in the morning but you might get a part time nanny/child minder/or the like after school dropping off time. In January are you giving up work or working from home? If you are giving up work and the children sleep during the day (co-ordinating the times will be a nightmare) you could perhaps have a sleep or even just a quiet time. Not much help I know - sorry. Trisha SAHM to 3 boys Jack 8, 6 and Isaac 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 Little babe (DS) cried from 1 to 4 last night - yet again - then was up from 7. How do you all cope...! I need more than 2+3 hours sleep a night! Am very very tired, but grabbed an hour's sleep from 8 to 9 after the nanny came in - and am now sipping strong coffee in the office - but this aint going to work when I am at at home with the babes from January. I am panicking now. Do you think I am going to need a mother's help? Could I get one that only came in from 8 to 9.30 in the morning just to give babes breakfast and let me sleep for an hour? Not very lucrative for her I imagine. Btw have tried everything with little babe, think he is just suffering from separation anxiety this time (but usually it's teething or a cold or coughing or stomach cramps). Last few nights he has calmed down immediately when being stroked - but as soon as you remove your hand he'll panic. He had an encounter with a cat a few days ago (noone was hurt, but he found himself on the floor in hall alone with cat and was very scared) so maybe he has nightmares, I don't know. My mum tells me my brother (now 39) was up for 2 hours every night from the age of 1 to the age of 3 and they tried everything too without success. (And that was my mum, the doctor, the child psychiatrist, who used to run sleep groups for other parents, and had 4 kids of her own...). So perhaps it's not me, perhaps he is just a sensitive type, but the thought of not sleeping for the next 2 years is not an attractive one. Aarrrgghh. Karina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 Oh Karina you sound exhausted-how old is your 'little babe'? Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 He's 14 1/2 months, has always been a terror at night (much unlike DD), but is an incredibly sweet, smiley, cuddly bunch of sunshine in the day (just as well, otherwise would have *strangled* him by now). Here's the little darling... http://www.btinternet.com/~kbholm Karina > Oh Karina you sound exhausted-how old is your 'little babe'? > > Kate > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 I don't quite understand what is happening as of January, but why not get what used to be known as a " night nurse " , just for the nights, so you can cope during the day? This person would go off duty when you get up and go off to catch up her own sleep. Ruthie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 You obviously need your sleep Karina, and I don't think getting someone in to help for just an hour would do the trick even if you could get them. The point is you need your sleep at night eventually. Did Calpol help at all? Or have you spoken to your GP or HV? My eldest two have eczema so their consultant prescribed Vallergan (from 11 months actually, but in a very small dose) to make sure their itching didn't wake them up, but it does help them get into a routine of sleeping all night. If their eczema is bad now I give 1 or 2 mls which is enough to help them go through the night - that is a tiny dose, less than half a teaspoon. I can think of three options - 1. either you carry on without doing anything which will not be good for you especially as you will be soooo tired, 2. you try controlled crying (very gently, eg. go back in every two minutes, so he is reassured that you are still there), but it is still tough for the first two nights, and then depending on how you do it, you could have success after 4 or 5 nights, or 3. go with co-sleeping as at least that way you *all* get some sleep which is the vital thing here. I do hope you find something that works though - it's difficult to think straight when you're too tired. Trisha's suggestion of going to bed early was a good one as well. Hannah Zombie Little babe (DS) cried from 1 to 4 last night - yet again - then was up from 7. How do you all cope...! I need more than 2+3 hours sleep a night! Am very very tired Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 That's an idea - probably expensive though...?? Nothing major is happening in January other than the fact that I wont have a nanny - since I've given up work - and so there wont be anyone coming in at 8 in the morning!! Of course I'm meant to leave for work at 8 when she arrives, but given my general zombie state I have tended to sleep for an extra hour, then go into work late - pretending I've been on the go all morning... It works fine - only my job suffers... - but without the nanny and without the job, the chance of sleeping in the morning will be gone - as I can hardly explain to my two babes 1 and 3 that mummy is going back to bed after breakfast!! The 3-yearold doesn't sleep anymore in the day... so... Karina > I don't quite understand what is happening as of January, but why > not get what used to be known as a " night nurse " , just for the nights, > so you can cope during the day? This person would go off duty when > you get up and go off to catch up her own sleep. > > Ruthie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 > Little babe (DS) cried from 1 to 4 last night - yet again - then was > up from 7. How do you all cope...! Oh Karina, poor you, I feel so for you. Sleep depravation is the worst. My DD2 has been a bad sleeper since the start of the year (about 9 months old), some nights are Ok but the majority are bad. These are some of the things that I have started to do in the last few weeks (and I have seen a marked improvement) : Do not go in until really yelling, I had realised that I was going into her too quickly sometimes she could settle herself back down. Do not pick her up to comfort her just reassure her that everything is OK, quick stroke of the face and then out! I have done my own version of the crying baby technique (judging when something like teeth or a cold is the cause) I have taken her to a Cranio Osteopath (she had a lot of tension in neck and diaphragm) which has really helped, also to see a homeopath (I thought that nightmares were a trigger as we would often go in and she would be asleep but really crying) One of the questions that I was asked was is she afraid of cats/dogs? Do not know why but it is some form of indicator. Finally she now sleeps in 'over jamas' - you know the big fluffy ones that they wear over their normal PJ's?. I have done this as I would often find Emilie to be quite cold (she is a wriggler/thrasher and never keeps the bed clothes on her). Hope that this is of some help. I sympathise and know how you feel. Lets hope that between us we can come up with ideas to get you over this. Take care, and sleep when you can. Beverly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2001 Report Share Posted November 8, 2001 Agree with Beverley here-I too found the controlled crying worked after about 3 nights and the fluffy overjamas seemed to help in Winter (as long as heating not on in bedroom) I found 'toddler Taming' by Green very helpful and amusing. Hope you get more sleep tonight Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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