Hitting a sleep deprivation wall

[Rose83]

My little girl is 6 months and I feel totally exhausted. She isn't that bad at sleeping, does 7-10 then 10 til 4 then messes around from 4-7. She sometimes wakes at 1 but is easily out back to sleep. But I feel like this week I'm not coping with the lack of sleep, feeling like it must be a cumulative effect or something because I coped much better when she was hardly sleeping when a newborn. I express at about 11pm so I don't get to bed myself until 11.30/12 so I suppose I'm only getting 4 hours of unbroken sleep at most a night and then the rest is broken by getting up and probably only amounts to another 2 hours.

I don't think there is anything I can really do to make this better but would just be nice to hear from anyone else who is feeling the strain of not enough sleep. Finding a can of Pepsi had frozen and exploded in my fridge this morning was enough to send me into meltdown! X

 

[kitten2014]

HI Rose, I have 3hrs uninterrupted sleep 10pm til 1am then spend from 1am til 8ish with her in nursery where like you I'll probably get up to 3 or 4hrs sleep but in 30min-1hr n half stints...somedays worse than others but now she is starting to go through the night it is getting easier although between checking she's alright and making sure there is a milk on the go every couple of hrs dont get uninterrupted sleep myself lol.. it will get better I promise...you eventually adapt but guess you need to hit the brick wall first to then learn to get used to it, others will have already said this but try and nap when baby does as I have just grabbed another hr just now as she decided to nap for 2hrs instead of usual 45mins...take advantage lol...

 

[Rose83]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately at the moment when she naps I have to use the time to work (I mark exam scripts in the Summer as I'm a teacher) so every minute counts. That will last about 3 weeks but once that is over perhaps I will be feeling normal again.

I think the other thing is I feel so bad when I start resenting my OH because he is getting sleep, but then he has to go out to work so I know he needs it. X

 

[kitten2014]

bless ya sounds tricky it can be hard but I am sure it will get better

 

[Goat]

Hi Rose! Random but have you had your period back yet? With my first I felt like that when she was around 7 months and next month I got my period. Xxx

 

[kitten2014]

Goat lucky you, I got my first when she was just 8wks old - sigh - it was a bit of a brick wall but got through it and next wont be so difficult, think cos its been so long and despite it not being as painful as childbirth cramps lol it certainly brings back memories and you get that knawing feeling in pit of your stomach along with generally feeling bleh so yeah could affect you more when sleepy for sure lol...

 

[kumber]

Massive hugs Rose the sleep deprivation is a killer but I promise, promise, promise it does get better. Is there the possibility of another family member taking an evening bottle of expressed or formula you can get a solid block of sleep to set you up for the nighttime then?

 

[Orion]

What time does your OH usually go to bed? Could you go to bed early?

My OH used to stay up till midnight anyway, so I go to bed at 10 and he covers til 1am so I get 3 hours before the night even really starts. He tries to have baby fed, changed and settled before he gets into bed, so i usually get another 2 hours before I have to get up for another feed.

 

[Rose83]

My periods came back at 4 months so it's not that! I feel a bit better today. My OH goes to bed a bit earlier than me so that wouldn't really work. I think she has a bit of a cold now so maybe that's why she was being a pest. Think I'm going to ask OH to let me have the weekends 'off' though in terms of getting up in the night so I can catch up! X

 

[kitten2014]

Orion thats exactly what hubby and I do now, I then take the 1am-7am stretch but generally get 3-4hrs interrupted sleep (in blocks of 30mins - hr n half)