Man! It's hard work...

[lizzylemon]

My heart goes out to you and your good lady - it really isn't a lot of fun at all, especially when you still have to function as a fully 'normal' adult at work etc.

Just as many have said - different babies, different ways. For my daughter, I used to breast feed her until she slept, I never burped her as it seemed weird to wake her back up and she never suffered from colic so.....

I also added bottles into the feeding mix as I just wasn't enough and made sure her night feeds where bottles. I could control it much better and would dream feed her in the night (basically stuck the full bottle in mouth before she woke so she drank in her sleep and carried on sleeping, again no burping). This was normally done with both eyes shut and took about 30 seconds for me to settle back into sleep.

I also just used to put her in her cot during the day, just to play and have 'nice' time in her cot so she got used to it and enjoyed being in there by her self and made sure I wasn't around in the room.

In her room I put up a black out blind and curtains and then used to put a warm hot water bottle in the cot with an old t-sirt of mine for smells.

And that deadtime? Between 3 and 5? You wont have to suffer through it forever, it always plays tricks on your mind and one day you'll smile about all this

[BarleySugar]

I really do sympahise with you. I used the controlled crying with son No1, and it did eventually work. However it was a different story when son No2 came along. he just could not sleep through, if I got to him fast enough, I could settle him before he got to waking Son No1 and OH, but he'd only last 45 mins before the next waking. If I didn't everyone would be awake for ages. I lasted until I was 6 months pregnant with DD, (only 2 years between each one )then the doc warned I was not getting enough rest, and it was impacting on me and DD. She prescribed medication for son No2, which I felt really bad giving him, but things were getting serious. Anyway, it didn't have a great impact on him, I couldn't get 2 nights sleep in a row, I had to pick and choose, as it didn't work more than 1 night in 3!
Even when he had general anaesthetic to have his tonsils out he came around, and, despite me being told he would go back to sleep and I'd have time to get to him, he stayed awake. He still says about me promising to be there when he woke up, and I wasn't! He also managed to stay awake through the sedative they gave him when he needed an mri scan. Now he can't go anywhere in a car without him falling asleep (20 this year!). I hate to think what he'll be like when he learns to drive

[chris]

lol Crazy !

Just checked on her as no grumbles yet, still on her tummy snoring away. Maybe she prefers sleeping on her belly (prob forces wind out?) In the mean time I just made a slug kebab by skewering 17 of the beggers that have been feasting on my turnips. Odd, no slim trails, must be under the soil or something.

[di]

Please tell me you're not going to eat them?!

Pleased last night went so much better.

[RedThorn]

Know your pain! My son is 4 months now and we're shattered!, he just started to improve, and now is teething, so we're back to square 1. Daughter on the other hand was an angel by comparison! hang in there, it does get better.

For those who haven't been blessed with kids, but are thinking about it, they turn your life upside down and inside out! I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[binley100]

lol Crazy !

Just checked on her as no grumbles yet, still on her tummy snoring away. Maybe she prefers sleeping on her belly (prob forces wind out?) In the mean time I just made a slug kebab by skewering 17 of the beggers that have been feasting on my turnips. Odd, no slim trails, must be under the soil or something.

See those slugs have their use even if it's just to release your frustration at lack of sleep

[Bagpuss]

Blimey, you lot are better than the pill ! Maybe we ought to send you into the schools to explain what parenting is really like.

Still it's good to hear such honest accounts of what life with young babies can really be like .

[furball]

Couldn't let this topic pass without telling you about my son. Second child, the first slept like a dream ,but not ds1. From the minute he was born he never slept through the night ever, he had to be in with us and that was after he fell asleep in pushchair. He would sleep in a playpen during the day, just nodded off whilst playing. (wouldn't recommend sleeping with baby in bed now as you hear too many tragic stories ), Finally when ds1 was 2 we decided to put him in his own room so we decorated his "big boys bedroom" and did the controlled crying thing. Every 10 min until finally at 1am all was quiet, didn't dare open the door to check him as we didn't want to wake him up. At 6am the next morning we woke up and went into his room to find it fully stripped, every length of paper pulled off from the bottom till it tore at various heights, every wall even behind the bed. dd1 sat amongst it all playing and a big grin on his face. Now ds1 is 24 this year and still a night owl, still makes me smile though when i think about it. P.S had 5 children and ds1 was the only one that didn't sleep. oh and yes it was worth it.

[Paulottie]

[QUOTE=chrismarks;657630

Once we're out of the woods with this little one I'm gong to take my wife away (just us two) for a weekend,[/QUOTE]

Easy tiger..that's how you end up with another one.

[chris]

Couldn't let this topic pass without telling you about my son. Second child, the first slept like a dream ,but not ds1. From the minute he was born he never slept through the night ever, he had to be in with us and that was after he fell asleep in pushchair. He would sleep in a playpen during the day, just nodded off whilst playing. (wouldn't recommend sleeping with baby in bed now as you hear too many tragic stories ), Finally when ds1 was 2 we decided to put him in his own room so we decorated his "big boys bedroom" and did the controlled crying thing. Every 10 min until finally at 1am all was quiet, didn't dare open the door to check him as we didn't want to wake him up. At 6am the next morning we woke up and went into his room to find it fully stripped, every length of paper pulled off from the bottom till it tore at various heights, every wall even behind the bed. dd1 sat amongst it all playing and a big grin on his face. Now ds1 is 24 this year and still a night owl, still makes me smile though when i think about it. P.S had 5 children and ds1 was the only one that didn't sleep. oh and yes it was worth it.

lol! I'm a bit erm... an*l when it comes to DIY so if Seren does that, out the window she'll go!

Easy tiger..that's how you end up with another one.

hehe, I'm thinking of doing a bit of DIY.. the "snip" with my new sheers.


Last night she only woke up at 12:00 - but that was because we woke her up! She'd filled her nappy with all the lovely teething foamy/gooey poo. She didn't like being changed, and went straight back to sleep afterwards. *scratches head* Who's swapped our child for another one?

[HeyWayne]

lol Crazy !

Just checked on her as no grumbles yet, still on her tummy snoring away. Maybe she prefers sleeping on her belly (prob forces wind out?) In the mean time I just made a slug kebab by skewering 17 of the beggers that have been feasting on my turnips. Odd, no slim trails, must be under the soil or something.

Bean also has a better night's sleep on his tummy.

Recently he's started taking to sleeping on his front with his bum in the air.

[jackie j]

I had five children and each one was, and still is different its what makes the world go around. My first slept reasonably well till he was eight months old, then we were in the process of moving into a brand new house which was still being built so the move date kept being altered, so I ended up packing and unpacking, distressing for me never mind an eight month old. I was on my own most of the time as OH was working away, again stressfull for me, so he was picking up on my stress, he was waking every hour every night with only me to get out to see to him. It eneded up with me hitting the floor very hard in temper. We moved and he still didnt sleep, this went on till he was 2 years and 3 months old, the night I came out of hospital with our 2nd son. The first one slept right through but then I was up with the 2nd, glutton for punishment or what. My daughter who was my 5th child had to sleep in the same room as us because we didnt have anywhere else for her to sleep, she slept like an angel no idea why, maybe I was more relaxed by then. She would sleep all night from about 5 months old but as she was bottle fed my OH would feed her at weekends during the night, and also if he was still up when she woke during the week. It meant I got a good nights sleep quite often. She also slept about 3 hours during the day and I would have to wake her to go and fetch her brothers from school.
She couldnt move into her own bedroom till she was about 3 years old.
I do hope for your sakes you can get some sleep, it doesnt matter if one of you can sleep during the day while she sleeps , also get grandparents to have her for a couple of hours during the day. Try not to stress out over it, she is picking up on your vibes.

[Flummery]

We've recently had news of another pending arrival in the family and we're keen not to be the 'well, we did it like this, and you should try this..." kind of people. Every baby's different - even in the same family, rarely will any two babies act the same.

So true. If I'd had my son first I'd have thought I was useless as a mother. When my daughter (dream baby, always smiling, slept beautifully) came along I'd have assumed it was me doing everything right!

They are SO different - even with the same genetic inheritance. Makes me thing of a row of F2 peas!

[lindyloo]

think you might be onto something with the sleeping on her tummy- lets hope so! when i had mine, it was the norm to put them down to sleep on stomach, and apart from the first month or so, i have to admit that i hardly had a disturbed night with any of them- til teenaged, of course- if you dont get it at the beginning, you get it at the end!!!

[Flummery]

I sleep on my tummy, that's why I have wrinkles!
Seren - lovely name - doesn't it mean star?