And now I am crying because I have stopped breast feeding because I thought it would help.

How old is your baby beer belle ...?

Hun..... awww, I so feel for you... Have you spoken with a health visitor at all/advice wise?... All I can come up with, it often goes that way with some kids...theyre as individual as babies just as we are as adults I feel... None of my kiddies had a set routine and I thought I would never get through it alive or sane, but you do.. take as much help/support as you can, to get rested.. it WILL change, but maybe not as earlier as some tell you theirs did, or as early as you would obviously hope.... it's summat you just might have to get through...My kids didnt sleep properly through the night until the youngest one aged almost 3 slept in the same bed as her elder sis...so I hear where you're coming from.... I admist, I had them in bed with us a lot of nights, just to get some sleep.. and I dont regret a moment of it, it kept us sane.. Have a chat with someone hun, they might come up with just that single bit of advice that helps, hope so... but hang in there, it will sort out..

XX

quote:

Originally posted by BeerBelle:
And now I am crying because I have stopped breast feeding because I thought it would help.

i couldn't keep up with my daughter, i changed to bottle (NO, you are being a bad mother) and my oh helped during the night feeds

hes 4 and a half months. I have had 18 weeks of two hourly sleeps. I think I am really going insane. I can hardly measure out the formula. It takes every ounce (pardon the pun) of concentration to measure out 7 scoops. torture for an intelligent person to be so incapable. Is it possible to function like this for much longer? Will I just fall apart one day?

quote:

Originally posted by BeerBelle:
hes 4 and a half months. I have had 18 weeks of two hourly sleeps. I think I am really going insane. I can hardly measure out the formula. It takes every ounce (pardon the pun) of concentration to measure out 7 scoops. torture for an intelligent person to be so incapable. Is it possible to function like this for much longer? Will I just fall apart one day?

no, you will blossom into a wonderful, caring mum and want to repeat the whole experience

quote:

Originally posted by machel:want to repeat the whole experience

I bloody won't.
but thank you for listening.

And I forgot how crying gives you a banging headache.

quote:

Originally posted by BeerBelle:

quote:

Originally posted by machel:want to repeat the whole experience

I bloody won't.
but thank you for listening.

i'm always willing to listen

I also remember wishing the years to go faster, to end all the tiredness... believe me when I say that is one regret of mine.. It will get better hun, trust me... I'm a mother.. lol..

XX

If you're bottle-feeding him now, he shouldn't be waking so often for a feed ... maybe you need to increase the amount of formula you're giving him in his bottles ...? Do check this out though first ... I'm not a professional and am just thinking it might be a possibility ...

Do take the advice given by Di above and speak to your public health nurse or doctor ... you're right ... you won't be able to function on 2 hours sleep a night ... Is there anyone (friends/family) who can take the pressure off you during the day even and look after baby for a few hours while you catch up on sleep ...? I found this invaluable when my daughter was a baby ...

quote:

Originally posted by *Di*:
I also remember wishing the years to go faster, to end all the tiredness... believe me when I say that is one regret of mine.. It will get better hun, trust me... I'm a mother.. lol..

XX

oh but at the time it is absolute all consuming hell. remember that, at stop the regrets.

quote:

Originally posted by Shar:
If you're bottle-feeding him now, he shouldn't be waking so often for a feed ... maybe you need to increase the amount of formula you're giving him in his bottles ...? Do check this out though first ... I'm not a professional and am just thinking it might be a possibility ...

Do take the advice given by Di above and speak to your public health nurse or doctor ... you're right ... you won't be able to function on 2 hours sleep a night ... Is there anyone (friends/family) who can take the pressure off you during the day even and look after baby for a few hours while you catch up on sleep ...? I found this invaluable when my daughter was a baby ...

everyone is away this weekend, but i fully intend to get some help next week. I might even see if I can stop the night at my mums and leave my poor husband to deal with it as comuppance for going cycling with the lads.

quote:

Originally posted by BeerBelle:

quote:

Originally posted by Shar:
If you're bottle-feeding him now, he shouldn't be waking so often for a feed ... maybe you need to increase the amount of formula you're giving him in his bottles ...? Do check this out though first ... I'm not a professional and am just thinking it might be a possibility ...

Do take the advice given by Di above and speak to your public health nurse or doctor ... you're right ... you won't be able to function on 2 hours sleep a night ... Is there anyone (friends/family) who can take the pressure off you during the day even and look after baby for a few hours while you catch up on sleep ...? I found this invaluable when my daughter was a baby ...

everyone is away this weekend, but i fully intend to get some help next week. I might even see if I can stop the night at my mums and leave my poor husband to deal with it as comuppance for going cycling with the lads.

That sounds like a good idea ...

awwww Bbelle I have no advice but I'm sending you massive hugs.

I had exactly the same problem with my daughter.

I know just how you are feeling.

All you can think about and crave for is sleep.

My daughter was born in April like your baby and the time my birthday came around at the end of September I was like a Zombie - AND back at work teaching full time!!!!!
My husband was working 200 miles away so I couldn't get any help from him. When my Mum asked me what I'd like for a birthday present all I could think of to ask for was 24 hours sleep - and that's what she gave me. She took my baby to look after for a day and a night while I slept and slept.

You need someone to do that for you. Just once a week would help. Now you're no longer breast-feeding it should be possible. Have you anyone who would do that? A sister, mother, or just a very kind friend?

quote:

Originally posted by BeerBelle:
hes 4 and a half months. I have had 18 weeks of two hourly sleeps. I think I am really going insane. I can hardly measure out the formula. It takes every ounce (pardon the pun) of concentration to measure out 7 scoops. torture for an intelligent person to be so incapable. Is it possible to function like this for much longer? Will I just fall apart one day?

Hi belle....I'm not sure wether this will scare you or make you feel like you're not the only one but I have a 3 YEAR old who doesn't sleep through the night so I know how you're feeling When he was younger he used to wake every 2 or 3 hours and I ended up adding a little rusk to his bottle at around 6ish so he'd feel a lot fuller. It worked well for a few weeks then he was up again through the night so I switched him to solids earlier than recommended but after talking it through with my health visitor she agreed that he needed that extra something and to try him with one meal a day. It worked well again for a few weeks til it was increased....etc. I'm not sure if you're baby is old enough for the rusk or not but maybe you could mention it to your HV

awww thats terrible, you need sleep

what routine do you have with him?? you need to get into one that gives a morning noon night time, what i mean is, just before last feed at lets make it 8pm ok, give a bath with the new johnsons sleepy bubblebath in it, make it a gentle bath, get ready for bed, give bottle, burp, make sure well winded lay down in cot. turn light out close door too so that not much light getting in.

do yo have blackout blinds or curtains in the babies room?

without know what routine you are doing its hard to know what to say for the best.

hi tatty. we do have a routine.
morning is mummy's bed, then under mobile to play whilst mummy showers etc, then get baby dressed, downstairs for play, breakfast puree, a little tv until baby gets agitated then back for a sleep.
then when he wakes up we usually go outin the car somewhere, middayish another sleep, afternoon walk or trip out, milk throughout day.
bedtime routine starts at 6. bath sing and splash, clothes. all curtains closed so it is getting darker, cream on knees, into nursery for feed, sleeping bag on, sleep about 7 (hopefully)... usually works fine.
And yes we got the blackouts so he can't tell when it is morning by the light levels.

Awww Belle

Hope you manage to sort babies sleep time routine out soon, its no fun when your tired.

awwwww Belle - we used to work it that I went to bed at about 8.30 - 9 ish, hubby did the (say) 10 pm and midnight feeds - then I did the night feeds. It meant that he got a good night's sleep and was ok for work and that I got about 6 hours unbroken sleep.

Don't know quite how we ever got it together to have the second and third child though

i had a hungry baby, as i recall we'd started to wean her by 5 months. i breast fed but had her in our bed so i could just plonk her on and go back to sleep but not everyone thinks sleeping with baby is a good idea.
we did controlled crying; which was difficult emotionally; but worked in getting her to sleep a longer but it's hard to remember how old she was when we did that. along those lines you could maybe check him, give him a cuddle but no feed, he might not be hungry as such but want the comfort and need to work out that if there's no food it's not worth waking up. just a few thoughts

if your hubby will take over night feeds a couple of nights a week that'll be a great help.

it will get better, and you're doing brilliantly even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes