Sleep, why aren’t we mates anymore?
Sleep deprivation – an effective form of torture, designed to bring even the toughest of men to their knees in tears.
Ahhhhhh, now it makes sense.
My little Joshua is the grand old age of 34 weeks, and I kid you not, there’ve been fewer than 10 occasions when I’ve had 3+ hours of uninterrupted sleep since he was born. Night or day. Home or away (with you each day). The most uninterrupted spurt was a blissful 4 hours once way back in September when I naively thought ‘yes, we’ve cracked it!’ Sigh.
It’s true, we’re at a loss. And maybe that’s just it. Maybe this is just a phase we have to go through. As I say, he’s been lucky with a very cheery disposition and hasn’t had any of the suffering of colic & reflux, so maybe being awake forever like a daft sod is just ‘his thing’.
He wakes every 2 hours during the night still, and for proper boob feeds too. He naps for just 30-45 minutes twice a day, if I’m lucky. Despite this sporadic sleep pattern, he is beyond a doubt the happiest little chappie in the world, always with a big smile and a terrific husky giggle. His mama, on the other hand, feels like someone has stabbed her in the eyes and poured lemon juice in the wounds.
I know what you’ll suggest, and trust me, I’m open to any tips you want to throw my way. But let me tell you that we’ve tried swaddling, tried formula, tried warm baths, tried lavender; he has a selection of cosy bedtime aids like a Sleepyhead, Next-to-me, Grobags, blankets; we’ve tried him with warmer clothes, cooler clothes, feet free & feet wrapped, warmer rooms, cooler rooms; he’s been rocked in dark rooms, light rooms, with projector lights, soothing music, ambient sounds, white noise; he’s had bedtime stories, bedtime songs, Scout & other singing puppy toys.
It’s true, we’re at a loss. And maybe that’s just it. Maybe this is just a phase we have to go through. As I say, he’s been lucky with a very cheery disposition and hasn’t had any of the suffering of colic & reflux, so maybe being awake forever like a daft sod is just ‘his thing’.
Lack of sleep has been an absolute bugger, and it’s wrecking me more than any other aspect of motherhood, so far. Because I’m constantly playing catch-up and yet have no bloody energy to do so. I had a throat infection for 9 weeks. 9 weeks! It went from a virus, to laryngitis, to an infection, and if I wasn’t woken by Monkey Bear in the night, I was annoyingly being woken by my own throat’s battle with razor-like pains. The ‘face palm’ emoji fast became my favourite.
And to top all this off, he’ll only take the bloody boob! So no bottles, no formula drips throughout the day, no help from Dada mid-sleep on a feed or two (although he does take him at 6am so I can grab an hour or 2 before the day starts)
So, if you’re sleep-deprived like me, why not pop down your favourite wine below and we can all drag ourselves through this together somehow. Make mine a shiraz, please.
With my dazed & tired love,
Laura x
