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Sleep is for the Weak!

Up until approximately a week ago I was quite amazed by the sweet little sleeper I had somehow managed to give birth to. From day dot she has slept about 8 hours overnight, meaning that I was probably one of the most refreshed mothers of a newborn around. I kept saying to Dave, at least once a week, "When's it all gonna change, it's bound to, we can't be this lucky".

Fast forward 8 weeks and sure enough it has. I blame myself really. I stupidly dared to mention how Zee had been sleeping in her two month update last week so of course, due to the simple laws of nature (or blogging, whichever), she promptly started to sleep shittily.

It started with taking a couple of extra feeds to get her to sleep and down for the night, and has slowly progressed to the point where last night she was waking every 45 minutes. She continued to wake every 45 minutes from 7pm to 4am. BORING! It got old pretty fast.

Funny how my cure for a sleepless night is very similar to my cure for a hangover

I'm feeling pretty wrecked today (Monday) despite Dave being Husband of the Year and letting me have a sleep-in, even though he was tired after finishing his last 12-hour night shift for the week. That man is amazing I tell ya! I've pulled out the big guns, caffeine, vitamin B and lots of water, to help me get through the afternoon, and we are mercifully going to Dave's parent's place for dinner tonight (Monday night), meaning neither of us have to think about making dinner. Score!

I'm pretty sure it's a growth spurt, combined with a wonder week and massive brain development that is causing my little angel to keep waking up. Who wants to sleep when you're brain is making huge adjustments and you're starting to realise how cool and awesome the world around you is!

The good thing is she wakes up happy, she's not crying and sooking or anything, which makes it just that little bit easier to deal with. Punky is a crier and when she wakes, she wakes up crying, even now at almost 2. Zee just opens her eyes and starts babbling away as if to say "Hi Mum, fancy a chat, you didn't really want to go to sleep did you? Let's play a while!"

Last night however, Sunday night, I was pretty damn frustrated by it all come 1am. My phone was flat and I couldn't read anymore because I had developed a headache so I had nothing to distract me while I fed and nursed her back to sleep. I think this contributed to the problem as she definitely picked up on my frustration because she was a lot more unsettled between 1am and 3am and did actually cry a few times.

Taking my frustration out on Instagram rather than on Zee. Yes, the f-word often features heavily when I'm feeling that other f-word, frustrated!

But after I decided to go and have something to eat and drink and my phone was charged, the last time she woke I was a lot calmer and I had my phone, social media and blog reading to distract me from my frustration (or to take my frustration out on, as the case was!) and she settled much quicker and actually then slept till 8am. Happy day!

I'm not sure if it was simply the fact that it was 4am by that stage and she was as tired as I was, or the fact that I had managed to calm myself down and let go of the frustration, that she managed to drift off to a peaceful sleep. I think it might have been a combination of the two things. I know from experience with Punky that the more worked up I got the more worked up and unsettled she would get, so once I remembered that things got better.

After waking for a feed at 8am I didn't think Zee was gonna go back to sleep as she kept babbling and fidgeting so I just popped her back in the bassinette and was going to get Dave to come and get her when he got back from the shops with Punky. Amazingly though she babbled herself to sleep and we stayed asleep till 10:30am. Yeah baby!

Despite a shitty night though I am feeling a lot more positive now that I have gotten all of this down on paper screen. It could also have something to do with drinking a super-strength coffee and the fact that both Zee and Punky are napping at the same time, but I'm feeling good. This too shall pass, Zee won't be like this forever and one day I will look back on nights like this and wish I could re-live them all over again.

So damn lucky they're cute!

It's easy to have perspective at quarter past 1 in the afternoon, not so easily done at 1am. Nothing ever seems good at 1am!

So tell me people, did you/do you have good sleepers or shitty sleepers? What do you do to help relieve the stress and frustration in the early hours of the morning? And do you think by writing this post I will magically reverse my earlier mistake of writing about Zee's good sleeping and now she will sleep better again? ;)

Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT. Because blogging on Tuesdays is good, ya hear me!

 

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Kylie Purtell said…
Those bloody wonder weeks!! we had a party here between 2 and 4am this morning. normally speedy sleeps from about 7-8pm to anywhere between 1-5am, if he wakes before 5 i grab him and put him in bed with me and we all go back to sleep. not today, he thought he would stay up talking and smiling!! For me I will sleep when i'm dead (thanks bon jovi!!) and keep telling myself it is just a phase!! Thank god for coffee, hang in there you are doing a great job!!
8 October 2013 at 04:38
Kylie Purtell said…
Urgh. I feel for you honey. Sleep deprivation is the friend of no one. Luckily, the {little} Big Girl was generally a great sleeper overnight. Sure, there was a stage of co-sleeping which made it all happen smoothly, but it didn't last all that long. Day sleeps though? 40 mins. Tops. She'd have a few of them scattered throughout the day, but it's a bugger length of time... just as you grap a hot cuppa and sit down... for a second. BAM! Awake! I hope this passes quickly, and that Zee hops back on board the sleep train very soon. X
8 October 2013 at 08:00
Kylie Purtell said…
Nick was a TERRIBLE sleeper for AAAAGES. I think he was over 12 months before he slept all night in his own bed. But you're right, one day you WILL want to go back to where you are now, because for all the sleep deprivation, you forgot to enjoy it as well (you = I, 4.5 years ago). Love those pics - they are so similar! Hope she goes through another super week that involves finding her sleeping rhythm again! xo Aroha (for #teamIBOT ;-)
8 October 2013 at 08:54
Kylie Purtell said…
For me its normal to wake a couple times a night at least for the first 6 months.. and all four of mine went through periods of waking every 45 mins for feeds or settling. I look back now wistfully at those wee small hours cuddles when the toddler was I could have total one on one time with the baby, eyes wide open in the semi-dark and usually that was when they would practice their first goofy smiles.
At the time it nearly killed me !
8 October 2013 at 08:56
Kylie Purtell said…
I had one terrible sleeper, who "woke up" at the two week mark and didn't start sleeping properly until he was 6 months old. The second one only woke up for his feeds and then went straight to sleep. I hope you don't have many of these shocking nights.
8 October 2013 at 10:30
Kylie Purtell said…
Hayley is a bit hit and miss unfortunately on the nights she sleeps through I still wake every 2-3hrs to check if she's awake yet o.O
8 October 2013 at 10:55
Kylie Purtell said…
Miss now 8 was a crappy sleeper until about 7 months. It was really tough. Thankfully Miss now 5 was a perfect sleeper, I don't think I could have gone through it again! Hoping Zee gets back to good x
8 October 2013 at 12:21
Kylie Purtell said…
I've had both, but the good sleeper was due one hundred percent to the book baby wise. I cannot recommend that book highly enough to people! Calm baby, Confident mum is another awesome one that saved me more than once
8 October 2013 at 21:50
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh gorgeous, mine have NEVER been great sleepers so I have always had very low expectations. And when No.3 came along and slept so badly I just had to roll with it. As long as you feel in your heart you have tried to get them to sleep and it hasn't work then just accept it, don't let their sleeping patterns stop you from having a life, going to the supermarket, shops etc. Having a child that can sleep anywhere is a godsend!!! But I have to say I really do feel for you Ky, but just keep swimming, swimming, crying, eating and doing what you have to do to get buy. xxxxx
8 October 2013 at 22:21
Kylie Purtell said…
Coffee has been my lifeblood at the moment, which I could just get an IV of it. And those wonder weeks certainly are wonderfully crappy!
9 October 2013 at 14:27
Kylie Purtell said…
Co-sleeping with Punky never worked and it only seems to work with Zee in the mornings, its frustrating! Lol! I know what you mean about finally getting the chance to sit down with a cuppa and then they wake up, it's like they have a sixth sense for it!
9 October 2013 at 14:29
Kylie Purtell said…
It's so hard to remember that it won't last forever when you are in the midst of it hey. She seems to be getting slightly better, she was asleep by 1:30am last night! Lol!
9 October 2013 at 14:30
Kylie Purtell said…
I have been reminded recently of how this feels. It was only 3 days of dog sitting, but the little shit would not stop howling and crying for his parents (thats what you get for spoiling dogs to the point of ridiculous!). I could not function, was a walking zombie and promised to never do this again. I tried to recall the nights with a new bub but I don't remember ever feeling that zonked. Maybe shitty, frustrated and yes tired, but this was beyond limitations.
9 October 2013 at 14:39
Kylie Purtell said…
This sleepless thing is cruel, cruel, cruel. My youngest (now 11 mths) was the same - she slept 22 out of 24 hours for the first 6 weeks of her life... I practically had to water board her to feed through the night! As she's gotten older, she's more wakeful but she still remains a very chilled, happy baby who sleeps well day and night (provided I don't miss those damn sleep windows!) and I'm sure yours will too once the growth spurt has passed.



Do whatever you need to to stay sane - nurse to sleep, take naps, eat chocolate, whatever. This WILL pass!



We are sleep training right now trying to drop the night feeds so I'm back on Twitter at 3am...
9 October 2013 at 16:17
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh Kylie, I feel for you! 10 years later and it's just a distant memory for us, but I do remember thinking this was going to be for the rest of my life.
I know it's not the best solution to suggest, but I say drink as much coffee as you need honey. It's seriously the only thing that got me through. xx
9 October 2013 at 16:31
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh Kylie, I'm right there with you!! Diddy's been sleeping horrifically the past few weeks (turns out to be due to shitful feeding, so working to rectify it). I've given up on the bassinet altogether, she's just in bed with me so I can stick a boob in her mouth and at least doze with the TV on!!
I did get to a point the other night, though, where it got too much and I woke Husbeast and made him take her just for 10min so I could have a quiet little sob in the next room!!
Hopefully Zee gets over the finnicky hump and starts to give you some more sleep soon!! Sleep Deprivation is someone's idea of a horrific joke!
xo Tara @ Hand Me My Sanity
10 October 2013 at 11:33
Kylie Purtell said…
My little man was a shitty sleeper, I persevered with tips out of the Baby Bliss book. And even now when he wakes in the night I persevere with the patting etc. ARRHHH. It is god fricking awful
12 October 2013 at 10:48
Kylie Purtell said…
I feel your pain I have one of them also!! So tired just go to sleep please !!
14 October 2013 at 18:34
Kylie Purtell said…
It's funny how we long for those times isn't it, even though when we were actually going through it we couldn't wait for it to end! I am constantly having to remind myself of that! I have to say though I catch myself almost every night just staring at Zee's perfect little face when she has fallen asleep in my arms after a feed, I just want to soak in every moment and never forget how she looked, even when at the start of the feed I was cursing her for waking up again!
20 October 2013 at 17:44
Kylie Purtell said…
Thanks Dorothy. It's amazing how different every child is isn't it. Punky woke every three hours for months so I got used to it pretty quickly. But because Zee has slept so well most of the time it's such a shock to the system when she doesn't! My body had adapted pretty quickly back to having sleep, that's for sure!
20 October 2013 at 17:45
Kylie Purtell said…
I was like that with Punky! Once she finally started sleeping I would keep waking up. Now with Zee I worry that I won't hear her when she does wake!
20 October 2013 at 17:46
Kylie Purtell said…
She has definitely started to come good again, although I'm sure it will all go out the window once more when the next wonder week or growth spurt hits. I still can't quite get my head around how different the girls are, it's amazing that I have produced two girls so different!
20 October 2013 at 17:47
Kylie Purtell said…
I've heard a few people talk about Baby Wise, I think I am definitely going to get my hands on a copy. I figure the more I read and the more techniques I have up my sleeve, eventually we find the one that works!
20 October 2013 at 17:48
Kylie Purtell said…
I think the thing that makes the tough nights even harder is not having Dave home, they always seem to happen when he is on night shift! The one saving grace of that though I must admit is that he is so good he will often stay up an hour later in the mornings, even when he is ready for bed, just so I can have an extra bit of sleep before I have to get up with both of them for the day. Don't know what I would do without him honestly!
20 October 2013 at 17:49
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh Rebecca, that really sucks big time! I would have lost my marbles! My sister's dog got so bad that they have had to give him away, he was just interferring with my brother-in-laws sleep too much, day and night. Thankfully though he has gone to a good home of a friend who wanted a companion for the dog she already has and has been so much happier with another little dog-friend around.
20 October 2013 at 17:51
Kylie Purtell said…
Thankfully the last week or so she has been good again, although I know it will change when the next growth spurt comes along!

Trying to drop those night feeds is the hardest! I remember trying to wean Punky from her night feeds before I went back to work and it was tough. In the end we had to wait until my husband was on arvo shift again and could be the one to go in to her and get her back to sleep, having my boobs in close proximity just did not help! I hope it works for you and you can get some sleep again too soon.
20 October 2013 at 17:53
Kylie Purtell said…
Coffee has been my best friend lately, that's for sure! Some nights I actually go to bed dreaming about that first coffee in the morning! In between reminding myself that this too shall pass of course! Lol!
20 October 2013 at 17:54

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