Mothers of terrible sleepers, join me here!

[Toomanytoomany]

I need some moral support. All the lovely babies on my baby buddy group are doing lovely things like sleeping more than two hours in a row for their mummies, and I'm feeling a wee bit exasperated. I know it's normal, but I need to hear from other mums who have dealt with the same thing so I don't feel like such a freak!

Thomas' typical sleeping pattern: 8.30pm-12.00pm, a solid sleep, reliably. Then he'll be up again at 2, maybe again at 3, then 5, then he'll grumble from 6-7, and then we're up. He'll have an hour's sleep between about 8-9, then nap til the afternoon, then he'll have a good long sleep, two or three hours in the afternoon (mostly with me lying there sleeping next to him - often with a little dream feed or two while we're at it). Then he naps on and off with varying awake periods until about 6.30pm when we have our evening routine.

He is demand fed, and probably feeds 12-15 times a day. He snacks a *lot* during the day although I'm trying to space those out with a dummy and some judicious use of his sisters to wheel him up and down the hallway in his pram! (He's nearly five weeks old, by the way.)

Now, I'm very lucky in that at night, I don't have to settle him at all. He has his bath, his boosie, and goes to bed, and goes to sleep. I also don't have to settle him after his night feeds, he just goes nigh nighs without any fuss. And the afternoon sleep is delicious. But my brain is frying from not getting any good sleep at night. I try to go to sleep at about 9.30pm but I can't really go earlier than that as I have other kids who need me too!

I've never really had good sleepers and I'm so tired I could cry. My dh is going away on a conference for three days next week and I'm panicking about how I'm going to cope with four kids to get to school, the house to care for, dinner to get, and a baby attached to my boob 24/7.

[Toomanytoomany]

Oh, and we sort of co-sleep - I put him to bed after his midnight feed, but when he wakes up at 2, he pretty much stays in bed with me because I'm too tired to stay awake for his feeds!!

[kelebek]

but when he wakes up at 2, he pretty much stays in bed with me because I'm too tired to stay awake for his feeds!!

Yep I still do this. This is definitely my club to join. Your DS sounds just like mine was. In the end I would sleep with him through the day to make sure he had 2 decent sleeps. I know how frustrating it can be when other people bubs sleep through the night too. I am pleased to say it does improve - kinda DS will wake at least once, sometimes twice but at least once a week he will revert back to 2 hrly wakings. I have to say that I can't wait for him to sleep through but when he only wakes once or twice I do a little cheer lol

Hope he starts to sleep longer stretches soon and co-sleeping is the only thing that keeps me sane.

[feeb]

My nearly 11 month old is still crap sleeper!!!

He does not settle till late anywhere from 2200 till 0100 and then will generally wake around 0200 if he goes down at 2200 and take 1 hr to feed and settle and then he will sleep till 0700 or 0800 on a good day.

Day sleep wise he feeds and naps on my knee while on boob!!!!!!

I hear you hang in there!! I am also sick of people talking about babies who go down at 1800 or 2000 and sleep 12 hrs!!!!!!!!! I WANT ONE

[MrsFabuloso]

My 9 1/2 month old still sleeps pretty badly too. Though does go to bed early, about 7pm, wakes at 12 ish, the 2, 4 and 6 (sometimes 7 if I'm REALLY lucky!) when we are up for the day. In between that I still get up for my 26mth old once or twice at least.
I tell people my kids are allergic to sleep. They are....nothing else explains it! I try to remember that it really is only a short time that they will be like this in the grand scheme of things. Though it can be hard when I've had 4hrs broken sleep....

[Lolli]

Ok, I'm joining the gang too. My ds is 18 months old and has still never slept through the night. I could smack the smugly contented mums who's babies have slept for 12 hours from when they were 4 weeks old. I am TIRED here people.

*sigh* so no advice from me hun, I don't have any. Just wanted to join you in solidarity. As you know, it gets easier as they get older. Hang on in there.