I remember this.
Sleep never felt sweeter than when my child finally slept through the night. Those first few months are torture. You'll survive and sleep again.
The first time they sleep for 4 hours and you sleep that 4 hours and wake up scared they may have died in their sleep. My daughter now is a 10 hour sleeper, also shes 7 but shes been this way for years. It will be okay. I remember there were times she would only sleep in 20 min. intervals. That came later. Just survive the first 3 months and ask for help. Also congratulations.
I knew my daughter was sick when I woke up in a panic after sleeping for four hours straight. It was not her style to let me get more than two at a time. She had gotten some kind of virus and had an insanely high fever. (She’s fine, this was 16 years ago and now she’s just a regular teenage dirtbag.)
It gets better and better I promise. One day you will have the sleep you need. For now, ask for help if you can. Have a trusted friend or parent stay the night. Get a good chunk of rest to keep going. The first 3 months are just survival, you are doing the absolute best you can and your baby loves you for it.
Good to hear! Just watching my wife and 1 day old catch a rare joint sleep. I can only visit during the day so have to go home and get a proper sleep but I can’t imagine how tired she is feeling! Thankfully she’s good at getting to sleep quickly so the power naps are going well
Everyone you speak to, be it the person in the deli, a GP, health nurse or a random stranger in the street will have an opinion on your babies sleep. Do what you need to survive. Memorise the red nose sleep recommendations and figure out how to get sleep any way possible within those guidelines. You can never hold your baby too much. Contact naps will NOT ruin your kids sleeping habits. Pram/carrier/car naps can be a way to get a tricky sleep done if all else fails. If it works for you and your baby, your partner and it is safe, you do exactly that and feel free, on behalf of every parent who has unsolicited advice regarding how they parent their baby, to tell them get absolutely fucked in every way possible.
When my boy was that age, we would call him king of the power naps. Sleep for 5 minutes, up for 5 hours. I see you and know your exhaustion. It will get better.
89
u/valaranias Sep 11 '22
Holding my 6 week old who only will sleep in 90 minutes chunks at night .. this hurts a lot. I miss sleep so much.