H took the baby to the livingroom let me sleep undisturbed from 6-9am, so that helped quite a bit.
I have a ring sling and a Lillebaby, but I havent used them yet because he really isn't awake for long stretches (and I'm intimidated to try them out to be honest.) Its like, wake up, change diaper, feed, fuss, change diaper again sometimes, fuss, pass out.
Occasionally he'll be awake for an hour or two fussing. I just have no idea if I'm supposed to try to keep him awake longer or not and half the time I'm too scared to try anything new because I just want him to fall asleep.
Try out the Lillebaby. It is really easy when you get the hang of it.
DS gets bored being inside, but loves being outdoors, so we spent so much time walking while I was on maternity leave.
Post by christy082 on Jan 31, 2017 16:19:15 GMT -5
Omg, the beginning just sucks. Newborns are HARD, and sleep deprivation is brutal.
My best advice is if someone offers help, take it. Find them something specific to do- whether it's watching the baby while you nap, doing a load of laundry, or cleaning something for you. I never imagined that I would be comfortable asking my MIL to clean our bathroom, but I did and it was so helpful.
It does get better and you aren't doing anything wrong. It's survival mode in the beginning.
I was overwhelmed with my first, but with the second, it was BAD. Turned out, I had post partum depression and went on meds for about 2 month. The meds helped so much. I'm not saying that is what you have, I'm just saying you have been through a lot with the baby and additional health issues. If you feel that there is more going on that just exhaustion, please call your dr. It's okay to ask for help. HUGS!
I liked this with empathy-not that you had PPD!
I didn't get diagnosed with PPD until my first kid was 9 months old. Until then I was constantly choking back tears and the instinct to run. I felt I had destroyed my life and could never fix it. Plus she had undiagnosed silent acid reflux which I thought was colic for the first 12 months. We had no family or babysitters for the first one. It was awful, but slowly got better.
My second kid almost died of an undiagnosed UTI at 8 weeks old, because fracking Kaiser wouldn't give him an antibiotic. (I'm still so resentful about that!) But despite some medical issues, it was way better in the early months because we planned babysitters twice a week.
And my sisters had very easy babies, so I hear that can happen too!
Anyway, it's rough in those first few months no matter what. Hang in there, it absolutely gets better!
Post by peachdragon on Jan 31, 2017 19:25:50 GMT -5
Like everyone else says, IT GETS WAY BETTER. I did not like the newborn stage at all, and evevn now I don't get all squishy inside when I see one. It was about 4-5 months before I started feeling really happy again. That's not long in the whole scheme of things.
I agree with others saying to get out of the house every day. It breaks up the monotony and made me feel less hopeless and anxious.
Life soon after the birth of a first child is inevitably hard, but it gets so much better.
It never gets easy though, just a lot easier.
Diapering, feeding, night waking, burping, rocking, bathing, changing clothes, potentially getting peed on, these all take a toll.
Cville mentioned getting out. Once I healed up from my c-section, I took my son on near daily walks.
I felt lonely. It was a hard first few months. I got a therapist when my son was around five months old.
I was exhausted. I feared he would get hurt every second of the day. He didn't sleep well. I needed her (my therapist). I didn't have any other emotional support. Definitely reach out and get connected to other moms, who will be supportive of you and kind. Get whatever help you need.