Also prof working moms

[hannamarin]

How do you do it without dying of exhaustion?
I am not working and I am sooo tired. I nap with the baby for at least 40 min per day. I am scared to go back. Yes, she will stop waking at night...but that is only once now and she will get sick or have nightmares....

[Deleted]

Hanna-- it sucked going to work sleep deprived. It really did.

Things are better now that DD sleeps through the night but it was rough until DD was about 18 months

This is also why we co-slept-- at least I'd get SOME sleep.

[Deleted]

To be honest, I adapted a lot better then I expected. Especially the first couple months I came back-- it was not unusual for me to only get about 4 hours of sleep. There were plenty of mornings I felt like ass, but my job is so busy most of the time (as I believe yours is too) that I didn't have time to get sleepy. The last 2 months, DH has started stepping up and taking over a lot of the nighttime stuff (she doesn't need to BF at night anymore) and that has helped tremendously.

[hilwithonelary]

I'm not working now, but I did from when DS was 8 weeks to 15 months. Until he was STTN at 9 months, I made myself go to bed every night by 9 or 9:30. It was really rough in the beginning when he was up 2-3 times, but it was a lot more manageable once he was down to one wake up around 4 months.

[Deleted]

May 11, 2012 17:16:10 GMT -5 hilwithonelary said:

I'm not working now, but I did from when DS was 8 weeks to 15 months. Until he was STTN at 9 months, I made myself go to bed every night by 9 or 9:30. It was really rough in the beginning when he was up 2-3 times, but it was a lot more manageable once he was down to one wake up around 4 months.

Yes, I forgot to mention, going to bed early is key. I still have to go to bed by 9:30 to even have a shot at getting 7 hours of sleep.

[Deleted]

yes, I regularly go to bed around 9

[Mushe]

Ditto going to sleep early. DS goes down between 8:30-9, and I follow him shortly thereafter. I'm up between 5:30-5:45 to get ready before I wake him. We're lucky that he's a great sleeper.

[hannamarin]

If I stay at my current job, I will do at least 2 shifts per week until midnight. Cross fingers that something else opens up closer to my return date. Then I can do 3 x 12 hr shifts per week

[Deleted]

May 11, 2012 17:46:48 GMT -5 @hannamarin said:

If I stay at my current job, I will do at least 2 shifts per week until midnight. Cross fingers that something else opens up closer to my return date. Then I can do 3 x 12 hr shifts per week

3 x 12 is what I do now. It has its problems, but for the most part, I think I like it better than a typical 5 day work week.

[Ashley&Scott]

We cosleep which really helps, when DS wakes to eat overnight it only takes 10-15 minutes. Ditto everyone else, go to bed early.

[karinothing]

I had a breakdown a week before I went back to work because DS was waking up every hour and I didn't know how the heck I would function. However, soon after that he started only waking up one or twice (and it is for 15 minutes max). So that helped. I also go to bed early and I weaned myself off naps the week before I went back ha ha.

I think I am naturally okay with little sleep though.

[luvmagoldn]

With the twins I was on ML for six months so they were in good sleep patterns by the time I went back to work. With #3 I went back at nine weeks and was running on fumes for about five months.

I couldn't rest when I got home or even when the baby went to bed b/c I had twin toddlers who wanted time with me as well. I used to nod off while pumping at work. And I know for a fact I fell asleep on a conference call (luckily it was a listening only type of call). I woke up sitting in my chair with my head thrown back. I MUST have been snoring based on the position I was in.

It will get better as you fall in to a rhythm and the LO sleeps better. Hang in there!

[h]

I just function on relatively little sleep. My kids are both awful sleepers--I could count on one hand the number of nights I have had an uninterrupted night's sleep since DS2 was born over 2 years ago. I think you just adapt and do what you have to to get through it. It is kind of like finals week fior 2-3 years straight. Honestly, though, I would be screwed if not for the fact that I can function well on relatively little sleep. I come from a long line of non-sleepers--neither of my parents ever sleep more than 4-6 hours a night, and 3 of my 4 grandparents were the same way (which likely explains why my kids are craply sleepers).

[mie]

I've learned to function on less sleep. Once things settled down, we were crazy enough to have another one and the cycle started again.

[Deleted]

May 11, 2012 17:06:27 GMT -5 @iheartcosmos said:

Hanna-- it sucked going to work sleep deprived. It really did.

Things are better now that DD sleeps through the night but it was rough until DD was about 18 months

This is also why we co-slept-- at least I'd get SOME sleep.

The sleep deprivation was awful! Like I said in the other thread, my work performance suffered. There were times I would take a nap in my office because I was just exhausted.

I co-slept too. This is one reason I left the bump because all you hear at TB is how great of a sleeper their kids are and how they seem to make co-sleeping a terrible thing.

DD was waking up 2-3 times. Then took forever to put her back to sleep. I told H I'm dreading having a kid #2 because of how tough the 1st year was.

[katiescarlett]

Go to bed early. Sleep in as late as possible. Sleep with baby if that helps. Drink lots of caffeine. I am still surprised by how I can function on no sleep. I was always a 9hrs/night girl till I had kids. Now I just...do it. Somehow we all survive!

[Deleted]

You get used to it. Somedays it sucks, but they will eventually sleep better and you can nap on the weekends.

[dcrunnergirl]

Your body adjusts and you get used to it. I went back to work when the twins were 4 months. They didn't start STTN until 8 months. The key to our survival was early bedtimes for them and us and making sure to exercise a few days/week. That gave us a lot more energy.

[Jem]

Coffee.

But really, you just get used to it. It's your new reality so you adjust and make it work.

[partiallysunny]

It sucks for a loooong time. My work suffered for awhile. As long as I made deadlines though, I figured no one could complain. While I was still breastfeeding, I coslept. After he weaned H got up with LO at night. He was a life saver. So was sleep training.

The get-to-bed-early advice is nice in theory, but it never worked out for me. I would say I was going to bed early, but I always went to bed at 11pm. Maybe once a week I'd get to bed by 9pm because I was so worn out.

Edit: Ditto the "you get use to it".

[Maeby]

A lot of what everyone else said. DD didn't STTN until 11 months. We co-slept and I went to bed at 9. I realize now how I could only handle the minimal at work. And I started drinking a cup of coffee daily for the first time in my life. You just do it. I do not miss that first year.

[Deleted]

My baby is 6 months old and I've been back to work for a month now. Today I can barely keep my eyes open. I want more than anything to close my door and sneak a nap. It sucks, but you power through somehow.

[hannamarin]

At least I get a year off

[Deleted]

I just came back to work after a year off. Things change a lot by the time a baby is a year old. Unfortunately, mine still sleeps like crap. I'm tired some days, but mostly I'm functional. It actually helps that I've been biking to work, as that's a few minutes of fresh air to wake me up. I think most babies are sleeping by a year... mine just didn't get the memo and is not impressed at our (many) attempts at sleep training.

[slug*bug]

I'm really tired (esp. after #2, because she still doesn't reliably STTN) and it's hard. I'm lucky that DH is great and we split kid/household duties pretty much 50/50.

That said, I think SAH can be just (if not more!) exhausting. At least at work, I could zone out for a few minutes if I needed a break...not so much at home!

[Sxia]

Take turns with DH going to sleep early. I actually am bad about sleeping when they are because I need my "me time" and feel like "I'll sleep when I'm dead." But I would routinely say "I'm sick of getting two two hour naps instead of actual sleep."

And occasionally, I'd fall asleep just after dinner and DH would handle bedtimes. Occasionally, he'd fall asleep early and I'd take bed duty. We often fall asleep reading to the kids and will wake up around midnight and head to our own beds.

Now DD is 5 and always sleeps in her own bed about 10-11 hours. DS is 3 and will climb into bed with us about half the week, but knows how to do it quietly so I don't wake up until the morning and he's just there with us. I get at least 6-7 hours a day now, which is great.

This sounds crazy, but it's only a couple of years. You'll get through it. (Get a sitter or a friend or mom to take the kids every once in a while so you and DH can both SLEEP.)

[egishere]

I work FT and absolutely am more exhausted on the days I am home with my kids! My kids were sttn right around 4 months when I had to go back to work so it's been good. We have our days though and I am alone with them a lot because DH travels for work. You can do it though! I'm sure she will be sleeping much better by the time you go back to work and you will fall into your new routine easily.