Need advice from you moms...

[lizbud]

That honey can be harmful to babies is a more recent realization of the medical profession than when your boy was a baby, Liz! Now I'd substitute a dab of maple syrup, instead - and maybe you'll raise a secret Northerner!

Thanks for the info Karen. Who knows, he might have been.

[AdoreMyDogs]

Thanks everyone. It's been very rough but I'm really trying to remain sane. Joycenalex, that comparison was amazing and wise. Yes lack of sleep is sometimes effecting my ability to parent because I'm far more irratable then I ever used to be but I have been utalizing friends to help me with Quinn when I think I'm at my wits end. That's only happened a couple times, but my friends have been a true blessing. I'm able to determine as a parent when enough is enough. I've actually called my neighbor friend in a sobbing fit, sobbing so hard I could barely speak, because I felt I was having a breakdown. I had had 3 hours or less sleep every night for 5 nights in a row, and the 5th day of this my body began to rebel. Stress is a bugger.

And regarding honey, yes it's very bad to give a child under 1 honey but that really IS a new thing, as my mom made us (my 2 brothers and I) herbal tea for tummy aches, and to calm us down and such, and she sweetened it with honey and we all turned out OK. What is most dangerous is the unrefined honey, the real yummy, raw stuff. The refined honey is less of a danger but still a no-no until they're 1 as far as I'm concerned (and the doctors). Thank you, Liz, for the advice. And wow, your son is an Aerospace Engineer...that's impressive! You're a sweet heart. And thank you, Missy, for the warning about honey, you also are a sweet heart!

I sleep with Vince in a bassinette becide me and when the sun begins to rise and there's a bit of light in the room I put him in my bed with me when he's fussing. He has a hard time latching while in bed and I need light to help "guide" him to where the milk is. I can't sleep well when he's in bed with me because I worry about hubby rolling on him, and because he snorts and grunts a lot, even when he's at rest and not fussing. I'm such a light sleeper that his snorts and grunts keep me awake.

K9kraze your comment made me laugh hehe. Trust me, when I've been up 6 times in one single night to feed the little stinker, the thought MIGHT go through my mind hehe.

Actually, for the first time since birth, last night he slept from 10:30pm until 4am. I couldn't believe it. He then woke me at 6am so I only woke up twice last night. It was the first in 8 weeks and it was wonderful. I think he secretlly went onto PT and saw the trouble he was causing me and felt bad. I'm praying he makes a habit of that because last night was wonderful! It was the most perfect early Mother's Day present he could have given me.

Tomorrow is Mothers' Day and I'm sleeping in! Daddy is getting up with Quinn and I'm staying in bed with Vince as long as my little darling will let me sleep

You all are wonderful. I thank you for the time and advice. I do hope it gets better. I will try to get him trained on a bottle so daddy can help with one feeding a night if he continues on the 1-2 hour feedings.

[Daisy and Delilah]

First of all, I thought Quinn was the most beautiful child I've ever seen but Vince is right there with her. Those two are just so darn cute it's unreal.

My kids are in their 30's now but this sounds so familiar. You have my sympathy, Leslie. I used to strongly dislike myself for wanting to get rid of the children at certain times. I think we're built to have just so much tolerance and that's it. Sleep deprivation compounds everything 10X over.

After reading your post, I wonder if you can get some help to give you a break? Hubby will be a Godsend tomorrow. I hope you can get some consistent help so you can have regular downtime. Having to go through this every day will turn you into a different person completely. I remember it well. Some days I could have jumped off a bridge and felt much better. It's very hard to do what you're doing. Feeling angry and upset is normal. At least I think it is.

My son was first and he was the quietest, best baby in the world. His sister came along and it was like night and day. She was so demanding, it almost killed me. I was sure I was going to bring harm to myself or something similar, just to get a reprieve. I had to carry her everywhere even though my back was breaking. She would cry if I didn't pay constant attention to her, etc. She also became colicky. My Grandmother was the only person that could calm her. Each time she started bawling, I had to pack her up and go to my Grandmother's to stop the crying and fussing. By the time I had gone through this for a month I had terrible black circles under my eyes. I looked 10 years older. Believe me, I've been through all of it.

34 and 36 years later, I love my kids with all my heart. I don't regret a single thing that happened with either of them. Both of them still have the same personalities they had back then. It's so funny. He's laid back and calm, she is go go go all the time and really dislikes being alone. She loves to have me with her(as I have said before, she's moved to NC so she wants me to join her).

The bottom line is: I survived it even though I didn't think I could. There is nothing easy about it. As you've heard, it seems to get tougher when they get older. Leslie, you'll make it through this and you'll be fine. I wish you the best of luck in getting some help as much as possible. You have to take time for yourself. You simply can't do it all. Even though most of us women try our best to do that every day.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

p.s. I forgot to mention. When my kids were small, honey was perfectly acceptable to use. I only heard not to give it to babies probably three to five years ago.

[Cataholic]

My son never had colic, thankfully, as that might have pushed me over the edge. He, however, never slept through the night until 14 or so months.

The one thing that did help was a visit with LLL, and a lactation consultant. I learned about cluster feeding, and that seemed to help some with the longer sleeps. (Like you, I didn't do the formula thing to fill him up- gets in the way of the supply issue!). And, I learned from LLL the true art of nursing while in bed- no light. That helped a lot, since I could lie down, and the light wouldn't wake anyone up more. I wonder if you can set up a mattress on the floor in the nursery, temporarily, to allow for co-sleeping? It might help.

The best news is that this IS temporary. And, when you find yourself becoming overwhelmed, remember that you are not spending the next 6 months like this...it is just 'one more night'.