Need advice from you moms...

[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'.