Weekends are for resting

Weekend is here and there is a house full of illness;1 sigh. Luckily Iris is relatively well compared to her poor mum who is barking like a dog coughing and has lungs that feel like they are on fire. Daddy also has a cold, so of course he has man flu and it's much worse than my chest infection!

I took Iris to a 1st birthday party for one of her NCT friends, we had a lovely time. It was hard work however; Iris is like a whirlwind and the life and soul of the party.  She is into everything lol and not even walking! The party was in a hall with hundreds of toys available to play with. Iris had a couple of favourites, the ball pit, the Tikes Cosy car and the slide. When it came to eating; Iris wanted it on the go or not at all. She then decided stealing other babies food either out of their hands or off their plates was much better taking a nibble then throwing it over her shoulder! Honestly not sure where she gets her table manners from!

My chest was hurting from talking and running after her and after about the tenth time of rescuing her from trying to climb up the slide the wrong way we went home but not before sampling a piece of yummy cake.

Iris received her first party bag (mummy totally excited about this) and starts to think of ideas for Iris's party In two weeks time. 

Once I was home, I realised how I had over done it and Daddy took Iris to see Grandma for a few hours. 

I watched Fortitude (love this) and laid on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. 

Last night was again not great at all. Iris went to sleep by 7.30 again holding dummy and listening to white noise. The White noise stopped working and she woke up about an hour later :-( she then was really restless and woke twice more before I went to bed at 9.30- yes even on a weekend! I'm far too exhausted with my chest infection to stay up and watch rubbish tv. 

I slept, Iris woke, I coughed my guts up Iris and Daddy woke, I slept,  Iris woke  and this is how my night went and I was so fed up by 1, I tried to sleep in spare room and Iris then realised I wasn't there and starts crying! Aaaggghh. Of course then the clocks change and I feel like I've lost a whole lot more than 1 hour. Iris decided she wanted to get up at 4 again, I don't know why?! I managed to get her back to sleep about 6 and we slept till 8.30. Iris up for the day and full of beans! Mummy up for the day and exhausted. :-( daddy feeling poorly so not much fun here today! Think it will be a day of rest and more antibiotics ho hum! X 

Only 3 more days till I'm back to work again sniff :-(

Well the cough is well and truly putting a spanner in the works here. It's me not Iris, it's all lovely and quiet then boom my cough erupts which wakes the entire nation. Our night was average: asleep in my arms again just holding the dummy and no Boobie since her afternoon nap! She falls asleep quickly with white noise and I put her down in the co sleeper.  Her cough wakes her three times before I get into bed at 9, then I'm coughing and on the internet updating my face book page. I eventually get to sleep after feeding her about ten thirty and she wakes before 12,2 and decides Boobie, water and white noise at 4am isn't enough she wants to get up 😩 after keeping me awake till 5.30!!!!! My husband takes her downstairs then and I cough my way back to sleep and she comes back up to me at 7. The picture below is what she is doing now! Why not earlier?! I will never know x

Day 333 in the Trussler household

So Iris decided it was time to get up about 6.40 today, not too bad I suppose. She sleeps in a co sleeper attached to our bed, as the cot to her has become somewhere she doesn't feel safe and no matter how much I try to force it, she doesn't sleep well there at all. So for my sanity about 5 months ago I got my Dad to help me and he converted a cot and attached it to our bed, it's been the best thing for not going bonkers (although some may say it's too late). 

Last night asleep by 7.40 and woke 25 minutes later then woke again before I could get my sorry arse to bed. Daddy went into her but nope only mummy will do as she is 'the working Cow' lol. I'm trying to wean her at the moment....hum, how is that going?! 

Some days good, some days bad. I have managed to get her to sleep now after months of sitting in the rocking chair by just being in my arms. She now holds a dummy she doesn't suck and never has and she just closes her eyes and goes to sleep! No boobie amazingly, but white noise is played very loud to the tune of rain or a vacuum cleaner. She listens to it, zones out and is off to the land of nod. I'm working towards laying her down and being able to get her to sleep with the dummy and the noise without me. I know this will not stop her from waking as I have managed something similar in the cot, only to then have multiple wake

 ups.  The only thing worth a try which I haven't done since she was born is to wean her. She sometimes gets to 1 or 2 without having a melt down for boob, but tonight she got to 9 ( from 5.30). After she was fed she didn't wake again until 23.55 for boobie, at this point very tired, I fed her again but when she woke at 3, I tried to keep her off the boob, turning the White noise up and changing the sound and giving her dummy and water. It worked she went back to sleep on and off but not for long resorting in me feeding her around 4.30. This made her then go through till about 6 and in my last ditch attempt to keep her asleep a bit longer offered boob again and white noise up and she made it to 6.40. This was a good night for her. Waking x2 before I went to bed and then waking at 11.55,3 a few times from 3-4 then at 4.30,6 and finally getting up at 6.40. 

Today we have a busy morning:

Off to Slimming World for my weekly sanity check, pop into see Grandma on the way back and then Iris is in nursery. This gives me a few hours to catch up

On things.... It actually gives me a few hours to buy a magazine and go and get a coffee and sit and have a quiet rest for a while. I get in trouble often for not doing anything...the truth is I can't be arsed to clean or put washing on. Today, I have to get my bike fixed ready for work next week. I have to do this today 😞

Hope you have a good day ❤️

Quick overview

For those of you that don't know me my blog won't make much sense.

Quick catch up:

Iris is now 11 months old since she was about 3 1/2 months old she has been frequently waking at night. A good night may be 5 wake ups and a particularly bad; I think I noted 15! 

Anyway,  she does suffer a bit from Silent Reflux and I think this has helped her sleep suffer. I also believe that she is Breast fed and again this doesn't help sleep but is definitely the best thing for her and I love every minute of it.

My role as mummy since this has started happening was to help make her sleep longer and be comfortable so I try things out and believe there is a solution somewhere just haven't found it yet!

 I'm not after much, 5 hours would suit me but I'm not even close; with 3 being a usual and 45 minutes the norm. In my book, there is no such thing as sleeping through the night! 

Despite these frequent wakings Iris is a delight and full of energy- she wears me out everyday! I'm not bitter about her not sleeping well, I just want what's best for her development and everywhere you look sleep seems to be key. 

There are very few websites out there to support mums who are sleep deprived without wanting your money!

I need to dump my thoughts and funny stories down or else I might go a tad insane,  whilst I'm on this journey with Iris as I don't get a lot back (conversation wise) from her and the people who know me well, know I LOVE TO TALK!!!

Day 332 in the Trussler household

 Well? Tonight Daddy is sleeping in the spare room so Iris and I have the lovely King Sized bed all to ourselves. 

I am super tired today, feeling wired surviving on less than 4 hours sleep after getting in at 2.15am from a late shift at work and Iris deciding to get up at 6.30! 

She did have a nap for over two hours in the morning, but I only managed a nap of half of this as was too busy watching 24 hours in A&E, I'm addicted! 

No more naps after the two hours from 9-11 oh no that's far too much to ask especially when mummy keeps yawning. 

Sigh!

So last nights sleep as far as I'm concerned for me :-super! I can't remember waking up but had child attached to my boob when I did open my eyes, so guessing my plan of weaning went out the window at some point in the night. I might add before I got into bed around 9, Iris had done 5 wake ups- just to keep me on my toes and 

the lbs off! 

Her new thing this week is holding a dummy which she has never accepted and falls asleep in my arms?! Even does this for Daddy! Does this stop her frequent wake ups?! nope!

Introducing me x

Well here I am 11 months into being a  Mummy and writing my first blog.....I have lots to tell you in the hope that in return you will follow me and offer your support, tips, guidance, humour and sanity!!
I'm a 35 year old mummy to one fiesty little girl called Iris. I'm on maternity leave and soon to be returning part time, I've spent the best part of 11 months awake with my daughter whom doesn't sleep ( well not like you and I). I need to write this just to feel normal and like I can talk to someone because Iris isn't answering and probably is sick to death of my voice!

Iris was born back in April 2014, she was a perfect, 7lb 9 baby albeit a bit quick (7 hour labour) and she came into our lives and the roller coaster began.
Not being a mummy before everything was new, she was tiny, I was Breast feeding, sore, tired and to be honest bloody terrified of pretty much everything, especially that she would die. Is it normal to keep checking if they are breathing? I was so worried I had Iris on an Angel Care Monitor in her Moses basket from day 1.  I suppose this is when the sleep deprivation began for me and it's never stopped. Not for lack of trying I can tell you...

Iris started not sleeping. I think I noticed it around month 3 when people started saying those dreaded words 'my child slept 7 hours, my baby slept through the night' etc etc Yada yada yada. I don't want to hear it!
Iris has never slept more than a few hours the most she ever did once was 7 hours and a complete fluke and never to be repeated again. At around 12 Weeks she was diagnosed with Silent Reflux as she kept doing some very strange things at night and having terrible hiccups and burping. At night after feeding she would wake up  after making noises and crying.  Her sleep went to 45 minutes naps and trying to get her to sleep during the day was an impossible task. Things have come a long way since then, except Iris still is not sleeping.  How can this be?
If there is a gimmick out there remotely linked to sleep I'm on it. If there is a herbal remedy, a toy, pillow, onesie, food, drink, sleeping ritual out there that may and I mean MAY help Iris to sleep I'm
Interested and I want it yesterday. I have tried so many things and had many many disappointing set backs and so I thought I would write this blog detailing my roller coaster nights and sleep deprivation and what gimmicks I have tried and products tested so that people suffering the same as us can stop wasting their money!
 I'm writing this blog to save my sanity!