The stresses of being a night shift Mummy

I thought I had this night shift Malarky all sorted but today is proving to be hard work. I got home on Tuesday morning at 1 am, I went to sleep in the spare room as Iris was being good for Daddy and slept till 6.  Daddy got me up and then Iris woke at 6.30. I had one nap in the afternoon for an hour and then at 8 pm left for work. Iris slept really well sleeping from 7.30- 2.30 then till 5.30 till 7! Wish she would do this when I'm about.....anyway! I finished at 6.30am got on the 7.08 train back to Brighton and got on the connection. First hurdle of the day my connection does not go near my house so I have to walk 1.2 miles fine usually but I'm pretty tired by now! 

When I arrive home Iris is so pleased to see me and she wants Boobie of course as she has not had it for about 14 hours. My mum is on duty caring for her from 7. I've not long been in the door when she falls off the sofa! She then clings to me and my mum is trying to get her ready to go out so I can sleep. I finally get to rest at 9.45 and my mum comes back at 12.15 

I say to My mum has she has a sleep? 'No' she wouldn't go. Now Iris has nursery from 1 and because she is the life and soul of the social party going to sleep at nursery usually doesn't happen. I see that she has become a clingy grumpy mess and start to put her in the high chair for lunch when my mum says 'I don't think she will be hungry she has had quite a few chocolate buttons'. Now I'm thinking what am I going to do with her, in my head it was simple she was going to nursery for 1 and I was sleeping until 5 and then picking her up! 

I give Iris some proper food which, she does eat and then take her up stairs to change her nappy where she protests and screams. I find the biggest pooh explosionin her nappy into her vest and know now that is why she wasn't sleeping, I wouldn't be either! 

I eventually get her down at 1, I maybe have 30 minutes sleep before she wakes again at 2.15 and then it's off to nursery we go. By the time I get back it's almost 3, I have lunch as I'm hungry and try to sleep again by 4 I'm still wide awake wondering how today had gone so badly wrong when I had my mum and nursery booked! Finally my alarm Goes off at 5 no more resting for me as I collect Iris make her dinner, make us dinner, bath her and put her to bed ( well try). 

Since I refuse to feed her at night now she won't go down for me very easily and constantly plays up- it's majorly frustrating and it's like she knows that it annoys me and it's pay back for no Boobie. I even got her shaking her head from side to side tonight in some frenzy and I'm looking at her thinking does ADHD start this young?! 

Daddy comes and saves the day at 7.15 when I've shouted at her and had enough of her hyperactivity and need to get ready for work. 

Now here I am on the train again on my way to work with an even busier day on the cards tomorrow as Iris is at my Mum and Dads and I Have a hair appointment. I only hope my night tonight is not too busy but that is extremely unlikely! 

Fanfare, drum roll, flags out......!

PWell this has been a long time coming. It's ironic to think that I have spent months exhausted, crying into my pillow, walking round like a zombie, Listening to advice, trying to close my ears to advice, eating copious amounts of chocolate, swearing at people under my breathe if they dare mention the S word and all it really needed was for me to stop the one thing she loves 'the Boobie'. My current running sleep total asleep 7.10pm it's now 2.22 am STILL ASLEEP! 

I didn't want to say anything in case I jinx it but I've never had 7 hours straight before so I'm counting my blessings! 

Ok, so I fell back to sleep and woke again at 4 and she then woke up wanted Boobie but settled for water and went back down waking at 7! Er I'm not sure what happened, was she swapped in the night?! 

To say I'm relieved that she can actually do it is an under estimate but I'm more happy with work and not sleeping. 

Anyway,  I may be getting way ahead of myself here and this may be a fluke, so I better celebrate it whilst I'm feeling fresh as a daisy! 

Yesterday we wore Iris out at Monkey Bizness at Lewes she then fell asleep and had 1.10 min nap at 11.20 she woke had lunch went to play park, we then went food shopping. She had macaroni cheese and a yoghurt for dinner at 5. She then had some Breast milk and watched 'in the night garden' bedtime bath at 6.45 into bed, Daddy putting her to sleep and out for the count at 7.10! 

I had magnesium yesterday too, still don't know if they are helping but her sleep has been much better whilst on these. So all these combined factors, one nap, good food, worn out, no Breast milk and Magnesium may be the answer! 

It's all about the boob!

I had my first full night shift at work last week and my first full night away from Iris. In my head I thought she will be dreadful for Daddy come 4am when she tosses and turns for me on and off the boob she will do this for him, (obviously not on and off his boob) he will have a terrible night. 

Oh how wrong can I be? ......

She is put down on the co sleeper ( the bit she won't sleep on for me) by daddy at 7.30 I leave for work at 8. FIVE AND A HALF HOURS LATER SHE WAKES!!!!!!!! 1am that's right, 1 flaming am she wakes for Daddy. I was elated and gutted all in an instant. It doesn't stop there as she then does till 2.30-4.30 then up at 6.15. If you had given that night to me, I would have thought I had won the jackpot! As it happens as soon as I'm home here again for a night she wakes all the frigging time, this is getting me down. I should get it in my head now it's all about the Boobie and her frequency may diminish when it ends. I'm thinking about doing it now but definitely sure for next weekend as I'm working 4 nights in a row what can possibly go wrong?!

It is sad for me to think that the one thing I have been doing since she was Born is possibly the one thing that is making her sleep terrible. After last night being so frigging awful for sleep or lack of it. I swear someone was laughing at my expense last night. Iris has a cold and cough and so I was trying to get her to sleep propped up so she could breathe. I would manage this for about twenty minutes then she would cough and wake herself up and cry and move towards me. I would hold her try and get her back to sleep whilst sitting up and put her down she would wake again. By 3 am I hadn't slept and was getting really annoyed and was trying everything for her to stay asleep a little longer. I'm on the Internet trying to stay awake whilst Iris sleeps in my arms. At 5, I'm close to breaking point as I think she is asleep put her down and she wakes AGAIN AAGGGHHH! I give her some medicine as she is pulling her ears and she eventually drops off around 5.25. I settle down to get some sleep then I hear this beep. Listening as I'm not sure what it is I hear it again then again. Then I realize it's the fire alarm battery and it goes off every 40 seconds sigh. To top it off Daddy's alarm then goes off at 6.15 and Iris is up full of beans at 7. To say I was exhausted would be true. For the first time ever I put the TV on in our bedroom and put the side of the co sleeper on and let Iris watch a bit of cbeebies whilst I laid with my eyes shut for ten more minutes. I had to laugh as Iris leant through the bars and  pokes me in the face and then gets her sippy cup and bashes it against the railings until I get up! 

Daddy is putting her to bed tonight. I am sleeping away from the co sleeper 

and hope that it's no way near as bad and daddy can deal with the wake ups. I deserve a night off!