Sleep deprivation is killing me

My baby has never been a ‘good’ sleeper, longest stretch she’s done in 5 months is about 5 hours. But currently she seems to going through the 4 month sleep regression at 5 months? Shes also teething and I think that is making her even more restless, the longest we’re getting is about 2 hours then after midnight she’s up almost every hour. My partner gets up with her half the night but because she’s in the next to me I hear every moment/moan/cry. My brain feels like it’s melting. My patience for everything is wearing thin. Anyone else struggling and or been through this and is out the other side?

in our community

I’ve given up being anonymous 😂

Hi mums, I’m really looking for some advice because I’m feeling angry and hurt.

I’m a first-time mum and my son is still very young. Over the past few months, things with my mother-in-law have become increasingly difficult. There have been hurtful comments towards me, criticism about my parenting, and issues with boundaries.

There was also an incident where my son was unwell and struggling with feeding. Instead of asking how he was or showing concern, we felt accused of lying or exaggerating the situation and keeping her away from him. That really hurt, especially as we were already worried and trying to do what was best for our baby.

My partner and I decided to take some space because the situation was affecting us as a family. I recently reached out to her myself because I genuinely wanted to try and talk things through calmly. I suggested meeting for a walk and having an honest conversation, but she ignored my message and instead called my partner while he was at work.

When he didn’t answer, she told him that if he didn’t answer, “this whole situation was going to get a whole lot worse” and that she had spoken to people who said she had a “high chance of winning.”

The thing that has really upset me is that she has previously told both me and my partner that she would take our son away from us. Hearing words like “winning” and “fighting for my grandson” has made me feel like my child is being used as a threat or a way to pressure us.

I completely understand that grandparents love their grandchildren and want to be involved, but I don’t believe a child should ever be used as leverage in adult disagreements. My partner and I just want a respectful relationship where boundaries are listened to.

At this point, I honestly feel like I don’t even want a relationship with her anymore. I feel like too much has been said and done, and I’m struggling to see how we move forward after feeling like my child has been used against us. Part of me feels like no contact is the only way I can protect my peace and focus on my little family.

Has anyone experienced anything similar with a family member? How did you handle it when someone brought your child into conflict or threatened to take them away? I’m just looking for advice and support because this has been really stressful.❤️

Nighttime feeds/diaper change

Hi mamas! How are we doing the nighttime feeds and diaper changes with a 3 year old that sleeps in the same room? My newborn makes a lot of noise during the diaper change and will always wake rhe 3 year old...I'm super exhausted now and its only been 5 weeks! Any tips and tricks??

Why do MILS / grandparents push boundaries

Needing to vent to some fellow moms who might understand.

On our very first night home with our newborn, our daughter had a rough time latching and cried most of the night. My husband and I were exhausted, overwhelmed, and just trying to figure things out. Instead of being helpful, both my mom and MIL completely panicked over the crying and added so much chaos that my husband ended up shutting the bedroom door on my mom just so we could breathe.

Ever since then, it feels like the focus shifted entirely to their hurt feelings. My mom cried because I didn't proactively offer to let her hold the baby while I was in the trenches of postpartum pain, and a month later, my MIL is still complaining about our boundaries (no kissing, waiting on visitors) with the whole "back in my day" speech.

I feel like those precious first days were stolen from us and turned into drama about them. We’re first-time parents just trying to keep our baby safe and adapt to this new life, but they seem determined to control the situation and guilt-trip us.

How do you all deal with grandparents who make your postpartum experience all about themselves?

Nursery Bug Survival Kit 🤧

My daughter is heading off to nursery in the next couple of weeks, so naturally I’m already stocking up on Calpol and Nurofen in preparation for the inevitable 18 month long cycle of back-to-back nursery bugs 😂

Am I missing anything from my shopping basket that I should have ready for her? What are your nursery sick day essentials?

And what about for me? As I know I'll get second hand whatever she brings home! I’m still breastfeeding, so I can’t have decongestants, which rules out my go to Lemsip😭 I’ve been stocking up on ginger shots instead, but I’m sure there must be some other BF-friendly remedies I’m missing.

What are your go to remedies for surviving the inevitable nursery bugs while breastfeeding? 🤧

Nursery routine

Hi moms!

Question on nurseries as I’ve jsut sent my 11m LO to nursery.

In terms of milk and snacks, ive noted:
1) if LO don’t take milk nursery staff don’t try again (for example if before nap he doesn’t take, they won’t try again after nap. But not jsut this particular example, but don’t they adjust accordingly?)
2) they feed tons of snacks (fruits)
3) don’t even know how much water he drank (not recorded)
4) nappies are jsut “wet” recorded on app (not sure how big or small wet nappies are)

I’m worried if he’ll be:
1) dehydrated
2) low milk intake
3) doesn’t eat much (except ALL
Fruits)

Is everyone’s like that??
If it is, I’m starting to question this with all the guidance on getting enough nutrients for the babies etc?

What about naps? He usually napes 1.5 hours nap 1 and 45min to an hour nap 2 at home. At nursery he jsut doesn’t nap.
Is any1’s LO taking only 1 nap at 11months without crying at night after?

Thankss!

Larygnomalacia??

My baby boy is 2 weeks old and we took him to the ER because he was having chest retractions and tugging in the throat area as well. He also does a wierd squeaking noise after feeding and when he’s sleeping on his back. Doctor diagnosed him with larygnomalacia and said he’ll outgrow it but I’ve been sick with worry because they didn’t seem to take the retractions seriously since his oxygen is 99%. Has anyone else gone through this with their baby and they ended up being fine? No scary stories plz 😅