Getting through the day and SO exhausted!

I love that my babies are smiling and cooing. It just melts me! They are such good babies, but some days it's SO hard to get through the day. It's just non-stop! Today I SO wanted a nap (and I'm not typically a napper). I got one baby to sleep and the other was fussing and then things switched--of course!

I take them out a lot and they are terrific. It also helps to break up the day. We were out this morning and the entire afternoon they kept me on my toes between feedings, playing, changing, and holding them if they were fussing or crying. I just wanted a BREAK.

I do want to say I get a few hours of help in the morning on Tues. and Thurs. I GET OUT of the house at these times and I love it. But most of the time it's just me. My family is close by but my sister has her own kids and my Mom isn't a hands-on Grandma. My DH is wonderful when he is home and will definitely afford me a break. I guess my question is: When you're alone with your babies and you are going and going, how do you pause and take a breath and a break? And do things get "easier" as they get older--I know it's never easy, but as they grow up, do you get a breather where you can actually take a catnap and even eat a meal without shoveling it down your mouth?

 

:hug: :hug:
I am not sure if it 'easier' for us now at 9 months, but it is different & definitely better!!
I am home all day long 5 days a week with the girls & they definitely tire me out, but we are having more fun now that they are older.
I have been pretty strict about their naps in the past few months & that time alone is SO important to me. I will put the girls back in their cribs for their 1st nap (around 9:30 or 10) and *hope* that they will sleep for 45 minutes. During this nap I have just started taking a nap too & it is AWESOME. During their afternoon nap (around 1pm) they sleep for a little longer, maybe 1.5 - 2 hours and this is when I tidy up the house etc.
It WILL get better & better the older they get & I think that we adapt more with time as well.
Hang in there!

 

It does get better as they get older, they get a little more predictable, more interactive and more fun! Their naps become a bit more consistent which means you can nap when they do if you want.
I sometimes just had to let them cry when I really needed to get something to eat or to go to the bathroom. I would put them in a swing or a bouncy, put on some music and sing to them as I tried to get in some basic functions.
I think its great you have some schedule times when you get out of the house and you get a break when DH gets home, keep making sure to do those things it will help you get through. Naps got more predictable for me around 4 months for the morning one, and around 6.5mnths for the afternoon nap. Now most days they nap for 1.5hrs at each nap.

it will come, hang in there!

 

Im not really lucky enough to get a nap and I usually eat meals gated in the kitchen but it is definately easier now they sleep all night. I wasnt really ever good in sleep deprived mode!They play by themselves and watch TV but it is still hectic all the time. Good luck

 

It does get better. Now at 7 months they can entertain themselves a little more. I can put them in their jumpers and eat breakfast or lunch. They like baby Einstein which can buy me 20 minutes of time to do whatever needs done without carrying a baby around. They can play around on the floor together doing the backward shuffle and are quite happy as long as I am near by to talk to them. The best is they are both on the same schedule, so most days I have a 2 hour window when they are sleeping to sleep or relax or get work done.

 

Our girls are 8 months tomorrow and while they keep me busy they are able to play on the floor with toys better than they could a few months ago. Last night I ran into a woman with 15 month old twins and she said "They can be a handful but it does get easier" I never would have thought 15 months would easier than 8... and I'm sure others would probably say it's not! I think that the older they get and the more than play together it will get easier, hang in there!

 

There are lots of days when I'm exhausted too! Sometimes when the girls are napping I will lie in bed and watch tv or just lie in the bed in the peace and quiet. For some reason I have a hard time actually falling asleep during the day. Also, bringing my girls with me to the play room at the gym helps me out tremendously, we go every other day and that gives me a 2 hour break to myself. Some days when I'm super tired I just put a big pillow on the ground next to where the girls play and spend most of the day relaxing on the floor and the girls love it b/c they just climb all over me.

I don't know that it actually gets any easier as they get older, but I think that after 11 months of taking care of them that I've just gotten better and more efficient at it. I'm just more used to it now.

 

I feel for you...you will get into more of a routine very shortly which will provide a bit more time for you. We still scarf down dinner whenever we can, and feel exhausted, but it's becoming more and more easier as the girls are able to self entertain for a bit, not fuss as much (unless they're tired or hungry), etc...For me, the first 3.5 months were just so tiring, and I have noticed each week after that getting more and more fun, and having even 20 minutes to myself is just wonderful!

Hang in there...we're all in the same position!

 

Thank you to all of you I love hearing that things do become easier in some ways and moreover it's comforting to know I'm not alone. I love TS

 

It went much better for mine around 5-6 months... when they started being ok just playing with toys on the floor and not scream during tummy time anymore. I usually spend time to relax during their naps too (and I keep them on the same schedule as much as possible), and it really helps.

 

I can't say it's 'easier' but, yes...better. I am still exhausted but in a different way. They sleep through the night so I'm not sleep deprived anymore but now that they are moving and getting into everything it's pretty tiring, mentally. They also go through really fussy periods when they are teething and that makes like unbearable at times. This age is fun though because I can play with them and they can play with each other and 'entertain' themselves for short periods of time. I don't think it will be 'easy' until they are....30?! LOL.

 

For me, it got A LOT easier once they were sitting up unasissted. It is the best and one of the easiest times IMO. At that point, they can sit up and see their world from a vertical postition, you can put a bunch of toys in front of them and since they can't crawl yet, they can't go anywhere. It's great. You can start to get some things done around the house better and you can actually sit and watch a grown up show or be on the computer and just plop them down next to you. I think it also gets easier once they can talk and communicate their needs without always crying for EVERYTHING. It get eaiser in so many ways and yet challenging in others but I personally find the challenges of them being older to be easier than the challenges of a newborn/infant.

 

. I followed the book Happy sleep habits happy child as a guide and got my two into some great sleep schedule. It wasn't possible before 3 month, but at your age i fed them changed them and into bed and let them have a bit more cry. They really learned to settle themselves. They go back to bed for their first nap 2 hours after being awake. It did keep me at home a bit more but they sleep 2 hours in the AM, 2 in the PM and sleep through the night (bedtime 6:30) It gave me time to myself. I did find at 4 months when they started to play with toys they were more entertained. When they start to crawl then I had to watch them again more closely. Start to baby proof your house now so it will be easier later.

Also, at 6 months they started to make strange and going out was more difficult. Each stage has different struggles I guess.....

They do get more and more fun as they start to do more too.

Heather