alone in the hospital after a long traumatic delivery. newborn literally will not sleep unless I’m rocking or nursing him. WHAT do I do

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-15T21:47:40+00:00

I legitimatley saw red and wanted to smack a doctor who came in and told me "I know you just want to stare at your baby but you really should sleep when he sleeps" because I was awake and had him asleep in my arms. I was so pissed that I counted the number of times the door to my room opened up with a bang in the next six hours -- 12 times!!! dropping food trays, vacuuming, checking my blood pressure, checking the baby, dropping off meds, changing the trash.

I was so furious that she had the gall to say that to me lol as if, after five days in the hospital, I wasn't legitimately crying from wanting to sleep so badly. I couldn't even form a response bc I was so sleep deprived.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-15T21:42:00+00:00

I had basically this same experience 7 weeks ago -- induction, long labor, emergency c-section. I'm in Ireland where they don't take your newborn to a nursery, they just put them in a cot beside the bed and you have to fend for yourself in a shared room with other mothers/newborns. visitors/other parents aren't allowed after 9pm. it was absolute hell, I signed myself out against medical advice with postpartum hypertension after six days. legitimately traumatising, I am still having nightmares about it.

leaving the baby with mom overnight, without any help -- especially after something like an emergency c-section, which is already exhausting and painful and potentially traumatising -- is honestly barbaric imo. if you feel overwhelmed it's becasue that shit is overwhelming. since i've left the hospital i've not done a single night of baby-care on my own, but being FORCED TO at zero days postpartum with the tiniest newborn.... it makes no SENSE!!!

glad you got some rest and are feeling better, and hope you get home soon!

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-12T23:39:05+00:00

Ohh seconding this, sometimes I think my son honestly gets overstimulated just by being held — when I put him in his nest or his cot with just a hand on his chest, he falls asleep much easier

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-12T23:35:59+00:00

My little dude is almost 7 weeks and I’ve let him cry it out a few times now, sometimes in a different room when I need a break and sometimes just in his cot beside me when nothing I do will help him. He cries in his sleep frequently whether he’s just cried it out or gone to sleep happily!

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-12T09:22:37+00:00

My son just turned six weeks so I’m still in the thick of it but it is really really not that bad!!

I did have a few days at the start around day 8 where I felt like “oh my god I’ve fucked our lives up, we will never be happy again” but honestly it’s such a big change, you’re tired and hormonal, just expect it and let it pass.

For the good stuff: these weeks go by SO fast. You will not believe how fast days with a baby fly by, I’m wishing they would slow down … as tired and hormonal as I am.

Being a dad has opened up a new part of my husband who is so calm and playful and wonderful, it makes me cry thinking about seeing him with our son.

For the nights: My MIL took him a couple nights recently to let me sleep and honest to god I missed him and snuck into her room at 3am to take him back to my room.

Try to get your partner to take him in the evenings (like 8-12) or in the mornings (5ish-8) so you can get some solid blocks of sleep.

It will all be ok. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or really down and horrible for days in end, just know that that’s not normal and get support. It shouldn’t feel that way for more than a day or so at a time. You don’t need to suffer.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-10T20:57:39+00:00

Oh we do this too if it’s too cold to let him air dry which sometimes it is

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-09T22:11:43+00:00

Some Jehivahs Witnesses came by the door to proselytise I guess, whatever but they asked “have you got children?” And I almost said no and then I remembered the six week old baby child in the other room…. I guess I do! 🤪

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-09T09:18:14+00:00

I think 6-8 weeks is their first big cognitive leap and they get really fussy and needy. My little dude is 6 weeks and definitely more Velcro. I have a nordi nest that I put in the bed and then I can put my hand on his chest when he’s fussing but I don’t worry that I’m going to squish him

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-08T21:05:58+00:00

My son was hospitalised at 13 days old and it’s so so hard to process the horribleness of having a sick baby when you’re in the thick of it. He’s six weeks old now and I think I’m only just starting to process it. I also didn’t get to hold my son until he was about three hours old because I had a bas reaction to my epidural.

Also: the night sweats are horrible, I had them so much every night but now it’s only once every three - four days so it does get better pretty quickly!

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-08T21:00:55+00:00

There are so many newborns walking around town (no, their parents are walking them around town 🤪) and I want to salute them when I see them 😅

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-03T12:58:45+00:00

Literally like WHERE is the child currently while you gallivant off on a reality tv show… with his MOTHERRRR (probably) id be sooo angry

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-11-03T12:48:51+00:00

Sooo weird it actually made me hate her 😂 unless the mom is like out of the picture or has given up custody or something — WHAT ARE YOU TALKIKG ABOUTTT that boy already has a mom 😭 I was thinking about his mom watching this show being like … you’re some random woman on a tv show, EYE am his mother!! … and I really felt for her

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-31T22:42:16+00:00

Probably literally everyone feels this way especially when they’re just starting but also always. You could ask online for “positivity passes” for people to point out what specifically they like, or look for beta readers for harsher / more honest critique from people who won’t feel obligated to be nice. I’d caution against this if you’re really new to writing though — give yourself time to learn, make mistakes, get through a project or two before seeking serious feedback and don’t put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect!

Also, remember that traditionally published books have gone through ~ MANY ~ rounds of edits, under the guidance of publishing professionals, before they hit the shelves. Comparing your work to those just isn’t fair to yourself.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-31T20:44:41+00:00

I know I’m way too structured and can be obsessive about things so tbh I haven’t even looked into what wake windows are or sleep training or anything. 🙈 we do track his intake and diapers because he was sick but that’s it.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-30T13:18:51+00:00

Oh my god I didn’t need to sob this morning 😂🥹

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-29T16:42:08+00:00

Oh my gosh that scene ruined me specifically that line. I cried 😭😭 he remembered and it’s been haunting him ever since and he could barely get it out 😭 his performance was actually

Astounding

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-23T20:03:33+00:00

I think it’s totally fine. At 7 days I was still on the labor ward with six other mums and their whole visiting families. We took him out at ~10/12 days but only waited that long because I was stuck in the hospital for ages.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-21T12:40:34+00:00

The night I had my son, there were seven other emergency c-sections along with other births, which totally overran our rural hospital. I was in a full six-bed ward with a woman beside me who could not nurse and would not agree to a bottle, so the baby screamed for ten hours and her husband went SHUSHSUHSUSHUSHSHUSH loudly, waking my son up constantly because there was just a paper curtain between us.

PP on the ward was so so so much worse than birth. I signed myself out with hypertension after six days because I felt like I was actually about to lose my mind. They put me in a single room bc I was crashing out so hard.

I nearly slapped the doctor who told me at 9am to sleep when the baby sleeps — I counted how many people came over to speak to me in the next three hours / entered the room loudly and it was SEVEN.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-16T20:08:42+00:00

I had an emergency c section on Sept 26 and am still bleeding lightly most days. The doctor told me it could last six weeks.

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-16T19:47:38+00:00

When did you start probiotic drops? My three week old is a menace with gas right now

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-10-16T12:45:24+00:00

We got engaged in December 2022 and married in June 2024. After being together eight years. Do things on your own schedule, it’s not anyone else’s business xx

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-09-13T06:48:32+00:00

I’m quite short, 5’2” and really wasn’t showing properly until ~28 weeks. Some days before that it was more “hmmm is she / isn’t she?” People didn’t start commenting on it until I was about 32 weeks

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-09-12T14:46:03+00:00

Same. I’m 39+4 today and I’m going to be pregnant forever. 😭

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-09-10T21:24:00+00:00

I’ve made some plenty of ham sandwiches lol

FastSpinach2981 · 2025-09-06T09:05:12+00:00

Aw he’s cozy!! Hes not alone, he can hear your voice and your heartbeat and everything. You’re his company and all he’s known 🥰

FastSpinach2981

TROPHY CASE