sleep deprived moms
With the birth of her second child, a boy, Dominique's life changed dramatically. He was a perpetual screamer who slept only in short naps, and Dominique's physical and mental health deteriorated greatly from sleep deprivation lasting years and the constant noise the baby made. The stress felt by the whole family eventually led to her marriage breaking down.
"Compared to the pregnancy, birth and early months of my daughter my son Preston caused me trouble from the start," sighs Dominique.
"My joy at being pregnant soon turned to dismay when I started to pile on the pounds," says Dominique. "I ballooned from 110 lbs to 140 lbs in three months and by the end of the pregnancy I was 180 lbs."
"I've never had a weight problem so everyone was amazed when I started to put on so much weight and my doctor hadn't seen anything like it before in his life either," relates Dominique.
"He gave me regular tests and since I was otherwise healthy he told me not to worry - I'd lose it all after the birth - and that was true! What I took 9 months to put on dropped off within six weeks."
"Don't let anyone tell you that boy pregnancies are no different from girl pregnancies," says Dominique. "And don't let anyone tell you that boy babies are no different from girl babies."
"It was almost as if Preston was forcing me to store every morsel of food I ate rather than to eliminate it," says Dominique. "And yes I developed horrific hemorrhoids due to constipation."
"At six months I couldn't see my feet and because the cat nearly tripped me up going down the stairs one day my husband gave it to a work colleague to take care of - but we never got the cat back because things went from bad to worse after Preston was born."
"My sleep became disturbed very early in the pregnancy" says Dominique. "My husband had to move out of our bed to sleep on the sofa in the nursery because Preston was kicking me so much - and on the sofa in the nursery is where my husband stayed from then on until he got fed up with it all and left me."
"Preston's birth was induced - my obstetrician was a top guy and had strict hours for deliveries - and I wish he had given me the option for a caesarian because the whole thing was horrible - so unlike my daughter's natural birth."
"After the induction I went from casual cramps to violent cramps and then I was given an epidural and after several hours Preston was delivered by forceps - he was 10 lbs."
"At last all my troubles were over - or so I thought."
"Preston was very unsettled at the hospital - breast feeding was hopeless - so I took him home early in order to get him and myself settled into a familiar routine."
"From the minute we walked into our house Preston started screaming - and he kept it up on and off until he was about four years old."
"My husband was marvelous in the first two days - he took over almost total care of the kids while I got some sleep - and then he went back to work and I went stark raving mad listening to Preston screaming all day and all night."
"He'd never cry like a normal baby - he just screamed and screamed and screamed - and he would never sleep for more than an hour."
"No sooner than I had got him to sleep - and fell asleep myself - he would be awake screaming again. For twenty four hours every day for about four years this was to be the pattern of my life."
"We tried everything the doctor suggested in order to get Preston settled - we changed his formula to soy milk. We gave him colic mixtures. We moved him from a bassinet to a cot to my bed. We took him on long drives. We rocked him for hours. We bought every conceivable contraption and toy to distract his attention. The list of things we tried was endless."
"Kindly friends suggested I had post-natal depression and was imagining things," says Dominique, "but when I left Preston with a girlfriend for a few hours she changed her tune and couldn't wait to hand him back."
"My husband left me because he couldn't concentrate on work with so much drama going on at home," sighs Dominique. "By then, I actually didn't care whether he was there or not. We hadn't had sex since I'd fallen pregnant with Preston, and I dreaded the thought of getting pregnant again."
"Preston is at school now and sleeps for a maximum of six hours a night," says Dominique. "He is none the worse for whatever caused him to scream all that time. He's just one of those extraordinary people who don't need as much sleep as the rest of us."
"I have always needed eight hours of sleep every night," says Dominique, "so I am still suffering sleep deprivation even though I catch up with naps during the day."
"As a result of Preston's arrival into my life I have gone from a well-adjusted young woman into a nervous wreck. I can't bear to hear a baby crying - even softy - and I am so thankful that I am no longer in a situation where I am likely to get pregnant again."
"I never sought help for my nervous disorders because no drug will ever repair the damage of years of sleep deprivation and sensory assault," says Dominique, "and it's pointless blaming my husband, or Preston, for ruining my life."
"Our daughter, my firstborn, really enhanced the marriage, bringing my husband and I closer together than ever," explains Dominique. "But Preston drove us apart."
"It's the luck of the draw, I suppose, whether a baby makes or breaks a marriage."
"Compared to the pregnancy, birth and early months of my daughter my son Preston caused me trouble from the start," sighs Dominique.
"My joy at being pregnant soon turned to dismay when I started to pile on the pounds," says Dominique. "I ballooned from 110 lbs to 140 lbs in three months and by the end of the pregnancy I was 180 lbs."
"I've never had a weight problem so everyone was amazed when I started to put on so much weight and my doctor hadn't seen anything like it before in his life either," relates Dominique.
"He gave me regular tests and since I was otherwise healthy he told me not to worry - I'd lose it all after the birth - and that was true! What I took 9 months to put on dropped off within six weeks."
"Don't let anyone tell you that boy pregnancies are no different from girl pregnancies," says Dominique. "And don't let anyone tell you that boy babies are no different from girl babies."
"It was almost as if Preston was forcing me to store every morsel of food I ate rather than to eliminate it," says Dominique. "And yes I developed horrific hemorrhoids due to constipation."
"At six months I couldn't see my feet and because the cat nearly tripped me up going down the stairs one day my husband gave it to a work colleague to take care of - but we never got the cat back because things went from bad to worse after Preston was born."
"My sleep became disturbed very early in the pregnancy" says Dominique. "My husband had to move out of our bed to sleep on the sofa in the nursery because Preston was kicking me so much - and on the sofa in the nursery is where my husband stayed from then on until he got fed up with it all and left me."
"Preston's birth was induced - my obstetrician was a top guy and had strict hours for deliveries - and I wish he had given me the option for a caesarian because the whole thing was horrible - so unlike my daughter's natural birth."
"After the induction I went from casual cramps to violent cramps and then I was given an epidural and after several hours Preston was delivered by forceps - he was 10 lbs."
"At last all my troubles were over - or so I thought."
"Preston was very unsettled at the hospital - breast feeding was hopeless - so I took him home early in order to get him and myself settled into a familiar routine."
"From the minute we walked into our house Preston started screaming - and he kept it up on and off until he was about four years old."
"My husband was marvelous in the first two days - he took over almost total care of the kids while I got some sleep - and then he went back to work and I went stark raving mad listening to Preston screaming all day and all night."
"He'd never cry like a normal baby - he just screamed and screamed and screamed - and he would never sleep for more than an hour."
"No sooner than I had got him to sleep - and fell asleep myself - he would be awake screaming again. For twenty four hours every day for about four years this was to be the pattern of my life."
"We tried everything the doctor suggested in order to get Preston settled - we changed his formula to soy milk. We gave him colic mixtures. We moved him from a bassinet to a cot to my bed. We took him on long drives. We rocked him for hours. We bought every conceivable contraption and toy to distract his attention. The list of things we tried was endless."
"Kindly friends suggested I had post-natal depression and was imagining things," says Dominique, "but when I left Preston with a girlfriend for a few hours she changed her tune and couldn't wait to hand him back."
"My husband left me because he couldn't concentrate on work with so much drama going on at home," sighs Dominique. "By then, I actually didn't care whether he was there or not. We hadn't had sex since I'd fallen pregnant with Preston, and I dreaded the thought of getting pregnant again."
"Preston is at school now and sleeps for a maximum of six hours a night," says Dominique. "He is none the worse for whatever caused him to scream all that time. He's just one of those extraordinary people who don't need as much sleep as the rest of us."
"I have always needed eight hours of sleep every night," says Dominique, "so I am still suffering sleep deprivation even though I catch up with naps during the day."
"As a result of Preston's arrival into my life I have gone from a well-adjusted young woman into a nervous wreck. I can't bear to hear a baby crying - even softy - and I am so thankful that I am no longer in a situation where I am likely to get pregnant again."
"I never sought help for my nervous disorders because no drug will ever repair the damage of years of sleep deprivation and sensory assault," says Dominique, "and it's pointless blaming my husband, or Preston, for ruining my life."
"Our daughter, my firstborn, really enhanced the marriage, bringing my husband and I closer together than ever," explains Dominique. "But Preston drove us apart."
"It's the luck of the draw, I suppose, whether a baby makes or breaks a marriage."
Labels: boy baby, marriage, motherhood, pregnancy, screaming babies, sleep deprivation, women's health
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