[freeshias4me]

Hello...

My name is Susan... I'm 36, and new wife, and new mother :) She is 7 months old, and a sweetheart.

Anyways, I am a "self-diagnosed" DSPS. I also have sleep apnea.
I have had DSPS symptoms since early childhood. I'm still trying to go over in my mind when, and how the symptoms started. (Maybe a little more info on that later...)

Anyways... The short of the matter...Is that I decided to come here because I gotten MUCH WORSE of late.

My baby usually wakes at 8 am, and stays awake for 1 1/2 hours, then I nap with her.
When we get up, I still feel like something the cat has dragged in. Actually, for the most part, on MOST days I feel so LOUSY, I feel almost like I'm drugged!!!
Anyways... back to story... When the baby takes her second nap, I may or may not nap too, depending on how I feel. By now, it's getting on about 1 pm or later...
I pour myself an espresso to wake up, and go on with my day...
I usually fall asleep again (yes, again!!!) sometime after 8PM, but only for 1 hour usually...Then am WIDE AWAKE....as in run around the block and dance all night type of awake...until I go to bed again sometimes in the wee hours of the morning (anywhere form 1 to 4 am).
It "seems" to work for me allright, as long as I catch some proper sleep once in a while.
I'll see.....
[My problem is, I have been having all kinds of pain when I sleep anything more than 3 hours at a time, ever since I had gallbladder attacks in June. I had it out, but the pain has stayed].

Years ago, when I still lived at home with my parents, I had the PERFECT sleep solution down pat to make me feel happy and healthy...
Go to bed: between 1 and 5 am
Awake: Between 11 am and 1pm

Of course, If I knew I needed to have an early shift at work (my schedule varied), I would adjust my sleep schedule over one or two days slightly, to accomodate. I was fine as long as I got 6 or 7 hours sleep before that shift. [My optimal sleep is 9 hours]

I tried the technique where you alter your sleep shifts for a permanent solution...But maybe I was doing it wrong, I don't know...But it NEVER remained a permanent solution. If I was regularly working 9-5, for example, I could do it.... But as SOON AS I would have Sat and Sun off (weekends), or stop the work shift (change to another shift), My normal sleep/wake times would rebound back, just like a rubber ball. I just try to work with it as best as I can, and have taken opportunites for sleep or certain shifts at work whenever I can.
-Susan

[Landveg]

Hi Susan -

I'm new here too, 39 and just started a corporate job. I've never had children, and one reason is that I worry that with the DSPS, I just won't be able to do it. So your post caught my eye since I'm reaching the age where I have to make that decision soon.

Did you worry about how DSPS would affect your family before you had the baby? Is it easier/harder than you thought it would be? Do you have help for mornings (husband, family, nanny) and are they understanding? I'm worried they'll just all think I'm lazy and a bad mother. :-(

I'd love to hear more about your story!

Julie

[freeshias4me]

Heya Julie...

My husband did consider me downright odd and strange ([probably lazy too)when I told him about the problem. He's gotten better about it.

As for thinking ahead about how the DSPS would affect me raising a child... I didn't think much about it, other than to realise I'd have to stretch around my sleep schedule like an elastic band...LOL

It IS worse than I thought as far as mornings go... But as for night-time shifts...It was a BREEZE! (Compared to how people without DSPS would have it) The biggest problem was the first few weeks after having her... Not because of the disorder per se... It was because I was trying to be "supermom", doing all the chores while SHE was asleep, so I wasn't getting any!!! It got so bad, I started to get dizzy, and lose my balance. I thought I'd soon have to go into the hospital due to exhaustion. But again, that was my fault for not grabbing sleep when she did.

On the worst days, I would have my mom come over to watch the baby while I grabbed some sleep.

Don't worry yourself about this, because if you are showing this amount of concern allready before having a child, think about how great caring) a mom you'll be!! :)