Please help me wake up?

Question

i am 21. I have a 7 month old son and i work two stores for one company. I work my main store in the morning from 7 till 1 and then go to the other store till 4:30 sometimes 5 pm. When i come home my husband goes to work. ( most of the time my son wont take another nap after i have gotten home. He stays up till its bed time. By the time i get him to bed its almost midnight. I am on the verge of loosing my job because i have been late opening my morning store 3 times this month. ( this is the only time its happened besides this month i have never been late to work and only called in twice when i was pregnant) i work both stores because they dont have the staff on hand to work the other store so i feel obligated to do it. I have tried moving my alarm clock across the room in the morning so i have to get up to shut it off and i have set the alarm early. This morning i just slept through it. I woke up at 7:07 am ( when the store was supposed to be open at 7) i have vacation september 8th through the 14th which i believe will help get my self straight again. I was told today if i was late again i was fired ( which i completely understand but cant afford) does anyone have any more ideas? ( Trust me i try to get my son to bed earlier but he waks up every 10 or 15 minutes until around midnight when he goes to sleep. I think im just exhausted. Not to mention the stress of possibly being pregnant again.

Answer 1

wow you got a lot on your plate. don't eat too much at a time. take your time and work through it.

try and get a nap during the day. you seem to be busy enough that you will be tired at night...so a nap won't hurt. and when i say nap...i mean like 15 min. maybe even less. thats all the body needs. when i used to go to school...i came home and slept over a half hour...and it didn't work...then one day i fell asleep for around 10min. it felt amazing!

try and eat energy foods...and healthy foods. drink water. train yourself to get up at the time you need to. if need-be...change your day a little. maybe move the shower to night...or the morning...so you can sleep a few extra minutes. tell your mind that you need to get up a certain time and eventually you should be getting up without a clock. also when i was being late for work (my old job i hated) i told myself i need the money so get up. so i would. but because i didn't care anymore and was so burnt out...i just went back to bed. but being scared helped me get up in time. so if you were told you would be fired...keep that in mind. it will help you get up.

and have a moment to yourself. i know it seems inpossible right now....but like i said it doesn't take much for the body to relax. if you let it. sit down and listen to music. or watch a half hour of your fave show. i love watching family matters and the golden girls. sometimes i can't catch the whole hour (2 episodes) so one is good enough for me. take a bubble bath. or just sleep when you can. maybe get a babysitter for a day or two during the week. you obviously want some help...so get some. and most of all...good luck. :)

i hope all works out. take care.  

Answer 2

The idea of losing your job must be really stressing you out.  It's a terrible feeling to wonder how you're going to feed your family and pay your bills if you lose your job, so my heart goes out to you!  

Hang in there :)  You're doing a really good job.  I can tell.  By reaching out and asking for help with your problem, it shows how committed you are to finding a solution.  Well done.  You've got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders for a 21 year old and it sounds to me like you're doing everything you can to make it work.  Again, good job.

But sadly, you're just one person, with two hands (not three or four!) and you can only do so much.  You're not superwoman or a robot that doesn't need to sleep...  Darn it, you've got needs too!

So, you're problem is not that you can't wake up.  You're problem is that you're not getting the sleep you need to properly rest and restore your body so you're fresh and new again in the morning.  Does that make sense?  

If you keep going at it like this, you'll run yourself into the ground and be no good to anyone.  With no energy and poor health how will you be able to chase your little boy?  Be the s**y, playful wife to your husband?  Be the good employee who arrives on time?  You must put your needs FIRST.  

I know it sounds backward but in order to be everything to everyone else you need to be really good to yourself first so you'll have the energy to do it all.  So the next step is figuring out how can you get to bed at say 9 PM so you can get a full 8 hours of sleep if your little boy won't get to bed until midnight?  Well let's look at a couple of quick solutions.

Now, I know you might not like the idea of asking for this, or giving up the control, but it might be the best gift you can give to yourself.  Find an extra set of hands to help you out.  This could be a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a member of your church...  Let them know you're a new mother and you're struggling.  Tell them you're afraid you're going to lose you job.  If you don't have someone in your life like that, find a volunteer organization in your area.  There is likely an older person, someone retired who's children are grown and have moved far away who is longing for some connection, a chance to spend sometime with a youngster.  They might be more than happy to volunteer their time a few hours every night for a little while.  Let them know that you need someone who can help you get your little boy down each night, so you can get bed early.  Tell them you looking for immediate help just to get you through this rough spot.  Maybe there's a grandmotherly type who would be delighted to come and rock your little boy to sleep while you're back there getting the rest you need too!  

If it feels weird to you, play a little game with yourself. Think of it like a rich person might.  You're so wealthy you've got "nanny" for your kids.  You're so well off you've got the money for hired help!  Like servants, a maid, a butler, a NANNY!  Except you're smarter than the wealthy, because yours will be FREE!  You deserve it!  You're doing everything for everybody else, how's there to support you?

While that's happening you can get to the cause of your son's bedtime habits.  The other suggestion that was posted about cutting his nap time is good.  I will tell you the biggest and most important thing you can do though.... find out what might be hidden in his food.  

I work as a coach to help people change their diets and lifestyles so they can feel better, sleep well, eat foods that give them energy and improve their moods.  These things are the keystone to happiness.  You've got to learn to take care of your body and your son's in order for it to function properly, like getting enough rest and sleeping well!

Is he on solids yet?  If so, what are you feeding him?  Did  you breastfeed him at all or was he on formula? If he's not getting really good, nutrient dense foods plus getting hidden sugar in his baby food, it's a recipe for disaster.  

Go to www.monkeysee.com and type the name Lisa Wilson in the search bar.  Lisa is my friend and business partner.  Her videos there will show you how to make your own baby food and so many other things too.

My website is www.urbanalchemywellness.com  If you contact me, I can give you a free  health counseling session.  I normally charge $99/hr, but just let me know you're the gal with the baby who won't sleep and I we can do a phone session free of charge.

Be well!

Eve

Answer 3

try talking to the day care or who ever babysits for you to see if they can cut some of your sons nap time, this may help him to go to sleep earlier at night, also if you get a break during the day or a lunch try taking a 10 min power nap. if all else fails try those vitamin waters for energy they are really good and you can get them at walmart  

Answer 4

You need to train your son to stay in bed and sleep, if he fights you and he probably will, you need to be consistent and persistent. Remember you are the adult here, and you need to rermain in control. Do not allow him to get up and get out of bed, if he cries and throws a baby fit and he probably will,oh well, that is just more energy he is expending and that's just sooner he will wear him self out, and go back to sleep. But the rule here is consistency on your part, welcome to motherhood 101.