Feeling discouraged in nursing school with little sleep

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I started school this summer and completed my first semester of the practical nursing program. Im so worn out and exhausted. Im on break for awhile and im still exhausted. I have a 9 month old who wakes up about 6 times a night and will only go back to sleep if breastfed. Were planning to sleep train again soon (last attempt didnt work). Hopefully that will help. But being gone 9 hours a day 5 days a week waking up at 5-6 am was really wearing me out...to the point where it was so hard to stay awake (even drinking 3 cups of coffee...one in morning, one at lunch, and sometimes on the long drive home cus i NEED it to get home). Im even more worried about next semester. Im getting a sleep study because i suspect i have sleep apnea, but what if im still falling asleep? Sometimes im not sure if i can do this...but with loans and no job i dont really have a choice.Anyone have any advice or tips on fighting sleep deprivation?

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Your situation sounds very difficult, While I don't have experience with a baby when I was in school, it seems like you just need some ways to help you relax or organize your time better, are you in school for those 9hrs a day 5 days a week? How much of this time consist of study time? I definitely lived off coffee while I was in school lol what portion of your day consist of lecture and what portion for clinical? Sorry just trying to get an idea of what a typical day is like for you so I can help give you some advice. Can you just describe what your typical day is like?

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Not sure how next semester will be....but last semester 2 days were for lecture and study (5 hours lecture and 3 hours study). Lab was once a week all day and clinical was twice a week until 3. Clinical i had to get up about 4:30 to get ready and get there on time but got home earlier. Most days i would leave at 7 and get home at 5. Driving takes about 2 hours a day and i find it very hard to stay alert in the evening going home. Im hoping with sleep training my son will sleep better and once i get a cpap (if i have apnea, which im pretty sure i do but well see) things will be a little easier. I also have ADD and am working to get my doctor to treat it better. Its hard for me to organize my time since i come home and dont really have time to myself or to study until 8 or so. Then im exhausted.

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Specializes in Med/ Surg/ Telemetry, Public Health.

Do you have any support from anyone like friends or family? Unfortunately, nursing school is not a walk in the park. Times like this you just have to pray and study. Think about the sacrifice you are making for your future. Plenty of days I felt like throwing in the towel. I had this one nursing school friend who kept me motivated and on point. Try to just take things one day at a time.

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I have some support. My husband helps some (not enough at night). When im home i feel really bad if i dont spend those few hours with my son. I have thought lf staying after and making a study group but that has not worked yet. This sleep is what really gets me. I just hope that I can get it under control so im not falling asleep in dangerous situations or at school.

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I'm so sorry, that sounds so hard! When my daughter was a baby she was a terrible sleeper. It makes everything else in life hard! You need to use your break to sleep train him. I don't have any advise on how to do that, except, no matter what method you use, stick with it. I'm sure your next semester will be better. Everyone says the first semester is the worst. Can you car-pool with someone? Maybe you could take turns driving, or just pay them to drive and you could sleep. You could also try to catch cat naps in your car on your breaks. Naps worked wonders for me when I had a wakeful baby. If you can't nap, a little exercise might help too, get your blood flowing. Good luck! I hope you find a good groove soon:)

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I'm so sorry you're going through this; sleep deprivation is just awful, and can cloud everything you do during the day. I think you need to make sleep training your top priority. It's no wonder you are falling asleep during the day if you are waking up 6 times/night! Sleep training can be brutal, but you can't function on the quantity and quality of sleep you're getting. I recommend Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" book, which has good background info on sleep and outlines his method. It's not a pleasant method to implement, but consistency (and hopefully help and support from your partner or family/friends) can get you all sleeping through the night relatively quickly.

Good luck to you and I hope you can get better sleep soon!

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As an lc and a mother that has breastfed for 38 months. Try getting rid of the caffeine in your diet entirely. Give it a week to get out of your baby's system. My son was sensitive to caffeine too. Waking 6 times is not normal. Before you traumatize the child by sleep training please consider eliminating caffeine. You won't know until you try

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201407/parents-misled-cry-it-out-sleep-training-reports

peaceful parenting: Dangers of Leaving Baby to Cry It Out (CIO)

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I wanted to second giving up coffee. Caffeine *is* a drug and the side effects last beyond the brief energy pick up. I know because I gave it up and was lethargic for a couple weeks but now I feel like I have more energy than before. I think many people can handle coffee fine but a few people like me and possibly you feel the side effects more than others and once it gets cut out like I said I feel a lot better.

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Well i wasnt always drinking coffee while breastfeeding and he still slept crappy. And he is sleeping just as bad with me on break drinking 1 cup a day than when i was in school drinking 2-3 cups a day. Im not sure if i could cut out caffeine entirely. Ive been going on 3 hours of divided sleep all day (a lot of it he was sleeping but i was up all night worrying and couldnt sleep). Ive looked into more gentle sleep training methods but im not sure if i could do them. Ferber (with check ins, not elimination) has worked before. Im thinking its not going to work again unless we get him his own room which hopefully will be soon. How soon im not sure though. It could be weeks or months. We were going to section off the living room but found out theres not enough space still. I have thought maybe giving him formula during the day. Maybe hes not getting enough to eat and thats part of the reason. Im still so worried about school. Im wondering if i could medical withdraw and just have my husband go to school. I couldnt sleep last night partially cus i kept worrying that im going to die next semester cus im too tired. I also have barely started on my homework cus i usually nap when my son does and have to constantly watch him when hes up cus hes so active. Ive thought about napping at school but not sure where i could nap at besides the car which would be very uncomfortable.

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Putting him in his own room will probably help, although unfortunately it sounds like it might be a while before that's possible. I shared a room with my twins for quite a while, but eventually I had to start sleeping in a different room because one would wake up crying several times a night if I was in there.

Have you started giving your son solid food yet? If you're concerned that he's not getting enough to eat, introducing solid food might help.

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Yes hes been on solids since he was 4 months. He gets 3 meals along with snacks and hes getting more into finger foods now. He doesnt seem like he wouldnt be getting enough. His weight is great and his pediatrician isnt concerned. But i have been wondering if maybe he snacks more with the nursing sessions instead of taking in full feeds.

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