Husband/new father is acting really weird with sleep. Really concerned, a little scar

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Lara maree

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Husband/new father is acting really weird with sleep. Really concerned, a little scared

First of all we have a 3 month old baby and my husband just seems to be acting really weird. He can't stay awake. He will be sitting there giving her her bedtime bottle around 10pm and he falls asleep. He falls asleep sitting there watching tv, at like 7pm. He says he can't stay awake but he tries, but the thing is the moment he sits in that chair he is out like a light. He got up with the baby to give her her bottle and I hear her crying. He fell asleep and dropped her bottle and she was hungry. I took her over obviously. This falling asleep behavior started a few weeks before she was born. I was up all night toward the end of the pregnancy and my husband would get up with me, he wasn't working at the time so it wasn't too big of a deal. He has been working a lot lately doing a lot of overtime since she was born.

The weird thing is, I can't wake him. I have to litterally yell at him for 10-15 minutes just to get his attention and get him to go to bed.

The other issue which scares me is, its never been this bad but he has been acting weird when he is half asleep. But never like this. He hit me in his sleep, he isn't a violent person and never has been, he is the kindest most gentle man I've ever known. But I woke up because he hit me and yelled at him "What the Hell?" and he didn't even know he did it. But then that is not whats worse. He goes to the end of the bed and picks up the dog and says "Its okay baby", which scared the heck out of me at first, I thought he had the baby on the bed, but I realized it was the dog but he didn't. And then he walks over to the crib and almost puts the dog in their and I yell at him again "What do you think you are doing?" and he comes back over and sets the dog down and he is like "I don't know, doesn't she have another kind of sheet or something......" and he just starts rambling and falls right back to sleep. It scares me because what if one day he does put the dog in the crib, whats worse is we have a really smart dog and what if now he figures out how to get into the crib because he has seen inside. I'm really starting to worry. Something isn't right here with him.

I woke him up and made him go to the other room, I just didn't feel safe with him in the room, and Ive never felt unsafe around him. The only thing he remembers is I told him to go sleep on the couch and now he wants to know why I am mad at him. He doesn't belive me when I tell him he does this.

I think he is sleepwalking? What would cause such wierd behavior?

Thanks

Thanks for your Reply!
 
Forgot to add, I won't be able to convince him to go to the doctor until he has insurance. His current policy is limited and doesn't cover dr visits

A little more info:

Since the baby was born he has been working a lot of overtime, 10 hour days. He would go in an hour early and leave an hour late. Which used to be no big deal, he used to do it all the time.

But I'm a stay at home mom by the way. For the first 3 months he has worked full time and handled all her night time feedings. Which is why I am thinking sleep deprivation.

He insisted on doing her night time feedings to give me a break and he feels he doesn't get enough time with her.

So he is maybe getting 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night.



I remember when I was dating him I was burning the candle at both ends. I worked evenings. So I would get up at like 5 am to see him and when I got off work at 11pm driving home I found myself falling asleep behind the wheel. Didn't get to bed until 2am anyway. And my parents even found my sleepwalking.

It took about 6 months of good regular sleep to get my pattern back to normal and feel rested again.

Maybe I should make him rest and stop getting up with her at night
 
First, if you are a stay at home mom and your hubby is working OT to provide for you and your daughter, he shouldn't be getting up at night to take care of her. You have the ability to rest during the day-he doesn't. For your daughter's safety and your hubbies-take over the duties during the night. It's not fair to your hubby to work all day and do baby duty at night.

IT sounds like your hubby is seriously sleep deprived. try putting him to bed right after dinner and let him sleep until he gets up for work. Try that for a week and see if he doesn't improve some. He may just need some deep uninterrupted sleep. If he fusses about not doing the night feeding tell him you woulr rather have both of them around than to risk problems...
 
First of all that is not accurate. I have a fussy baby that doesn't nap more than 15 minutes at a time. I get maybe 4 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period as well. Less now that I feel like I have to sit up to make sure my husband sleeps and doesn't get up and do something stupid. My baby She has reflux and she is colicy. I wish the doctor would go ahead and let us let her sleep through the night, but he won't let us yet. She sleeps well at night, but then we have to wake her to feed her and she fusses for another hour or so. She has been happier since we've only had to start waking her up once a night. But she is not a daytime napper.

I'm also about to start a new job, where I will be working from 5pm until midnight. So I have to find a way to get him more rest so I feel comfortable leaving her home with him. Luckily he is done with overtime for awhile, they brought in more people. I'm thinking for the first week I work, I'll leave her with my mom so hubby can rest. Basically I'll drop her off before I go to work, and they will drop her off in the morning. My husband won't like that because he won't get to see her for 4 days but atleast he will rest

I would have gone back to work before now. But I have been very ill and in and out of the hospital since I gave birth. They think they have finally got me fixed up.
 
ccolicy little ones are difficult I know-my new grandaughter had it for almost 5 months before she evened out. You certainly have your hands full.

I think your idea of leaving the baby with your Mom is a good idea. It will allow you peace of mind while you start back to work and it will allow your hubby some sleep that he so desparetly needs.

You have been caught between a rock and a hard space-you recovering, colic-ee baby and sleep deprived hubby. now all you need is for the dog to get sick. Speaking of which I wouldn't worry too much about the puppy as long as he/she is good with the baby now. Most dogs will adopt the little one and act as a watch dog for them as long as you've introduced them to the baby and continued with some attention for the pup..

I think you're on the right track. You might hit some bumps-but it will work out. Tell your hubby when he fusses-and he will-that as soon as he catches up on sleep, it will be better and your daughter can be home at night..
 
Already had the sick puppy 2 days ago...lol. She is better now. We have 2 dogs. 1 in training. So yes we have a pretty busy load. 2 adults, a child, 2 dogs all living in a 1 bedroom apartment. We didn't know I was pregnant when we moved in and we did a 16 month lease so it will still be a few months before we can move.

Thanks though. I'm definately going to send her with my mom when I start back to work, atleast for the first week. I don't start for 2 weeks so.

By the way I laid it all out on the line for him when he called a few minutes ago. That until further notice he is to be in bed by 10pm. He is required to get atleast 8 hours of sleep, no less. He is not to be getting up with the baby in the middle of the night. His job regarding her is to come home and play with her and cuddle her, but bedtime is bedtime. He didn't argue with me about it, I think he realizes after last night that he has exceeded his limits now.
 
Perhaps he scared himself enough that he doesn't want to try it again! Doesn't it seem that you are raising two children sometimes?

If you find he is still groggy-move his bedtime up an hour-your hubby- not the baby! just like kids... LOL
 
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