[Hurre]

Hey!

I wonder if you have any tips about being a patent as Bipolar? How do u deal with losing sleep due to having to getting up
and taking care of your child?

I’m very dependent on my sleep. Must get 7-8 hours per night, or it might cause another episode. And I can’t function very well without it.

Thanks for your time.

[fern46]

Hi! I'm a mother of two. I am also very dependent on sleep. I sleep when my kids sleep. We keep a set bedtime and I lay down for the night when they do. We also have them stay in their beds in the morning until a certain time. This gives me a 10ish hour of window for sleep.

I usually get up in the night if one of the kids wakes up. If it gets to be more than once my husband will help.

We also do a two hour rest time every day. They have to lay down and sleep or do something quiet in their rooms. If I had a broken night of sleep or I'm just super tired I take a quick nap during this time.

I'm a stay at home homeschooling mom, so the kids are my main focus every day. It gets stressful at times, but we have a good schedule and found our groove. I plan ahead as much as possible and make sure to keep everyone busy. I find things mostly fall apart when boredom sets in.

[Moose72]

My kids are basically grown. They have been a big help when I'm sick. Once, I had delerium and daughter drove me to the hospital. Im afraid of something like that happening again and nobody would be here to see i wasnt acting right.

[Wild Coyote]

I am not a parent, per se, however, just wanted to say:
I deeply admire all parents, those without extra challenges and even more so for parents living with additional challenges. Parenting is the most important job in the world.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

I am not a parent, per se, however, just wanted to say:
I deeply admire all parents, those without extra challenges and even more so for parents living with additional challenges. Parenting is the most important job in the world.

It takes a village. I couldn't do it without those who support my family. They have stepped in and provided my children with the love and care they needed when I couldn't. They have emotionally lifted me up and remind me that I am strong enough to battle my illness for the greater good of my family. You've been a huge support to me lately. I admire you!

Hurre - having a solid network of people to support you as a parent is critical. Wild Coyote reminds me just how much of an impact they make.

[Blueberrybook]

For me, it's helped a lot to have H there, especially at times when I just couldn't. He doesn't understand bipolar much at all, not mental illness really, but he is still there to hep raise our daughter. I wish we had a wider support network, though I know in emergencies, I can count on both my sisters and my mother. My youngest sister seems to have made it a vision to call me on her way walking to school to get my nieces and on the way home. Alone, IDK. It's hard because H doesn't want to talk about mental illness and he's the fun parent so by default talking about mental illness is not something my daughter wants to here although there are rare times to will listen to me , for which I'm grateful. I think parenting is hard enough with 2 parents who do not have mental illness or another chronic issue.

[Pookyl]

My biggest tip is do only what you’ve got to do and rest whenever you can. Introduce a quiet time during the day. My kids were in their late teens when I was diagnosed. I made it known that I was resting in the afternoons. They had a curfew in the evening and this prevented me staying up all hours.

[Hurre]

Thank you very much for your replies.

Very helpful 🙂

[sarahsweets]

Accept that its a 3 ring circus and you are the leader. Roll with things and try to realize that not everything has to be perfect and you can let some things go in order to get rest and a break.

[sophiebunny]

I have a daughter and I was diagnosed when she was 4 years old. The things I learned: your child knows your symptoms and your moods better than you do so it's important to let them know they aren't responsible for taking care of you. Bipolar parents are impaired parents, put your children in therapy and work with their therapist closely to make the best possible home life for them you can. Find a therapist for you who is good at parenting issues. It's not a you situation anymore, it's a you with children situation. Until they leave the house, children are your primary responsibility. Expect them to have all kinds of reactions when you are symptomatic. That's why child therapy is critical.

[*Beth*]

When my children were growing up I remained med compliant and stayed in individual and group therapy. That was how I took care of myself anf my children.


As for sleep...I made sure I went to bed at 10 p.m. every night so I was able to awaken and be fully functional by 7 a.m. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older my sleep is much more of a problem than it used to be.