My son was born 7 days ago and I think I've slept maybe 12 hours total since we came home from the hospital. The baby eats every 2-3 hours and my wife needs help changing him and getting him settled. I want to be present and help but how are people supposed to function like this? Does it get better or am I just going to be a zombie for the next 6 months?
Running on fumes is an understatement at that stage. My advice - stop trying to do anything other than survive. Feed baby, feed yourself, sleep when possible. Everything else can wait three more weeks.
Hang in there man, that first week is brutal. It gets better, I promise. The 2-3 hour cycle becomes normal and then one day you'll realize you actually slept 5 hours straight.
One week in is survival mode, you're doing great just keeping the baby fed and getting any sleep at all. Talk to your wife about trading shifts so you can each get one longer block of sleep.
This is the hardest part right here. First month is survival mode. Take shifts with your wife if you can so at least one of you gets a solid block of sleep each night. That helped us stay sane.
One week in and you're still alive and the baby's still alive. That's the whole game right now. Sleep deprivation is real and it's temporary. You're doing better than you think.
Twelve hours of sleep in seven days would break a person. The good news is your body adapts weirdly fast. By week three you'll feel less like you're hallucinating. Hang in there.
12 hours of sleep in a week sounds about right for that stage. It's brutal but it's also temporary. Try to sleep when the baby sleeps even if it's 2 PM because your night sleep will be broken anyway.
You're in it now but I promise the newborn phase ends. Stay patient with yourself and your partner. Everyone's tired and cranky so be extra kind to each other. The sleep deprivation is temporary, the memories are forever.
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Seven days in and you're still in the trenches, man. It gets better. I'm at three months now and sleeping like maybe 4-5 hour stretches. The fog lifts eventually. Just survive the first few weeks.