Thursday, March 8, 2012
"I'm so tired...my mind is on the brink"
Jordan was always great at going to bed, Parker used to be. Now he wakes up all the time and I feel like my brain is on the fritz. I used to just have to nurse him twice a night, life was great! Not so much anymore. I've been trying to really avoid having him cry-it-out because it makes me sad. So when he woke up last night at 10:30 I went in to nurse him. I've been reading a lot about different ways to get your baby to sleep, so last night when I went in I decided to try co-sleeping and feed him whenever he woke up. It was AWFUL! He woke up every 1 1/2-2 hours, would eat for just a few minutes and go back to sleep. He fidgeted and kicked all night long, something he never does in his own bed. I didn't get much sleep either. Finally at 5:00 am, after waking up only one hour after his last feeding, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. The doctor told me that at this age you can let your baby cry for up to 30-45 minutes and at 6 months they can cry longer. So I let him cry it out. He only cried for a little over twenty minutes before falling asleep. Everything I've read and heard from my doctor says there is absolutely no long term effects for letting babies cry, which makes me feel better, but it still makes me so sad to hear him cry. But I now know this is the way it's going to be for us. It's supposed to take about a week or less for them to learn to self soothe; I hope it works!
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I am so so sorry that the kid is not sleeping! There is little that is more aggravating and difficult to handle, in my opinion. With both of our kids we've had to let them cry it out; it's been the only thing that worked, and the only long-term effects we've noticed is that we're all happier because we're all sleeping more LOL. It makes me so sad to do though. We've done "progressive wait" where the first time you're letting them cry, you let it go for like three minutes, then you go in and comfort them (shush for like 30 seconds, but don't pick up), and then you let them cry for 5 minutes, then 7, etc. Anyway, it's a little less painful all around, although it takes a few days more. Sorry for rambling! Be strong, my friend :). It will all be worth it in 3-7 days :).
ReplyDeleteYou are a great mom. I loved the pictures of Parker.
ReplyDeleteOh man, Tiffany, that's so rough. I had to work up to it with Lydia, because it really does break your heart. But in the end, they need their sleep and so do you! But, I totally feel ya...there are some nights where I think, "Will I ever sleep again?"
ReplyDeleteCharlie got down to one feeding per night. Then, one night, I just tried rocking him back to sleep WITHOUT feeding him...just to see... he went back to bed and slept the rest of the night! Now he's an excellent night sleeper and he just eats more at a time during the day to make up for it. Maybe that could help?? Just experiment. You'll figure it out ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad you've found something that works. Being well rested makes everyone happier. You're an amazing mom!
ReplyDeleteWoW! We slept in our Wymount front room for months just so I wouldn't hear Aubrey cry. Good luck!
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