As a kid, I was a non-napper, a bed wetter, and I
I remember being a toddler and demanding that my mom sit in the hallway before I fell asleep. Yes, it's already been determined that I was a brat. I needed my covers just right, the perfect pillow, my Critter tucked under my arm, my door halfway open and the hallway light on.
As a kid, bedtime was the perfect time for me to think about my house burning down and alligators all over my bedroom floor.
At some point in high school, I loved staying up late and I learned to sleep in. Getting up before 10 on the weekends was unheard of.
When I was pregnant, the most difficult part for me was sleeping. I needed pillows shoved here and propped there. I couldn't lay on my stomach and wasn't supposed to lay on my back. I woke up a million times throughout the night to use the bathroom! I swear, the child thought my bladder was a trampoline. Some nights I was so exhausted I even went to bed before my husband, which NEVER happens. And some mornings I was awake before him, which also NEVER happens. Bonus: being pregnant and waking up at 5am.....you get TWO breakfasts!!! SCORE!!!
FACT: There is nothing that can prepare you for the sleep deprivation you will experience with a newborn. (I'm sure there are worse scenarios out there that I just haven't experienced. Like when my husband went fishing in Alaska and they would work for 72 hours straight, or something crazy like that.) But personally speaking, this shit is crazy.
For us, the first 2 nights in the hospital were absolute bliss. We had this perfect little bundle of love that slept like an angel. We couldn't keep our eyes off of him. Just staring at him, watching him sleep.
Our first night at home was a much different story. He had found his scream, decided he was hungry, and wasn't thrilled about our novice swaddling skills. It did not take us long to figure out, this parenting stuff isn't for wimps.
Each sleep milestone has been a bigger adjustment for me than anyone else. Like the first night we put him to bed upstairs by himself. I couldn't keep my eyes off the monitor. And the first night he slept in his crib. I woke up every hour to check on him.
It has almost been 7 months now and Bennett's sleep has been consistently inconsistent. Like his mother, he has decided that naps are pretty much unnecessary. There is just way too much fun to be had during the day! And he's really quite good at falling asleep when he's warm and snuggled. But isn't such a fan of being left alone in his crib.
This past week has been especially tough. It was a battle to get him to sleep Monday night and then we were up and at 'em at 3:45 Tuesday morning. Tuesday night was the breaking point. I got up with him at: 11:00, 2:30, 3:45, 6:30 and 7:45. Something had to change. And if it didn't, I was going to lose my mind. (again)
One thing I have learned as a parent: never say never.
I promised myself that I would never let the baby sleep in our bed. But I did and I loved it.
I also decided I was never going to let him 'cry it out'....
My husband is incredibly patient. Wednesday night he battled it out with the baby for an hour and 15 minutes. Eventually, he stopped crying and fell asleep. And then I started crying and eventually fell asleep. Poor Jon.
Our plan of attack for Thursday night was to put him in his crib and if he cried, we would check on him every 3 minutes to assure him we were still here. No picking him up. No feeding him to calm him. No lying in the big bed with him. 3 minutes seemed like an eternity and it took every ounce of restraint in my body to not pick him up. After the 4th trip upstairs, the crying faded and he appeared to be asleep. IT WAS A MIRACLE!!! Not to mention, he stayed asleep for 8.5 hours that night! By morning, I already felt like a new woman!
Friday night was quite similar, but we extended our waiting period to 5 minutes. By the time Jon went up to check on him for the first time, he was quiet and asleep. That night, he slept for 9 hours and 45 minutes! WHAT?!?! I could not believe this!!!
Saturday night, even easier! Put him down, he squeaked twice and in 3 minutes was out. This was AMAZING!!!
I'm afraid to get too excited because routines don't seem to stick around for too long in this house, but for now, I'm going to celebrate and enjoy this one! (With wine)
It's been exactly a week since we decided to tackle this sleep issue and what a difference it has made! And for the record, last night I laid him down, tucked him in, gave him kisses, and closed his door. Not a squeak. Not a peep. He was asleep in 2 minutes.
Good job Baby Boy. We're so proud of you!
