Cara mia figlia,
Oh. My. Good. Ness. You need to go to sleep at night in your crib. All night long. This is really getting to be too much. Your daddy and I are getting closer to needing a padded cell. We need to sleep again. And so do you.
I know it's not your fault. I know you are probably more upset that you can't sleep than we are. I'm sure it's those darn molars. This is exactly what happened before your first molar came through. I know you are in pain, and that is why I will continue to get you. No matter how exhausted I am, I will comfort you while you are in pain. I really believe that if I just wait this stage out, you will start sleeping through the night on your own again.
But we are working on a bit of sleep training, because I can't just do nothing anymore. I have to try something. I even think it might start to work, because just now I had some success. Here is what I'm doing (ideas inspired by Elizabeth Pantley's No-Cry Sleep Solution, which I really love for the fact that she stresses there are things to try between doing nothing and making a baby cry it out):
1. Going to you as quick as I can. When I don't, you get more and more awake, and more and more upset. You are definitely a "tension increaser" when you cry. In fact, last night when I left you crying in your crib for just five minutes while I washed up and changed into PJs, you continued to shudder for 45 minutes after I picked you back up and calmed you down. It was heartbreaking.
2. Trying to get you to lie back down in your crib without me picking you up. This is where the "training" part really comes in. I'm hoping that I can get you to start lying down on your own. Hopefully when you wake up and go right to standing like you almost always do, you will start thinking about lying back down. All on your own, eventually. I hope.
3. Using ways of comforting you that don't involve picking you up. For a while, I've been singing to you or rubbing your back while I'm rocking you. Now, I'm trying singing and rubbing your back when you are lying in your crib (see number 2).
Even though it took forever to get you to sleep tonight, you still woke up after less than an hour in your crib. I went in quickly, got you to lie down, and rubbed your back and sang. Miraculously, you went back to sleep in under 10 minutes!!! I do not think that is the end of our sleeping issues (I don't ever dare to think that), but it is a good sign to me that what I'm trying may work at least some times.
I hope that you can sleep through the night. You had some really amazing naps today--two naps that were both 1 hour and 45 minutes long! You never nap like that. But we slept so little and so poorly last night, that I know you needed it. I just want us all to get some good sleep tonight so we can go shopping tomorrow with energy and cheerful spirits. And by we, I mean me, since you seem to have a great nature even when you don't sleep well or much. But I get grumpy. I don't want to be grumpy tomorrow when I'm finally going to get my shelves!
Ti amo con tutti cuore,
Mama
4 comments:
I hope you get back to sleeping soon. We are at 19 out of 20 baby teeth, which means we have one (ONE!) stupid molar left. I wish it would just come already so we could put the whole no-sleep teething period behind us.
The "training" is so hard, isn't it? Probably harder on us than them sometimes.
We're also in the process of reworking ours a little (cutting down on the amount of books read). We're also trying to push his bedtime an hour later which has resulted in an overtired baby, who is even harder to put down.
Good luck with the new sleep strategies. And hopefully by now you've been able to get to your shelves!
Are you sure it's not the 64 week sleep regression? Can't remember how old pumpkin is but I think she is about 10 weeks younger than Zoe and Zoe is 71 weeks. The 75 week one has started and although naps are fantastic, last night she woke at 2.50 screaming blue murder and didn't respond to any of my southing techniques (similar to the ones you mentioned). After 40 minutes I resorted to nursing her and she slept until 7.30. Tonight I'll nurse her immediately. Wouldn't do this out of a regression, but seeing I know she doesn't usually wake up expecting to be fed, I'll make an exception for the next 4 weeks until this one ends. Oh, and we have 4 more teeth to go.
For the love of Jehovan my kid doesn't sleep at night and I totally gave up hope of having him sleep in his crib. He's in bed with me - at least until his dad gets home from Iraq. Bad habit? Yes, but hell, I'm a single mom right now - I have to do what I have to do. And frankly, it gets me what I need (sleep) and keeps us both happier. So I don't fight the crib anymore.
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