It is 4:26am right now and I am so done.
I am so done with her sleeping problems. How does a baby that slept like an angel suddenly start waking up every hour?!?!? Granted it has been a progression - she started just waking up right after we put her to sleep, then she started waking up once or twice in the middle of the night. Tonight I have gotten 40 minutes of sleep on the floor in her room because she has been up the whole stinkin night. And I'm done.
This all started once she started eating solids. Could just be a coincidence... But that night was the beginning of my nightmare. It's weird - I don't know why that would affect her sleep.
But I'm not running in there to give her the pacifier anymore - she just drops it and I have to sit there and hold it in her mouth until she falls asleep. That's not doing anyone any good.
So now I am sitting here listening to her scream. I'm going in to check on her a let her know I'm still here - that whole method. I knew it was only a matter of time before we had to do this and I was hoping to wait, but I can't take anymore. So I started with letting her cry 1 minute, then 2, 4, 6, and now I'm on 8...
My parents used this method on me and it supposedly cured me in a night - it would be nice if we had similar success, but I am not that hopeful.
I feel like a bad parent, but something has to be done. She needs to learn to put herself to sleep - she was able to do it before, she can do it again. She just doesn't want to :(
And now its been 8 minutes and she's stopped crying - do I dare go in a check on her? Maybe I'll get an hour and a half of sleep before she wakes up for the day...
Sorry if this post is badly worded or there are lots of typos - I'm a little sleep deprived :)
Poor sleep deprived Momma! I am so sorry... But the "cry it out method" has worked for several other parents, at least that I have heard. remember to keep the stimulation to a very minumum, even if that means putting in a night light so you do not trip on stuff when going in to reassure her...
ReplyDeleteIt is strange... I had a conversation with other moms that this is a time where the sleeping thing changes, that it becomes difficult again. (I forgot what it was called. Nikolai does it too sometimes! It could be processing the foods making it uncomfortable to sleep, teething, who knows sometimes with babies! I tell people "your guess is as good as mine" because soemtimes you just don't know.
But your doing great! I know you can keep doing the great job that you've been doing! I hope you were able to get some sleep! :)
We are having to do the same thing with Logan now too, it's hard to let them cry but in a few days of doing so he has already started figuring out how to put himself to sleep. Hang in there, it will be worth it!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of the cry yourself to sleep method, I know some people view it as cruel, but honestly she's crying because she's not getting her way, it's not like something is wrong. Anyway, it takes lots of patience and isn't always easy, so know that you can call me :) Even if you just want to complain! I think you're a great mommy!
ReplyDeletePersonally I just had to flip a switch in my brain saying that I wasn't gonna care and just let him cry. Once I did that it was much easier to let him cry. Put some head phones on, browse the Internet and just let it happen. When we kept going back in to check that only pissed Logan off more and made it harder on us too. Good luck, hopefully she will turn the corner soon...and Logan too for that matter.
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