After a very rough night of up/down/up/down/up/down, I am at the end of the rope with bedtime and our sleep schedule. I do not understand why she isn't sleeping through the night yet. A mean streak of jealousy rips through my body when I hear of another baby that is sleeping through the night. Why can't Lucy just do it?!
I spoke with my neighbor Sarah today. Her son started sleeping an 8-10 hour stretch when he was six weeks old. I fought back my urge to "unfriend" her and asked for help. She suggested a calming cd during bedtime and letting her cry it out. So that is what we did.
Jon is out of town, so Sarah and I took charge. I nursed Lucy for a little bit and put her in her crib when she was drowsy. I turned on the music and listened to her scream cry for 45 minutes. She fell asleep and I was so excited! Sarah and I celebrated with an MGD and carrot cake. Lucy slept for 2 hours in her crib by herself.
After the 2 hours of peace and quiet, she was up and would not settle back down. I tried to soothe her but every time I would leave the room, she would stand in the corner of her crib and cry. Her body was literally shaking when I went in there to try to calm her down again. I just give up. She is currently sleeping soundly in our bed. So do I fight her all night long and make her sleep in her crib or do we actually get a little of sleep with her in the bed?
I've read the books. I know the different methods. Ferberizing does not work on Lucy. The "No Cry Sleep Solution" does not work on Lucy. "Cry it out" does not work with this child. I am beginning to think that she is an exception to every rule.
I'm really just writing to get this all out before I go to bed in hopes that I get more than 2 consecutive hours of sleep tonight. Please do not leave a comment if your child slept through the night (or even 3-4 hours in a row) at an early age. I simply can not take it!
Wishing everyone a quiet and peaceful night!
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4 comments:
oh mary- i know your pain! jack didn't sleep through the night until he was 13 months old, so i COMPLETELY understand the frustration!! unfortunately, a big problem for us was that any time i went in, he wanted to nurse...and knew he could. so it didn't work well...and jon didn't really believe me so wouldn't exactly get up to help! i know your pain, wish i had words of advice, but jack worked with the cry it out method...took a long time though! good luck honey...i know how you feel!
I've been following your blog since you left it on the What to Expect Site at one point. My daughter was born March 24th, and also is not sleeping through the night. However, we are down to once a night (twice on a bad night) and it has made a world of difference! Have you tried the "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy child" book by Marc Weissbluth? We found it to be very helpful. It's a mix of cry-it-out vs. you soothing her to sleep, it's your choice. I am also breastfeeding only, but have been tempted to give formula in the past because no matter what they say, I think babies really do sleep better with it! We held out though, and had luck with that book. Good luck (and hopefully you're not creeped out that I've been following your blog!)!
Just wanted to let you know, you're not alone. My friend has been going through this, and her child is also breaking all the rules. After she picked one of the methods SHE preferred best, and had a long, hard 3+ weeks of fighting her daughter to accept it, things are slowly calming down.
I saw in a more recent post the sleep is getting better. I hope it continues to improve. Hang in there, it can only get better, right?
Thanks for the encouragement, ladies. It has gotten a little bit better. Every night seems to be a little calmer and easier to deal with. I'll keep everyone posted.
Jodi - I've heard about Weissbluth's book, but have not had a chance to read it. If things start to turn for the worse again, I'll check it out!!! :)
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