So I have been pondering over the last couple of weeks about our little family's lack of sleep. It seemed as though Emry was in her own little routine of having one really good night and then going down hill for the next week to starting this cycle all over again. Well MaCade can handle the lack of sleep at night as for me by the end of the week I am so cranky I could literally pull my hair out. So in an attempt to keep my sanity I thought last night was the night to try and have Emry cry it out. I am not the biggest fan of this, but I am up for trying anything at this point. Well 25 minutes into her crying it out she started choking. After we got her all calmed down MaCade and I laid in bed laughing about our race up the stairs, because of how fast we made it up the stairs to check on our little girl. MaCade thought for sure racing up the stairs he was going to have to call 911 not only because Emry was chocking but because he about tripped going up the stairs. He was racing so fast his feet were well ahead of his body.
Everyone always has such good advice. When Emry was first born we tried Babywise I followed the book to a T. I made sure I did everything it said, but for Emry it didn't seem to work. Next everyone was saying oh when she gets on solids she will do so much better, as for Emry it has only gotten worse some nights or stayed about the same. I kept having hope that eventually she would catch on and sleep through the night and not be such a fussy baby, but my hope is gradually going away as each day turns into weeks and then months of the same pattern. I am praying by the time she is one I can actually get a little rest.
However after Emry was born and seeing her personality and characteristics MaCade's mom informed me that he was the same way. Although I am finding out that maybe he was a little worse as a baby and I may have it a little better then she did with him. Emry at least will fall back to sleep the minute we go up and put her binky in or cuddle her for a minute and she will let me get a few things done through out the day.
MaCade and I always come up with these little theories as to why Emry is not sleeping or why she is so fussy, but yet they never are really accurate. Here are a few of our theories.
1. We went to 2 loud basketball games and maybe they scared her so bad now she doesn't like crowds or noise and also associates that with being tired.
2. The holidays. We were gone so much that we thought once we got back in a routine she would do better.
3. Her reflux. We have tried medicine which does seem to help a bit with fussiness. We have put pillows under her matress to raise one end up, but I can't decide if this really improves the situation or not.
4. We are way to quite at home, but honestly how do two people keep it loud in their home 24/7?
5. A theory of mine is that I love to go go go and so Emry is trying to teach me that it is ok to stay home and not be on the go all the time.
The list could go on and on, but in the end Emry I think just has a mind of her own and of course MaCade and I when we look at our little girl we wouldn't have it any other way!
So even though I may sound like I don't want advice I will take some if you have any or at least just share a story or two with me on how your babies were because I don't want to be the only mom who has struggled to find what works best for their baby.
10 years ago
7 comments:
I think it is so true that it depends on the personality of the baby. Brooke (our first) never REALLY slept through the night until about 9 months, we'd have to get up and give her a bink a few times a night. Finally I gave up and took it away and then she started sleeping much better. We tried lots with her too, solids, night lights, stuffed animals, crying it out...etc. Finally she just figured it out on her own. Cole (our second) started sleeping through the night at 2 1/2 months all on his own. He didn't have a binky, a light, anything... we'd just swaddle him and lay him in his bed and out he went. He still sleeps through the night most of the time, but without fail if he is not in his own crib he will wake up at least once. I say you have to find what works best for your baby and for you! Good luck!
Gosh girl I'm sorry you guys are having sleep problems. I feel your pain. Kason is almost 2 and still not sleeping through the night. You hear all those stories of well my baby slept through the night at 6 weeks. Well not Kason. Every baby is so different. I'm no expert on this and really don't have any advice for you, but wanted to share a little bit about Kason. I too read baby wise and tried it out with Kason. Didn't work for us. I will sure give it a try on our next one. We let Kason cry it out about 6 months. Since birth I would rock him to sleep. So nice once he finally figured out how to fall asleep on his own. Kason cried hard for about an hr before he calmed down and finally went to sleep. Kason still has a binky and will wake up during the night because he can't find it. Maybe it's time we get rid of the binky. About it being so quite at your home, it's quite at ours too. He sleeps with a box fan in his room to block out other noises. He is not a sound sleeper at all. I dread going other places for that reason. The fan goes with us. ;) Girl I wish you all the luck in the world and hope that things get better for you guys soon. Hang in there and take a nap whenever you can get one. Sheesh now that was a novel....
I am, like you some what perplexed by your situation. We do baby wise but not to a T it has worked well for us but at times I think all babies have a mind of their own. About a month ago Hallie started waking in the middle of the night we started adding cereal to her bottle and that fix it. What is her schedule like during the day? If Hallie doesn't get naps during the day she sleeps horrible at night. Also what is her schedule as far as taking naps during the day maybe she needs some consistency? Do you have a bed time routine? We bath Hallie put PJ's on, feed her, and off to bed it usually works but certainly isn't 100%. I don't know if any of this will help but I totally understand the sleep thing I need my sleep or I am not a fun person.
Jacki I'm sure you can tell from all the comments that there's not just one way that works. What works for one family doesn't for others. I tried everything with Maggie and nothing worked. Once I stopped nursing her she finally sleep through the night. Emry is such a sweet girl, you can tell already. I think as she grows you'll see just how strong and independent she really is. I really struggled with Maggie for the first year. I always felt tired and confused by her, but she is such a amazing girl. I think Maggie and Emry have a lot in common. I can't offer any great advice, but I can offer to help any time! We'd love to play with Emry while you nap! Good Luck!
My advice is to remember the best moments of the day, sleep when ever you can, wear ear plugs when she is with someone else and you nap, drink caffeine daily (hahha I love this!), and just breath. This time will pass so soon and all will be forgotten. You are a great mom. Maybe she just wants to hang out with the coolest mom 24/7 rather than sleep! :)
Hope to see you soon! Hang in there!
jaci
Jacki, I was just thinking about you & MaCade's lack of sleep, and it popped into my head that maybe she could use a blessing, 'cause she really needs sleep to grow healthy and strong. otherwise, she'll have to eat a lot of spinach when she's older and she won't like that at all!
Hey Jacki, if it makes you feel any better at all, I am still in that same (tired) boat with Taegan and he is 7 months old now. I thought for sure we would have this figured out by now, but not so much. This last week has been a little better, though. He used to have serious screaming fits at night and we would go in and try to calm him down but nothing would work because he was still sleeping while he was screaming! So we have just been letting him scream, and he has been pretty good about soothing himself and going back to sleep. I really hope this will end soon! Good luck to you!!
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