Monday, August 23, 2010
Sleeping Through The Night
Kaitlyn has only technically slept through the night twice (about 7 1/2 hours). She seems to do so on the days that she takes fewer and shorter naps, so is more fussy in the evenings (which we don't like). Now when she was younger, sleeping through the night was considered 5-6 hours, which she always does. According to BabyWise, if you follow their concepts, an infant should sleep through the night at 9 weeks (75% of them do). Today is week 10. It says the other babies get on a routine where they are used to waking up between 3-4 AM. I wonder if this describes Kaitlyn. I have tried to re-swaddle her to see if she will go back to sleep, to no avail. Weight wise, she is plenty big enough to make it 7-9 hours at night. When I follow the concepts of BabyWise throughout the day, she just won't sleep as long as they say she should at night. Their suggestion is to let her cry it out at least 3 nights in a row at 4 AM (and that she will cry from 5 to 35 minutes each time). I tried this last night and could only take it for 10 minutes. They say she will then settle in to a new routine if we do this 3 nights in a row. As much as I want her to sleep uninterrupted through the night (especially before I go back to work), I'm not sure I have it in me to make her cry like that. I just want her to sleep longer on her own. I guess if that doesn't happen soon, we will re-evaluate. I thought moving her to her own room might help. Other suggestions?
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2 comments:
crying is what has worked for us. yes, HORRIBLE for a mama to listen to her baby cry... short-term pain for long-term benefits (for you and for her). she will still love you in the morning! i always just shut the door, turn off the monitor, and set an alarm for however long i am letting the cry session go. helps a little bit. the other suggestion is to put her to bed earlier at night. you will learn this over time, but just b/c you keep a baby up later at night does not mean they will sleep longer in the morning. both of my girls have always started their lives going to bed @ 6:00pm - and over time as they get older that time gets pushed up (as they need less sleep).
just a couple of thoughts. you are doing great. and you will know what is best for you and your baby! you are the perfect mama for your little kaitlyn! :)
you're doing great! we also had to do the 3 nights of crying but she didn't cry longer than 20 minutes and though I felt terrible in the long run it was really worth it and M was so much better for it when she was sleeping all night. She really hasn't turned back since other than growth spurts or teeth which just happens. Letting her cry is sooooo hard but I knew way to many people with 4-9 month olds still waking up in the night and I don't think personally my sanity could take much more lack of sleep but you'll find a good rhythm for you guys - no worries and you won't ruin her life with what ever you decide :).
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