I hope that this blog doesn't sound like one big complaint because I love being a mother. I am thankful everyday for the chance to raise Grant, but seriously, I need some sleep! Grant has never been a great sleeper. I can probably count the number of times he has slept through the night on two hands. When Grant was a newborn he would not sleep for more than two hours at a time...that was what I expected. I was nursing him and I knew that he needed to eat. As he grew bigger I thought he should be sleeping better. I was wrong. I had gone back to work and getting up every few hours to put Grant back to sleep was killing me so in desperation one night I brought him back to our bed. He (and I) slept like a rock! I had read countless books on getting your child to sleep through the night and nothing else worked. If I let him "cry it out" he just became so upset that he would throw up, besides it tore me up inside listening to him scream. This situation worked up until three weeks ago when Grant began teething again. Now he won't even sleep with us. Stephen and I have been taking turns trying to get him back to sleep at night. He is 13 months old now and has pretty much cut himself down to one nap a day. Last night I felt so helpless ( maybe it was exhaustion from a full day's work) as it took both of us almost 2 hours to coax Grant back to sleep. It seems like none of my friends have had any problems getting their kids to sleep at night. What bothers me is that in a few short months I will have another baby to nurse through the night, and I don't want the cries of his big brother to wake him up too.
My mom has told me stories of my brother Brian when he was a baby. Apparently, he did not sleep through the night until he was three. Stephen's mother says that his brother Tim was another non-sleeper. So WHY are we getting the payback? If anyone out there has endured the same problem and can offer me some advice I would love to hear it!
5 comments:
Bless your heart, Leslie. You are right, you do need to get him sleeping better. As hard as it sounds, I would let him cry it out. We did that with Kate - she cried 2 1/2 hours the first night, 2 hours the second night, 30 minutes the third night, and has slept like a charm since. Both of my kids sleep well - I think it is half genetics and half our habits.
I also get our kids up every day at 7am, regardless of the previous night's sleep.
See if one of the grandmothers will sleep over and help with letting him cry it out. It should only take a few days, and it will be well worth it. Good luck!
I know it has got to be hard! I have to say, I have never had to deal with that except for every now and then. I guess the only consolation is that it won't last forever. One day, this will just be a not so happy memory. I will pry that things get better for you!! Love you!
That would be pray, not pry!!! Serves me right for not checking my typing!!!
I think I was sitting in my pediatrician's office crying (literally) about Brandon not sleeping - he wasn't even really hungry when he got up and was only taking about an ounce of formula during the night. She told me that he was old enough to be sleeping through the night (he was about 7 months old) and I should let him cry it out because he had me trained. It took two nights, but he slept through the night after that.
You may have to just tough it out one night - sorry I don't have any better suggestions.
HI Leslie, this is my first comment! Let me first say that I really feel your pain. Joe was a bad napper and nighttime sleeper the first few months of his life and still sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night (but he rarely cries...he'll just play in his crib then go back to sleep) I read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth (sp?) and I recommend it to anyone I know with kids. You will have to let him cry some but there will be less crying overall if you go ahead and do it now. Hope that helps...BTW I can't believe how Grant has grown. He's like a little man! SO cute!
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