Things people don't tell you... So you go searching the Internet for some secret to getting back how things had been! You'll see in a previous post that I thought tummy sleep was the secret to happiness... Well, that was woefully short lived. You may also come across a post about how he sleeps like such a good boy in his bed... The last week or so? Noooot happening.
I couldn't figure out what had changed, or why - seemingly out of nowhere - my wonderful little 6-8 hour stretch sleeper, was no more. He had turned into this easily awakened, impossible to lay down, don't even try putting him to bed half awake anger bear. Poor little man :( This is clearly just as stressful for him as for me. I swear breathing the wrong way wakes him up these days.
Since he's so young, I'm not ready to let him CIO on his own- but also don't want to condition him to need too many extras in order to fall asleep. He's currently back in our bed, and I do sort of a CIO in my arms sort of thing, or rather he's like the little spoon. I just lay still with him on my arm beside me... And I let him cry himself back to sleep.
I'm hoping this will help him to learn to self-soothe, while still feeling like I'm here for him. So he still feels safe, not like I've suddenly abandoned him. It seems to be working? Not that he sleeps for super long stretches yet... But he can fall back asleep within a minute or two, without being rocked, swayed, sung to, walked, etc. If he really doesn't calm down, then I check to see of he's in fact hungry. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he's barely latched for a minute before he falls asleep. But if he wakes two minutes later I just let him cry again.
He won't take a soother, but I'm not very upset by this. I don't want him to be a big thumb sucker, but putting his fingers in his mouth is easier than me getting up every time a soother would fall out.
It's nice to know that this is a common phase, and that many moms have articles and questions dealing with this, all over the Internet. It also makes it easier to accept that this is just a phase, and there's nothing I can REALLY do to fix it until it's run its course. People are always asking "does he sleep through the night?", but never say "around 3.5-4 months it can get tough!". At least not until you consult the Internet.
I wish it hadn't taken me this many weeks to consult the all-knowledgeable google machine.
Nighty night! Hopefully we get some shut eye?
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