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Last Updated on April 12, 2021
Last night the Little slept from 8:00 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. I’m sure he would have slept a little longer but I checked on him at 6:30 because I was fearing the worst and he started stirring not too shortly after. For months I had imagined my baby sleeping through the night but the journey here was tough.
The last time I slept this much was the day before my water broke, almost 9 months ago. So many people told me when I was pregnant that sleep would go out the window when the baby was born. I heard them but until you’ve lived through months of crappy 1 -2 hour stretches of sleep, you truly don’t understand.
I consider myself to be a crunchy mama. I breastfeed, cloth diaper, wear my baby and we’re delaying the Little’s vaccinations (the few that we are going to allow) until he’s 2, but months of crappy sleep was making a horrible mother. It was getting bad and I was getting to the point where I thought of physically harming myself . I would pray daily for patience and repeat mantras to help me get through it and to be a decent mother.
Even with these thoughts and emotions, I did not want to do a form of sleep training that would involve him crying. I tried the [amazon_link id=”0071381392″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]”The No Cry Sleep Solution”[/amazon_link] and it did not work for us.
I was ready to bear it and pray that his sleep habits improved as he got older but then I bumped into another mom who shared that her son was sleeping from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. every night. I wanted to pull out an ozzie and mow her down, well, after she told me training method had got her baby sleeping thought the night. I cried when I told my husband this and he finally suggested we look at the books the Little’s doctor recommended: “[amazon_link id=”1593155581″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Good Night, Sleep Tight[/amazon_link]” and “[amazon_link id=”0757305601″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Sleep Easy Solution[/amazon_link]“.
I bought both via Kindle and we settled on “[amazon_link id=”1593155581″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Good Night, Sleep Tight[/amazon_link]” since it is a gentler approach to cry it out. I don’t care how you pretty it up, your child is going to cry and it will break your heart.
In this sleep training method, you are present to support your child. The first night you sit next to the crib and then over the next 13 days you move your chair closer to the door until you are no longer in the room. The first night was miserable. I felt like I had purposely rammed a spike through my heart and was bleeding out of every orifice. How could I just sit there when the person nearest and dearest to me cried his heart out. I thought of all the reasons why I had to do this and tried to deflect all the reasons I did not want to do cry it out – possible brain damage, distance, etc. When he finally passed out – 2 hours later – I was a wreck but he slept, waking only 3 times that night.
The third night he slept though the night and has continued to do so. I’m working on napping and have started to find ways to get him to sleep with no tears (Thank you Universe!). We’ve discovered that after his bed time routine, if my husband lays him down then he will cry for 3 – 5 minutes before going to sleep.
It’s not pretty what sleep deprivation can do to your mind and it’s only now with thee nights of rest that I can truly see how messed up I was. There are no easy answers when you’re a parent. I’m realizing there are more shades of grey and a lot of the preconceived ideas of how I would like to raise my son went up in smoke the minute he was born.
Don’t you just love when they FINALLY sleep through the night?! I sure did. Both my daughter and son stir often, but they don’t really wake up. Glad that you found a great method!
I was amazed to be honest. I didn’t think it was possible considering the longest he had slept was 4 hours.
Sometimes we need to do things we are against for our own sanity. I personally believe crying it out, like what you did, is okay. I’m so glad your babe is sleeping through the night now and giving you some much needed rest!
Thanks Megan. I think I’ll have to get your first sentence tattooed on me.
I tried the cry it out method too and while it was very painful on the heart of a new mom for the first few days I would do it all over again. My little one was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and would have been earlier if I didn’t have to wake her to feed her. Sleep is oh so important to babies (and you!). The book I used was Baby Wise and I stayed out of the room while she cried. I tried to take showers to cover the crying or go to the furthest part of the house from the nursery (with my video baby monitor by my side on mute). Anyway, I’m glad that you found something that works for you and your family!!! Sleep is magical isn’t it?
At age 52 I am sooo glad to not be going through this! I get to be the wonderful grandmom who does all the fun stuff. So sorry to hear that you went through all of this and you are a great resource to other parents going through the same thing. Great read!
Thanks Carolyn. I’m not wishing away time, but I am looking forward to being a grandma in the future.
My daughter had to do this with my youngest grand baby, it works and it’s hard as heck I see. I couldn’t do it.. even with 5 kiddies. But I don’t remember them keeping me up as much as I hear moms talk about now, or maybe I just didn’t realize it.
You are a wonderful mom!
Thank you Clancy
I caved constantly! Mine all slept with me until they decided they wanted their own bed. Sure helped me get more sleep that way. Sure we tried different techniques, but in the end they all made the Mom cry too much 🙂
If the Little slept better, I would love to have him back in bed with us. He was having a rough night last night so I caved and tried to bring him to bed with us. He fussed and screamed so I laid him back in his crib and he passed out.
I remember those days of waking up with a baby all too well…good for you for finding a method that works for you!
My son never would take tot he cry it out method, we even tried a method similar to the one you describe (moving the chair, sitting beside the bed..) but he just would NOT sleep without being attached to my hubby or I. We pretty much gave up until my daughter was born 5 years later. She was a piece of cake and slept through the night on her own at 3 weeks old! So glad yours is finally letting you get a little rest!
You don’t realize until your sleep is chopped up like that just how much better you feel with an uninterrupted night!
What a beautiful photo, I had to let my children cry as well. For us it only took a couple of days. I stayed on the sofa outside the bedroom though so I was closer.
I’m curious, which vaccines are you delaying? I get so nervous 🙁
We’ve delayed all of them. He’s getting the Dtap a few days after his first birthday. We’re really not sure which additional we will give him yet.
None of mine ever slept through the night until they were at least a year old, so you are super lucky!
Glad you found something that worked for you! We used the Sleep Easy method which made our lives so much easier!
Will you follow this approach with baby 2. Now that you are a mom again, I am wondering.