If you would have told me 10 months ago that I was going to sleep through the night a total of, hmmmm, maybe five times in the next ten months, I probably would have sat and cried.... for a really long time. Let me start by saying that I am a mom that wants my kids to sleep in their own bed, all night long. I have no problem with a mom who wants differently, that's just what I have wanted from the beginning.
I read a book when Eliott was born that took me through the process of how to help him sleep through the night by 3 months... better yet, it was a no-cry method. I was sold and was determined to make this happen. Needless to say, beyond my best efforts, he woke up... time and time again. I was a defeated, tired Mom. There's nothing better, when you're in this situation, than to hear another mom talk about how her 6 week old slept 10 hours the previous night. I often fell into, 'What in the heck am I doing wrong!?'. Matt enlightened me (more than once) that mom's probably don't go around talking much about how their kids are such terrible sleepers, so babies sleeping through the night probably isn't as common as I may have felt.
To make a long story short, I have learned a lot in this process of having a little one that is not a naturally good sleeper (and now a two-year old that is a bear to put to bed)... here are just a few...
*God doesn't always give you patience (he gives you situations to practice being patient)
*I can survive on 4 hours of interrupted sleep and I don't have to be crabby to my family because of it
*To be happy for others (who have little ones sleeping well) even if my situation isn't as wonderful
*Don't compare your child to another's
*Ask God for guidance, and while you're waiting for answered prayer, figure out what you are supposed to be learning and working on in the process
*If you want a result, be persistent
*I can be a great mom, even if I have a two year old doing two-year old things, and an infant who does not sleep well
Matt and I decided about a month ago that the only way Eliott was going to sleep better was to let him figure it out himself. He was tot he point that he would fall asleep as long as I was in the room with him. This was all fine and dandy until 2:00, and 3:00, and 4:00, ... He cried (on and off) for an hour and 40 minutes, then finally fell asleep. He was practically sitting up. I felt so bad for him as he was 'hiccuping' since he had cried... but let me tell you, he slept through the night that night and many nights to follow. He's not mad at me for having to cry, and now does a great job at night... usually sleeping from 7:00 to 7:00 (needing a binky every now and then). I'm not saying this would work for anybody and you have to be at a point that you feel comfortable doing it, but it was what we felt we needed to do, and it worked for him. His sister is another story now. She sits on the potty as I type this at 9:00. She doesn't need to go, just trying to waste time. errrrrr.
We'll keep working on it patiently and persistently.
Great post, Em! Good reminders for weary moms!
ReplyDelete