Battle of Wills
I remember when I was 8 or so months pregnant, I told D very seriously that I wanted the baby in our room for at least 6 weeks. HAAAA ha ha ha HHAAA ha ha ha HAAAAA ha ha HAAA. (*Wipes tears from eyes.*) Little did I know that we'd be nearing the six month mark and the kid would still be NOWHERE near close to sleeping through the night and nowhere near close to being out of our room. He goes down in his crib fine at bedtime and I keep telling myself, someday, he'll just sleep in there all the way until morning!
It didn't happen last night though - he went down at 7 and woke at 9. I was burnt out from a long and rather fussy day and I asked D to deal with it. LM often wakes at 9, but usually goes down again with just a little pat. But not last night. D spent an hour on the exercise ball before he gave up and I gave him the almighty boob. I'd been sitting in an inch of water (my attempt at a relaxing bath aborted because the water running keeps him up) the whole time thinking "I am NOT going to do it..." I knew the breast would probably work, but I just really wanted a few hours off. I should know that once I let myself think I am entering into a battle of wills, I lose every single time. I have already lost. But I finally gave in and he went down. He was up again at 1. And 3. And up for the day at quarter-to-five. Oh, and yes that is a typical night for us. Yay.
No one else I know seems to be having the same sort of sleep problems with their baby. It makes me feel like such a freak. On my bad days, I wonder how could I do be doing it so wrong? What did I do so that his sleep is actually worse than it was when he was a newborn? But on my good days I do know it's him, and not me, and I remind myself that my next baby is going to be an AWESOME sleeper.
It didn't happen last night though - he went down at 7 and woke at 9. I was burnt out from a long and rather fussy day and I asked D to deal with it. LM often wakes at 9, but usually goes down again with just a little pat. But not last night. D spent an hour on the exercise ball before he gave up and I gave him the almighty boob. I'd been sitting in an inch of water (my attempt at a relaxing bath aborted because the water running keeps him up) the whole time thinking "I am NOT going to do it..." I knew the breast would probably work, but I just really wanted a few hours off. I should know that once I let myself think I am entering into a battle of wills, I lose every single time. I have already lost. But I finally gave in and he went down. He was up again at 1. And 3. And up for the day at quarter-to-five. Oh, and yes that is a typical night for us. Yay.
No one else I know seems to be having the same sort of sleep problems with their baby. It makes me feel like such a freak. On my bad days, I wonder how could I do be doing it so wrong? What did I do so that his sleep is actually worse than it was when he was a newborn? But on my good days I do know it's him, and not me, and I remind myself that my next baby is going to be an AWESOME sleeper.
posted by grass @ 8:26 AM
3 Comments:
At 8:37 PM ,
Anonymous said...
Just a thought (based on my own struggles in this area) -- maybe you should put him down later if you want him to sleep later in the morning. 7 is reaaaaaaly early. Also, maybe he is napping too much and that is why he isn't sleeping well at night? We stopped putting my daughter in her swing during the day so she wouldn't take too many naps.
At 10:55 AM ,
linds said...
I think lots of people struggle with sleeping all night for their babies. You are not alone and you are not a failure. It will get better!
At 3:33 PM ,
kaitlyn said...
I think that around the six month mark is a hard time for babies and parents. I remember feeling the same way with Leila, and feeling like no one else was having these troubles. They're "old enough" that they "should be" sleeping through the night (or at least til five and back down again) but, really, they just don't. I heard all these tales about formula fed babies, but I was always suspicious that formula mommies were just scared to tell of their sleeping woes because there wasn't any breastmilk to blame it on. And until kids can crawl or walk or talk, sleep patterns are what parents use to compare their children. Anyhoo, that is a tangent that I didn't mean to go on. What I meant to say was that it sucks and it's hard, especially when the boob will quiet them so quickly and yet you are SO TIRED. So, although I have no solutions, know that you're not alone and tears are nothing to be ashamed of (his or yours) and I'm thinking of you.
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