When we got back to California, that changed. She started sleeping in 45-minute increments again and would want to play in the middle of the night. Laura and I decided we had to do something. We were going a little crazy.
We gave Cecilia a routine: bath at 8, read a book, sing a song, feed her, and have her down by 9 or 10. She'd usually fall asleep but then she'd wake up again a short while later.
We finally decided to try the cry it out method on Friday. Friday night was super hard. Laura slept downstairs so she didn't hear the screams (they make her nauseous). I tried to sleep in bed while Cecilia screamed bloody murder all night. She did eventually get herself to sleep for a couple hours... a small victory.
Last night went better. She only cried for a couple hours before putting herself to sleep. She had a nice long nap this afternoon so here's hoping she sleeps better tonight!
Dr. Ferber's method? Did you read his book?
ReplyDeleteWe didn't, but it sounded do-it-yourself-ish.
ReplyDeleteIt does work Chad....it's TORTURE for mommy, but Cecilia will sleep great soon. We did this with both our little ones (and it was SO hard to let them cry) but that gave us toddlers that went right to bed without argument and went right to sleep on their own. Hang in there...it's worth it. :-)
ReplyDeleteTorture indeed... but it seems like last night went much better! She threw a tantrum but then calmed down a little bit when we fed her again. After we put her down, she screamed for about 10 minutes and then... blessed silence!
ReplyDeleteHopefully it stays this way! :D
Awesome!! We're going to try the cry out out soon too. I have another friend who did this method and it worked wonders. Good luck!! Athena finally slept well last night too and mommy is very happy about that=)
ReplyDeleteOh, Sam, I just remembered. Laura has a book by the sleep lady and I think she's liked it. I think it might talk a bit about the differences between children younger than 3 months and children 3-6 months when putting them to sleep. Hopefully she sees this comment and contributes. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some sleep!
Jen- It's good to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that this will help Cecilia to sleep better as she grows up. It has been pretty hard so far.
ReplyDeleteSamantha- Chad is right. I got the book Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West, and it has helped me to understand more about sleep and what I can do to help Cecilia. I would recommend it.
Ok, I will check out that book too. I've also been reading BabyWise and we've been starting the eat, play, sleep cycle too. I'm so glad we both have babies!! I'm excited for Athena to meet Cecilia =)
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