Eliza is 4 months! We celebrated her 4 month mark with a start of sleep training. With Corbin we didn't start till 5 1/2 months to let him cry it out. Eliza has been a similarly great sleeper from about 2-3 1/2 months. She was still sleeping pretty well once she went to sleep but she was having lots of trouble getting to sleep and lately going from only one wake up to two. She would go down and then wake up after one sleep cycle, 40 minutes, and then continue to wake up and need to be nursed 3 more times or want to be awake till 10 or 11 at night. This process ended up taking an hour and half sometimes. Sometimes she would get so over tired that she would get really fussy and not even want to nurse. We would end up walking/pacing the floors with her until she fell asleep. She would also try to nurse till there was no more milk and just want to suck. She won't take the pacifier no matter how hard I try to force it or introduce it at different times. I was getting sick of being a human pacifier. I thought that I would try to transition her out the miracle blanket, a straight jacket like swaddle blanket, before we started to do "cry it out". She was starting to bust out of the swaddle and I wasn't quite sure I was ready to let her cry. I tried the one arm swaddle, I tried a new sleep sack with Velcro that is supposed to help them transition. She would struggle and fuss and then jerk herself awake before even setting her down. I realized that I might not be able to transition her without her crying. She loved her swaddle but at the same time needed to learn how to sleep without it. She is getting close to rolling over. It was going to be just as hard. I went back and looked at what I did with Corbin. Adam and I were going to talk about what our strategy was going to be and then get prepared. Then last weekend she was really bad at going down. All week was bad. My nights became really unpredictable. Would she wake up, would she not? Then on Thurs. night she went to bed and then woke up after only 30 minutes. She seemed wide awake. She didn't want to nurse, she didn't want to lie down. I was tired. So I brought her downstairs with me and said, "Adam, I think I am ready. I think she is ready."
I did't think she was going to transition out of the swaddle without some crying or a lot of up and down, nursing, rocking, walking, etc. So I called Aimee and talked to her, I called Becky and talked to her. I just decided to go for it. I went back upstairs, nursed her, and then layed her down. I went and took a shower so I wouldn't have to hear her cry. Adam said she cried for 16 minutes, was quiet for about 2-3 minutes, then cried again for about 3 min then was asleep. We went upstairs to go to bed, turned off the fan, set the sound machine to go off in 15 minutes, and then she woke up as soon as we got in bed. We had to lie in bed and listen to her cry. She cried for 40 minutes. Then Adam snuck back in and turned on the sound machine. She fell instantly asleep. Then she woke up at 2:00 am and I went in and nursed her. She woke up again at 6 am and had trouble going back down even though she was still really tired. She finally went down at 6:45 and slept for another hour.
Night 2, I went out with my girl friends for dessert and drinks. Adam said she cried for about 20 minutes. Then she slept till 11:30 and woke up when we were in bed again. She cried for 30 minutes and then slept till 4 am. After talking with the girls, I decided to not swaddle her for naps either, I was hoping to not have her cry for her naps but not swaddling her meant crying. I tried to set her down ever so softly after nursing but she just wakes up. So she is now crying for naps too. But by today it's been less than 10 minutes each time.
Night 3, Adam and I went out to dinner while my parents stayed home. She cried for 20 minutes and then woke up at 2:30 am, I nursed her, and then she woke up at 5:30 am. I nursed her again. I think I am going to work on getting her to sleep till at least 1 am without nursing her and then work on cutting out the 2nd wake up in the early morning later.
Night 4. Tonight, she cried for about 15 minutes. We are making progress. She has her little lovey bear and has been also sucking her fingers. So she is learning. She is learning to fall asleep on her own. She gives me the biggest smiles when I come and get her in the morning which makes me feel so good. I know it's not hurting her but making her a better sleeper.
I think it's easier this time around because she is younger. I thought it would be harder because she cries harder than Corbin ever did. She seems fussier than Corbin. She can get really worked up. But so far she has done really well. It was also a really good idea to go out and not be home for a couple of nights. I will keep you posted on how it is going. It's a nice relief to know that when I put her down she will be down for good at night. It frees up my evening, allows me to go out and do something and let Adam or someone else be at home. And soon it will make naps easier too.
I did't think she was going to transition out of the swaddle without some crying or a lot of up and down, nursing, rocking, walking, etc. So I called Aimee and talked to her, I called Becky and talked to her. I just decided to go for it. I went back upstairs, nursed her, and then layed her down. I went and took a shower so I wouldn't have to hear her cry. Adam said she cried for 16 minutes, was quiet for about 2-3 minutes, then cried again for about 3 min then was asleep. We went upstairs to go to bed, turned off the fan, set the sound machine to go off in 15 minutes, and then she woke up as soon as we got in bed. We had to lie in bed and listen to her cry. She cried for 40 minutes. Then Adam snuck back in and turned on the sound machine. She fell instantly asleep. Then she woke up at 2:00 am and I went in and nursed her. She woke up again at 6 am and had trouble going back down even though she was still really tired. She finally went down at 6:45 and slept for another hour.
Night 2, I went out with my girl friends for dessert and drinks. Adam said she cried for about 20 minutes. Then she slept till 11:30 and woke up when we were in bed again. She cried for 30 minutes and then slept till 4 am. After talking with the girls, I decided to not swaddle her for naps either, I was hoping to not have her cry for her naps but not swaddling her meant crying. I tried to set her down ever so softly after nursing but she just wakes up. So she is now crying for naps too. But by today it's been less than 10 minutes each time.
Night 3, Adam and I went out to dinner while my parents stayed home. She cried for 20 minutes and then woke up at 2:30 am, I nursed her, and then she woke up at 5:30 am. I nursed her again. I think I am going to work on getting her to sleep till at least 1 am without nursing her and then work on cutting out the 2nd wake up in the early morning later.
Night 4. Tonight, she cried for about 15 minutes. We are making progress. She has her little lovey bear and has been also sucking her fingers. So she is learning. She is learning to fall asleep on her own. She gives me the biggest smiles when I come and get her in the morning which makes me feel so good. I know it's not hurting her but making her a better sleeper.
I think it's easier this time around because she is younger. I thought it would be harder because she cries harder than Corbin ever did. She seems fussier than Corbin. She can get really worked up. But so far she has done really well. It was also a really good idea to go out and not be home for a couple of nights. I will keep you posted on how it is going. It's a nice relief to know that when I put her down she will be down for good at night. It frees up my evening, allows me to go out and do something and let Adam or someone else be at home. And soon it will make naps easier too.
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