My littlest is five months old. I can’t believe it. Where has the time gone?
Five months of very little sleep are catching up with me and I decided it’s time to take action. I pulled out my copy of “The No Cry Sleep Solution” which was read three years ago with my first little guy, Tristan, to help everyone get a little more shut eye. (For the record, my one time all night party animal now sleeps 12 hours a night, a good two to three hour nap daily and will even sleep in if he’s tired!) But I digress.
This book offers parents gentle suggestions for helping their babies sleep longer stretches, with fewer wakeups, without resorting to making them cry, which is right in line with my parenting philosophy.
One of the first steps in this plan is to document sleep over a 24 hour period, and then record progress in ten day intervals. Here goes…
Day 1
8:34 pm – Put down in crib after nursing
8:45 pm – snuggle
8:55 pm – back to crib
9:45 pm – snuggles with daddy
10:00 pm – back to crib
10:45 pm – nurse
11:00 pm – back to crib
midnight – nurse, move into bed with mama
3:15 am – nurse
4:00 am – nurse
5:15 am- give soother…. apparent tummy ache, takes 45 mins to get back to sleep.
7:00 am – snuggle
8:10 am – up for the day
Total number of awakenings: 9
Longest sleep span: 3 hours
Total hours of sleep: 9 hours
The daytime didn’t go much better with 3 short naps totaling 60 mins. According to this book, babies Logan’s age should be getting (on average) 3-4 hours of nap time daily, and sleeping 10-11 hours per night. There’s definitely a deficit at our house!
When I see a night like this recorded on paper, it’s no wonder I’ve been feeling so nutty the past few months! Seriously? What’s the point of even going to bed?? And to think this was actually better than a typical night…
I’ve started a couple of strategies suggested in the book. We have formulated a sleepy time routine (read a story, nurse/snuggle in rocking chair, bed). I’ve introduced a “lovey” (the gentle giraffe) which we will always have with us while getting ready to sleep and will accompany Mr. Logan into his crib. And I’m trying to catch him and soothe him back into sleep before he really wakes up during the day. (Naps don’t typically last more than 20 mins).
This afternoon I went in after 15 mins and hovered near him, waiting for signs of imminent waking. The idea is to shush the baby at the first signs that he’s coming out of sleep and settle him back into deep sleep before he fully wakes. Suddenly Logan’s eyes popped open, arms and legs began flailing…He went straight from sleeping to being ready to party in seconds. No transition period. Definitely no time to shush.
Apparently that strategy is going to take a little work 😉
I have realistic expectations. I’m not expecting the little munchkin to suddenly start sleeping 12 hour stretches at this point. According to the medical definition, an infant is sleeping through the night when they stay down for five straight hours… a five hour stretch sounds heavenly to me! 🙂
We’ll see where we’re at in ten more days. Fingers are crossed for improvement!
Asleep at last
A Mom Like Me 
March 25, 2011 at 5:58 am |
For the record, I can’t believe how awesome Andrea’s been doing with such little sleep, keeping it together while juggling a toddler on top of it all!
You’re amazing babe.
+1 vote for mommy of the year
March 25, 2011 at 10:58 am |
Wow, no wonder you are so tired! I think this whole sleep thing will get better with a little gentle encouragement. One thing I learned and I am totally against CIO is don’t go in for every little fuss…wait it out till cause sometimes going in stirs them more and they will settle themselves if you just leave them.
Good for you and good luck, I find sleep the hardest thing about being a Mom!! so frustrating and you never know when they are getting enough. Remember sleep breads sleep!!
Laura 🙂
April 23, 2011 at 7:48 pm |
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