Thus begins my sleep rant...
Well, I am ready to truly "blog" because motherhood is a world of second guessing myself. I have lived my life as a confident female (thanks to amazing strength and love from my parents) always willing to be the leader and make decsions. I have hardly ever felt the need to second guess my decision making and need for efficiency:) So motherhood has really thrown me for a loop. God has been my guide and comforter. My faith has been our one true constant as we begin parenthood and I cannot imagine where I would be without it.
Ayla is a "textbook" baby. Cries when she is hungry, has gas, and is tired. Otherwise she is happy and calm. We are truly blessed. Feeding Ayla has been going great, she even takes a bottle about once a day and still loves breasfeeding. However, sleep is the area we struggle with...
Why is it whenever you tell people you just had a baby the first thing (or maybe second behind how much did she weigh?) is how does she sleep? Well, now as a mother of an 8 week old newborn I know :) It basically consumes me. Is she getting enough? Should I put her on a schedule? Why won't she sleep more then 20 minutes while napping in her bassinet, yet at night will sleep in there for 4 plus hours? How can I teach her to soothe herself? I will take any sleep advise you all have for me, mothers, fathers, or not.
We committed the parent "no no" and had her in the bed with us. This was great, she slept almost 6 hours at a time. Yet during the day mommy got nothing done because she would only nap on my chest (or whoever was willing- grandma, dad...). Brett and I also were getting too afraid of the co-sleeping risk factors.
So two weeks ago we started the transition into her bassinet, trying to avoid the age old cry it out method. Come to find out, we only had to do this once and all was good.
- Between 9 and 10 we rock her to sleep after a bed time routine of bath, eat, read a story. We place her in the bassinet, she stirs about 20 mins later and we give her the binky (which she has a hard time keeping in her mouth because we waited so long to present it to her due to my fear of "nipple confusion" - this is my only regret so far, waiting so long to give her a binky, we should have done it from day one), so due to this binky issue I must be vigilent for awhile until she sucks herself into dream land.
- She will then sleep a good 4 or 5 hours, which is great. I feed her and about 70% of the time so far she goes right back to sleep in her bassinet with the help of the binky, but sometimes we need to rock her back to sleep. This second stint in the bassinet only lasts 2 or 3 hours though. We are getting there though. I am happy with this.
- So here is where I need advise... NAPS. She will sleep in her swing, but motionless sleep is what she really needs to be rested. As I said she will sleep for about 20 mins in her bassinet before I hear a huge wail from the bedroom and I must rescue her, she will NOT go back to sleep on her own or with the binky, so at this point I lay down with her, sometimes I sleep, sometimes I watch Oprah :) I am hoping this is just a phase and as she gets more comfortable with soothing herself (which is an issue in itself because I don't know how to teach her to do that without her crying for what seems like too long and this too me is torture, my breasts start to leak and I begin sobbing myself).
- I have read book after book, which to anyone about to have a baby, DON'T read any books on sleep, do what works for you! You just drive yourself crazy with all the different recomendations. I know there are people out there who can lay there babies down and they fall asleep on their own, but very few of them. I have no problem putting my baby to sleep, helping her a bit. Parenting is about daily, second by second sacrifices and I am happy to make those for my precious little one. But she needs to be rested to be happy, so that is why there is a nap dilemma.
