Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Realization
After another night of Alexsa going to sleep at 1:00am, Barry made a realization: She has chosen her schedule. It seems no matter now much or little she sleeps during the day, she goes to bed about 1:00am, wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30 to feed, again at 7 or 8, then we nap until 9 or 10am. We start our go to bed process at 9pm with a quiet feeding then we swaddle her up and rock her for a bit. As soon as she seems asleep, we put her down. Ten minutes later, she's wide awake! This process repeats until she gets hungry again about midnight and by then I'm so tired that I give in and fall asleep in the bed with her in my arms after her feed. Sure we're getting sleep by not getting up until after 9, but come April 5th when I go back to work, I will not be a happy Mommy. SOOO, how do I coax her to going to bed earlier? Keep her up ALL day? Then I get nothing done and the house goes to pot even more than it already is. Any other suggestions? (And I the thought of putting whiskey on her paci has crossed my mind more than once...)
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4 comments:
I think that she is still so new, that it is impossible to get her sleeping on a regular schedule yet. You have to listen to her right now. I remember going through this same thing with Ian- i would take the first shift (9-2am) and Bryan would take 2am-6. It sucked for a bit, until he just figured out when day was and when night was.
I don't think it was until 3 mos or so that he really got into a rhythm.
That being said, I am pretty sure that sleep begets sleep, so putting her down before you think she is tired and trying to get in 3 good naps during the day at this point would be helpful.
And I would like to add that I still have sleep issues with Gavin (at almost 9 mos) so I am no expert. At all.
I am sure this is such a hard time! I remember when my sister was trying to get Vivian to sleep at even somewhat normal hours. Very stressful! I know that urge to want to do everything & be Super Woman, but don't forget that you are a GREAT mommy, even if dishes and laundry pile up around you! I am reminded of this lovely poem that my sister had in her house many years ago, when my nephews were tiny babies.
'Song for a Fifth Child'
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
DO NOT keep her up all day. Laurie is right, sleep begets sleep. I know it is hard but keep doing what you are doing. It takes some time and a LOT of work, but she will get it eventually!
What are you doing with her during the day?
Erin, Love the poem!
We have been going out here and there, because it seemed when we stayed home all day she would stay awake and be crabby all day - looking back i think she was going through a growth spurt and i didn't realize how hungry she was. Today i purposefully stayed home all day and she had a good waking period and is now sleeping... I hope she only wakes for a few hours tonight and goes to bed at a decent hour! We shall see... Thanks for your encouragement!
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