It feels like a million years since I've gotten 8 straight hours of sleep. Up until this week, I haven't even given it a second thought; it was just normal to me to wake up once a night to nurse Kyle and then back to sleep for a few hours. The routine was working for us, and I didn't feel a need to disrupt our lives and make any drastic changes.
But last week Kyle had croup (our scariest night to date), and was having a hard time breathing. Thankfully he's much better now, but his sleep has not recovered. For a full week he's been up multiple times every night, and the only thing that will soothe him is to nurse. He knows what he wants, and doesn't stop until he gets it.
I know that this routine can't continue. It's taking a toll on all of us - especially me. I'm exhausted and starting to get frustrated that my baby doesn't remember how to sleep 8 straight hours... something that came so easy to him just 8 days ago. I know that at 1 year old he should be able to sleep through the night, and that we're going to have to make some changes to get him there.
We've done it before and know we can do it again, but the thought of what's to come is upsetting and scary. Sleep training is no fun, and I'm not looking forward to any part of it. But I want my baby to be happy and get good rest, so it looks like some tears are inevitable.
As I sit here while Kyle naps in his crib for 2+ hours, I'm trying to remember what it was like before I could get him to sleep in his own bed. I would rock him or nurse him to sleep, and sometimes have to sit there and hold him for an hour or more so he could get a nap in. If I was lucky, I'd be able to gently lay him down in the swing and he'd sleep in there for a little bit. Once I bit the bullet and let him cry in his crib, it didn't take long before he learned to make himself comfortable and take good naps in there.
I remember once that was done (when he was around 5 months old), I thought: WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER? The luxury of having a baby sound asleep in his crib for hours was amazing and he was getting the rest he needed. I'm hoping and praying that the sleep training we're about to endure goes as smoothly, and that in a week my next post will be titled: Sleeping Through the Night: WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER?
Wish me luck, because so far I'm not handling this very well.
