I have had some very exhausting days over the past two weeks. Between teething and stuffy nose, Emma had a bunch of nights in a row where she would wake up every 20 minutes. Nonstop. I was going absolutely crazy from the lack of sleep. I did not recognize it as being a temporary problem, and in the madness of the moment even considered putting her in her own room, in a crib, and shutting the door so that I can get a bit of sleep, since I had several nights in a row where I simply did not sleep much and was so extremely exhausted. I thought that I am doing something wrong with my way of night time parenting, i.e. that co sleeping is causing this problem, and that all the attachment parenting stuff is creating this problem. Other people (whose kids sleep on their own in their crib) tell me that their babies sleep 12 h straight, without any awakenings, but I would have been happy with 3 straight hours. This is what led me to believe that perhaps it is something parenting-related.
Fortunately I got help from MrH and from my mom, and between the two of them I got a bit of sleep in the mornings, from 6 am until about 9 am, and those 3 hours uninterrupted have helped immensely. A few nights later, Emma started sleeping again as usual, with her one to two feeding breaks between 11 pm and 7 am, and I cannot complain about those. I am a normal person again. I have (once again) cancelled my plans to buy a crib. It is not the attachment parenting, it was a bit of discomfort and a virus that caused the change in her sleep pattern. I am so satisfied with sleeping with her, and I really think that she likes it as well, that I am very happy to have hung in there and not thrown in the towel.
I am curious if anybody out there co-sleeps, and if so, does your baby sleep through the night? Is it a feature of co-sleeping that babies wake up to nurse at the all-night-diner since it is so convenient?
i have limited experience with cosleeping. we have done so with both children though differently.
ReplyDeletewith Julius he slept right next to me. he woke ME every 1.5-2 hours to nurse. that happened all 4.5 months of his life. he pretty much never fully awoke, but would start to stir and thrash his arms around which would cause me to wake up and then nurse him (laying down). so we both got some sleep.
with our baby girl she sleeps in the cosleeper in the bed or her bassinet next to the bed. she too wakes every 2-2.5 hours to nurse.
with Julius i started to notice that while he was nursing most of the time, there would be times where he would use me as a pacifier. he never took one.
our baby girl DOES take a pacifier (she actually loves it). but she STILL wakes up pretty often.
i've heard that during the teething time they become a bit more needy, so that may be it. but breast milk also gets burned quicker, so she may be hungry as well.
i too have friends who have children that sleep through the night. but a majority of the time those children are formula fed, so that may have something to do with it.
the longest stretch that our girl has slept interruped was 5 hrs one time, and that was during a nap i took with her one day. she has never done that again.
i'm sorry you are so exhausted. it can be a bit taxing especially when you are sleep deprived. so hopefully your mom and hubby can continue to give you little breaks to help you deal with this time.
I am a cosleeper I don't like to sleep alone so why would a little person it is great bonding and when my son doesn't sleep well I don't have to get up and truck to another room I am right there to comfort him he is almost 2 we have had him in our bed since say 1 I love it he loves it he naps on his own an has no pro blen with that they go through tough times teething colds growi pains it's nice to know they feel secure with u right there when they need u
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