Scott and I have decided that we need to make a little onesie for Abbey that says, "Winning." a-la Charlie Sheen.
'Cuz she is.
And it's funny.
And true - she has our number.
But seriously, folks. We're making progress. As difficult as this method may be on the heart, I have to tell you, in the sleep category, I totally recommend it. We've seen rapid and dramatic results in her nighttime sleeping habits. We see a light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. It's a lovely, bright light. Where bluebirds sing. And trees sway. Where children of all races play together. And gays have the right to marry. And all is well with the world.
We'll start with naps yesterday. Here's the first major improvement. This kid has never - NEVER - napped in her crib until now. She's now going down without much protest and sleeping for 30 minutes, three times a day. Sure, I wish it were longer. But this is a big improvement.
But the happiest news comes from bedtime last night. We headed upstairs for her bath at around 6pm. Usually, some significant crying occurs after the bath while I'm putting on her PJ's. Like she's saying, "enough already! get on with it, lady!" But last night, not a peep. Just happy coos. We went through the whole bedtime routine, I laid her in her crib - still awake - she smiled at me, and Went. To. Sleep.
We didn't hear from her again until this morning.
Do you hear those angels singing? Hallelujah. And amen.
Granted, she woke up a wee bit early for my taste this morning - you know, 4.45 am isn't any one's favorite hour. But I knew she was hungry. And she logged 10 hours of sleep. So who am I to complain?
Like I said. Winning.
Showing posts with label baby sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby sleep. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sleep Training Day Zero: Reset
I've had a lot of response from my blog yesterday about our recent sleep woes with Abbey. I want to thank everyone for their support and advice and for sharing your stories. It is so reassuring to know that ya'll have been there, too. And have emerged on the other side. So, thanks.
Yesterday, Scott and I did a lot of talking and analyzing. I went to the bookstore and bought two books that were recommended to me over and over. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth and (insert dramatic music here) Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber. Yes, THAT Ferber. As in "Ferberize" and "Meet The Parents" fame. But we know we need to put a plan into action. Up until this point, we'd really been following the "child lead" model of sleep/eat/play routines. And I think that has suited us very well up until this point. I don't regret that approach at all. My research is teaching me, however, that there's a big shift that happens at four months of age, and it's time to reassess. It's time to get a schedule in order. While I was up in the wee hours with Abbey the other night I thumbed through the No Cry Sleep Solution, which had been given to me by my sister-in-law. Pretty much everything it had suggested we were already doing. I knew that "attachment parenting" and the Sears approach wasn't going to work for our lifestyle. So, we're going to give this other side a shot. More on that later.
Yesterday - last night specifically - was our collective "re-set" as we begin sleep and nap training today. We know that Abbey isn't sleeping enough during the day and that causes her to be overtired and not sleep through the night, which causes for another rough day. Vicious, horrible cycle. Studies show an infant her age should be logging 14-15 hours of sleep per 24 hour period. She was doing about 12 on a good day. That's a problem. We've been struggling to keep her awake at the end of the day so that we could reach an arbitrary bedtime of 8 or 8.30. Life pretty much sucked from 6pm until bath-time. So, we started there. Abbey started to show signs of tiredness around 6pm, and we decided to go ahead an chuck her in the bath and start the bed-time routine. Bath, massage, jammies, book, bottle, nurse, bed. She was peacefully asleep without protest by 7:30 - a whole 30 minutes/hour earlier than normal. We thought, "Yay! Smooth sailing the rest of the night!"
Ha.
At 9:30 she was up and wailing. I was just getting ready to go to sleep. I decided to try to nurse her and get her back down. And that worked. For 20 minutes. We knew it was time to put the plan into action. The plan being to let her cry it out.
Shock, gasp, horror. I know.
Here's something that I have found really fascinating over the past 24 hours. Several moms who I have SO MUCH love and respect for sent me messages saying the EXACT SAME THING. The gyst being, "I didn't want to admit this to everyone, but we let our baby cry it out." It's interesting to me that we associate this method with a negative stigma. Well, I'm here to say, "fuck that". Allow me to blog about it for all of us - so that we no longer have to hide in the shadows in shame. I am committed to sharing this parenting hurdle openly because, seriously, you do what have to do. Scott and I have committed to trying the Weissbluth approach to sleep and nap training for two weeks. If it doesn't work, then we'll try something else. But I'll be damned if I'll show any shame or embarrassment or fear of judgment for trying to make a happy household.
Nanny nanny boo boo.
So, where were we. Ah, yes. Cry it out. So, Abbey started wailing at 10pm. Scott and I flipped on our respective bed-side lamps, turned on the white noise machine (aka loud-ass fan in our bedroom), turned the volume off on the monitor, and read. We read for exactly 26 minutes. That's when I looked up and saw that the lights on the monitor were no longer dancing. I turned on the camera (yes, we have a video monitor - and love it - and I HIGHLY recommend them) and saw a peaceful, sleeping angel. Out like a light.
She woke up at 3.30 am and against what was probably my better judgment, I got up and nursed her. I just thought she'd likely be hungry. It had been 6 hours since her "snack" and 8 hours since a proper feeding. Luckily, she fell right back to sleep afterward. She woke up again at 5.30am - which is actually fairly normal - so I got up again and nursed. Again, against my better judgment, I threw her in her swing and she slept until about 7:45. But she slept. And so did I. But we will be towing a harder line tonight.
Last night was a HUGE improvement over what we've experienced the past two weeks. Heuuge. So, I feel like we're on the right track. And I'm hoping for continued progress.
Yesterday, Scott and I did a lot of talking and analyzing. I went to the bookstore and bought two books that were recommended to me over and over. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth and (insert dramatic music here) Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber. Yes, THAT Ferber. As in "Ferberize" and "Meet The Parents" fame. But we know we need to put a plan into action. Up until this point, we'd really been following the "child lead" model of sleep/eat/play routines. And I think that has suited us very well up until this point. I don't regret that approach at all. My research is teaching me, however, that there's a big shift that happens at four months of age, and it's time to reassess. It's time to get a schedule in order. While I was up in the wee hours with Abbey the other night I thumbed through the No Cry Sleep Solution, which had been given to me by my sister-in-law. Pretty much everything it had suggested we were already doing. I knew that "attachment parenting" and the Sears approach wasn't going to work for our lifestyle. So, we're going to give this other side a shot. More on that later.
Yesterday - last night specifically - was our collective "re-set" as we begin sleep and nap training today. We know that Abbey isn't sleeping enough during the day and that causes her to be overtired and not sleep through the night, which causes for another rough day. Vicious, horrible cycle. Studies show an infant her age should be logging 14-15 hours of sleep per 24 hour period. She was doing about 12 on a good day. That's a problem. We've been struggling to keep her awake at the end of the day so that we could reach an arbitrary bedtime of 8 or 8.30. Life pretty much sucked from 6pm until bath-time. So, we started there. Abbey started to show signs of tiredness around 6pm, and we decided to go ahead an chuck her in the bath and start the bed-time routine. Bath, massage, jammies, book, bottle, nurse, bed. She was peacefully asleep without protest by 7:30 - a whole 30 minutes/hour earlier than normal. We thought, "Yay! Smooth sailing the rest of the night!"
Ha.
At 9:30 she was up and wailing. I was just getting ready to go to sleep. I decided to try to nurse her and get her back down. And that worked. For 20 minutes. We knew it was time to put the plan into action. The plan being to let her cry it out.
Shock, gasp, horror. I know.
Here's something that I have found really fascinating over the past 24 hours. Several moms who I have SO MUCH love and respect for sent me messages saying the EXACT SAME THING. The gyst being, "I didn't want to admit this to everyone, but we let our baby cry it out." It's interesting to me that we associate this method with a negative stigma. Well, I'm here to say, "fuck that". Allow me to blog about it for all of us - so that we no longer have to hide in the shadows in shame. I am committed to sharing this parenting hurdle openly because, seriously, you do what have to do. Scott and I have committed to trying the Weissbluth approach to sleep and nap training for two weeks. If it doesn't work, then we'll try something else. But I'll be damned if I'll show any shame or embarrassment or fear of judgment for trying to make a happy household.
Nanny nanny boo boo.
So, where were we. Ah, yes. Cry it out. So, Abbey started wailing at 10pm. Scott and I flipped on our respective bed-side lamps, turned on the white noise machine (aka loud-ass fan in our bedroom), turned the volume off on the monitor, and read. We read for exactly 26 minutes. That's when I looked up and saw that the lights on the monitor were no longer dancing. I turned on the camera (yes, we have a video monitor - and love it - and I HIGHLY recommend them) and saw a peaceful, sleeping angel. Out like a light.
She woke up at 3.30 am and against what was probably my better judgment, I got up and nursed her. I just thought she'd likely be hungry. It had been 6 hours since her "snack" and 8 hours since a proper feeding. Luckily, she fell right back to sleep afterward. She woke up again at 5.30am - which is actually fairly normal - so I got up again and nursed. Again, against my better judgment, I threw her in her swing and she slept until about 7:45. But she slept. And so did I. But we will be towing a harder line tonight.
Last night was a HUGE improvement over what we've experienced the past two weeks. Heuuge. So, I feel like we're on the right track. And I'm hoping for continued progress.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Product Review: Swaddling Blankets
Before giving birth, during the last trimester, I read Harvey Karp's acclaimed book, The Happiest Baby on the Block. I wanted (want) a happy baby. The baby on the cover of the book sure looked happy. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover or title, but this seemed pretty necessary. Plus, it came recommended by several moms that I respect.
Karp's book is an easy read and a bit repetitive - perhaps to really drive his points home with sleep deprived parents who lack memory retention. But the gyst is that babies are born before their brains are really developed enough to function among the rest of us. They could really use another three months tucked away in the womb. But that's not really physically possible. Thus the "fourth trimester" as he calls it, consists of making the outside world as womb-like as possible for the baby. Sort of like a transition space/time. To do this, parents must practice "the five S's." Swaddling, Side, Shhh, Swinging, Sucking. Sucking for the infant. Not the parents. You dirty bird.
In our house, we're putting all five into practice, but swaddling was one that I wasn't totally comfortable with from the start. Honestly, you feel like you're putting your child in a straight jacket. Surely that can't be comfortable.
But it is!
I, however, turned to the aid of several different types of swaddling blankets. These use velcro, or pockets or flaps to help keep your baby tucked in and secure. Because the tighter the swaddle, the better. There are four types of swaddlers that I can speak to. Here we go.
Aden & Anais:
This Aussie company makes breathable, muslin blankets with adorable designs. While these blankets don't have fancy velcro or pockets or gizmos, they are very large and much easier to cocoon your little one in than the standard hospital grade receiving blanket - 47" X 47" to be exact. So, not only do they work well to swaddle, they'll also grow with the child. I mostly use these during the day for naps, and I always keep one in the diaper bag. Though they are super thin, they are surprisingly warm, but not quite warm enough for Colorado's winter nights. Here's my beef with them, and granted, this could be a technique issue with me as well, but my little Houdini of a baby busts out of them with very little trouble. I watch her in her crib on the monitor and see one arm break loose, followed by the other, followed by her "come get me" scream. Every time. Without fail. And it seems to happen no matter how tightly I swaddle her. She's a crafty one who prefers her arms out, but they always end up startling her out of her sleep with that Moro reflex. For a cozy, multi-purpose blanket, I love these - I own ten of them - but for swaddling specifically, not so much.
Summer Infant SwaddleMe:
This was the first swaddling blanket that I bought. I have it in a nice organic pink with a brown trim. Originally, I bought it for a friend off her baby registry but was too lazy to mail it, ended up keeping it, and lucky me, I had a girl, so I felt like it was okay for me to use it. They come in different styles and fabrics - mine is a thin jersey style cotton. There are two velcro flaps to secure the arms in place and a pocket for the little one's legs. Like a hybrid sleeping bag, almost. Abbey seems to enjoy this blanket, and it's pretty easy to get her in and out of - even during those middle of the night feedings and changes. The velcro is an evil necessity. On one hand, it keeps her snug as a bug. On the other, it wakes her and my husband and our puppy, Dante, when I undo it in the middle of the night. But overall, I'm pretty keen on this particular blanket.
Miracle Blanket:
I first heard of this blanket on the Alpha Mom blog, of which I am an avid reader. Amalah, the blog's writer, is a huge fan of this blanket. I'm a huge fan of Amalah. So, it ended up on my baby registry. Two good friends are also big fans of this blanket and got it for me. When I first opened it, I was wicked intimidated. There are flaps and pockets and the natural organic fabric in a lovely shade of wheat really does have this particular contraption looking like a straight jacket. But oh my golly does it work. The first time we put Abbey in it, she fussed for two seconds and then it was lights out and she didn't wake up again until seven hours later. SEVEN HOURS. Bless this blanket. Bless it, I tell you. That being said, it's sort of difficult to maneuver, and I find it to be a bit unwieldy during the wee hours. But for a super fussy or colicky baby - this blanket is surely a miracle.
Halo Sleep Sack:
My favorite nurse tending to Abbey in the NICU at the hospital raved about this blanket. They use it there, and Abbey sure seemed to like it. Lucky for us, Santa brought us one for Christmas. ;-) What I like about this blanket is that it's thicker - we have a nice fleecy one, which means fewer layers during the winter, which is of course, safer. My complaint is the same as the Swaddleme - that velcro is wicked loud. But I do love that it comes in two pieces, the "sack" which is similar to a bunting without any sleeves, and then the swaddle wrap that attaches using velcro in multiple locations. I also think that this particular model will work the best when we transition Abbey to her crib since you really don't need any additional layers. In fact, in the hospital, they had her in one wearing just a diaper. I dress her in light pajamas at home since we keep the bedroom on the cooler side.
So, my personal fave of all of these - specific for the purpose of swaddling, is the Summer Infant Swaddleme. We've had the most success with this one consecutively. Although, truly, I don't hate any of these - they all work pretty well, and I like that I have a variety on hand. I don't know that I would willing part with any of the above options now that I've sampled them all, just keep your intended purpose and personal taste in mind.
Karp's book is an easy read and a bit repetitive - perhaps to really drive his points home with sleep deprived parents who lack memory retention. But the gyst is that babies are born before their brains are really developed enough to function among the rest of us. They could really use another three months tucked away in the womb. But that's not really physically possible. Thus the "fourth trimester" as he calls it, consists of making the outside world as womb-like as possible for the baby. Sort of like a transition space/time. To do this, parents must practice "the five S's." Swaddling, Side, Shhh, Swinging, Sucking. Sucking for the infant. Not the parents. You dirty bird.
In our house, we're putting all five into practice, but swaddling was one that I wasn't totally comfortable with from the start. Honestly, you feel like you're putting your child in a straight jacket. Surely that can't be comfortable.
But it is!
I, however, turned to the aid of several different types of swaddling blankets. These use velcro, or pockets or flaps to help keep your baby tucked in and secure. Because the tighter the swaddle, the better. There are four types of swaddlers that I can speak to. Here we go.
Aden & Anais:
This Aussie company makes breathable, muslin blankets with adorable designs. While these blankets don't have fancy velcro or pockets or gizmos, they are very large and much easier to cocoon your little one in than the standard hospital grade receiving blanket - 47" X 47" to be exact. So, not only do they work well to swaddle, they'll also grow with the child. I mostly use these during the day for naps, and I always keep one in the diaper bag. Though they are super thin, they are surprisingly warm, but not quite warm enough for Colorado's winter nights. Here's my beef with them, and granted, this could be a technique issue with me as well, but my little Houdini of a baby busts out of them with very little trouble. I watch her in her crib on the monitor and see one arm break loose, followed by the other, followed by her "come get me" scream. Every time. Without fail. And it seems to happen no matter how tightly I swaddle her. She's a crafty one who prefers her arms out, but they always end up startling her out of her sleep with that Moro reflex. For a cozy, multi-purpose blanket, I love these - I own ten of them - but for swaddling specifically, not so much.
Summer Infant SwaddleMe:
This was the first swaddling blanket that I bought. I have it in a nice organic pink with a brown trim. Originally, I bought it for a friend off her baby registry but was too lazy to mail it, ended up keeping it, and lucky me, I had a girl, so I felt like it was okay for me to use it. They come in different styles and fabrics - mine is a thin jersey style cotton. There are two velcro flaps to secure the arms in place and a pocket for the little one's legs. Like a hybrid sleeping bag, almost. Abbey seems to enjoy this blanket, and it's pretty easy to get her in and out of - even during those middle of the night feedings and changes. The velcro is an evil necessity. On one hand, it keeps her snug as a bug. On the other, it wakes her and my husband and our puppy, Dante, when I undo it in the middle of the night. But overall, I'm pretty keen on this particular blanket.
Miracle Blanket:
I first heard of this blanket on the Alpha Mom blog, of which I am an avid reader. Amalah, the blog's writer, is a huge fan of this blanket. I'm a huge fan of Amalah. So, it ended up on my baby registry. Two good friends are also big fans of this blanket and got it for me. When I first opened it, I was wicked intimidated. There are flaps and pockets and the natural organic fabric in a lovely shade of wheat really does have this particular contraption looking like a straight jacket. But oh my golly does it work. The first time we put Abbey in it, she fussed for two seconds and then it was lights out and she didn't wake up again until seven hours later. SEVEN HOURS. Bless this blanket. Bless it, I tell you. That being said, it's sort of difficult to maneuver, and I find it to be a bit unwieldy during the wee hours. But for a super fussy or colicky baby - this blanket is surely a miracle.
Halo Sleep Sack:
My favorite nurse tending to Abbey in the NICU at the hospital raved about this blanket. They use it there, and Abbey sure seemed to like it. Lucky for us, Santa brought us one for Christmas. ;-) What I like about this blanket is that it's thicker - we have a nice fleecy one, which means fewer layers during the winter, which is of course, safer. My complaint is the same as the Swaddleme - that velcro is wicked loud. But I do love that it comes in two pieces, the "sack" which is similar to a bunting without any sleeves, and then the swaddle wrap that attaches using velcro in multiple locations. I also think that this particular model will work the best when we transition Abbey to her crib since you really don't need any additional layers. In fact, in the hospital, they had her in one wearing just a diaper. I dress her in light pajamas at home since we keep the bedroom on the cooler side.
So, my personal fave of all of these - specific for the purpose of swaddling, is the Summer Infant Swaddleme. We've had the most success with this one consecutively. Although, truly, I don't hate any of these - they all work pretty well, and I like that I have a variety on hand. I don't know that I would willing part with any of the above options now that I've sampled them all, just keep your intended purpose and personal taste in mind.
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