I can't believe it! It's been 17 days since I started trying to get Malea sleeping through the night better. A little background 1st: From 2 1/2 months to about 6 months, Malea slept through the night on her own. I never did anything! She slept from about 10pm to 8 or even 9 am! I thought I had the best sleeping baby on the planet! Then she started teething around 6 months and started waking up more and we got into a bad routine of nursing anywhere from 4-8 times per night. Also, as we were cosleeping that whole time, I just let her nurse so much because it was easy as she was right there next to us and I could practically do it in my sleep. Anyway, she got her 1st 2 bottom teeth around 7 1/2 months...finally and then started teething shortly after again for the 2 top ones which came in her 9th month. So, at the end of her 8th month, I was so sleep deprived, I decided I would try a gentler-than-the-normal "cry it out" method, even though I was soooooooooooo opposed to the whole "crying it out" thing. She cried for 45 minutes wailing at the top her lungs the whole time, even though I comforted her every 3 minutes, then trying to increase to 4 minutes, etc. That was that. Back to nursing every 1 1/2 to 2 hours!
I was such a wreck, I could not take it anymore...so about 2 months later (in her 10th month), I needed to do SOMETHING...now being convinced that I could not let her "cry it out", I followed the no-cry sleep solution book's suggestions. Basically that entailed getting her on a good routine during the day, eating and napping at roughly the same times, getting a good and early prebedtime routine in place, introducing a "lovey" at bed and naptimes, etc. We logged her routines in the beginning and after the 1st 10 days as suggested. There was definitely a small improvement, but I was at my wit's end with sleep deprivation! We went from waking 6-8 times per night to feed every one of those times to waking 5-7 times and cutting out one feeding during the night. But still a lot. By this time, I had her sleeping in the crib next to our bed too so it was harder to get up and nurse her that many times. It's just been to crowded in our bed and she gets too hot and restless. So anyway, I was still sleep deprived to say the least and after dealing with this for 4 months now, I had just about had enough.
So, I decided to let her cry for a couple of minutes only at a time and go in an comfort and use our keyphrase: "it's night-night time". I don't know if the difference was because we had got her on such a good routine or not, but she hardly even cried. Not like it was before when I tried 2 months ago. She cried for 2 minutes, not even wailing, and then I went in, then we did 3 minutes,then 4, then 5, then 6 minutes and she was asleep by the end of the 6 minutes, about 20 minutes total. After the 1st 2 minutes, the crying got less and less and that's why I was able to do it, I'm sure. She even sometimes was just sort of playing in her crib a little then would cry for a minute, then would play with her "lovey". Anyway, I was beside myself in amazement. She woke up 4 or 5 times that 1st night, but I only nursed her 2 of those times. I did the minutes thing the other 3 times and hid behind the dresser since my bed is right next to the crib, I didn't want to just get back in bed and have her know I was right there ignoring her. But she fell asleep within a few minutes most of the times and it took longer one of the times...I think she was up for45 minutes, but not upset really, she was playing in her crib and not wanting to go back to sleep. I think her rhythm was getting readjusted.
So it seemed to be working so I tried again. The 2nd night, she fell asleep at 4 minute, check in, 5 minute, check in, by the end of the 6 minute check in! That was only 15 minutes! And she hardly cried that much. Mostly whimpered on and off. She woke up 3 times that night and nursed 2 of those times! I was feeling like it was quite the miracle at this point. Remember she was waking up 5-8 times a night just 2 nights ago, and for months at that!
So, the 3rd night she woke up a lot but by this time was getting herself back to sleep within a minute or two without my responding at all! I nursed her twice again.
The 4th night, she woke up a few times but I only nursed once...and she got herself back to sleep the other times all on her own!
The 5th night, same as the 4th but woke up for her one nursing much later...at about 5am. That means, she went down around 8:30ish pm, woke up a couple of times but got herself back to sleep easily without crying...just a whimper or two for less than a minute, then woke up to nurse at 5 am!!! So I didn't even have to get out of bed or nurse or anything for 8 1/2 hours. Believe me, it was worth the major engorgement!
The 6th night, pretty much same as the 5th!
The 7th night (last night), same as 6th, except I didn't even hear her really wake up in between 8:30 pm and 5 am but to readjust herself here and there.
So here I am, 17 days later and I am a much more well-rested and happier woman and my baby sleeps well and seems more well-rested and still takes 2 naps per day (1 to 1 1/2 hours long)...yay!
I couldn't ask for more!
