So, I am a 1st time mommy...and my mind is full of questions about my son and the way I'm doing things all throughout the day. Yesterday was filled with questions about why my son would not sleep. I was up and down with him beginning at 2am until 8am (when he then slept for 2hrs in my bed after feeding). Honestly, the entire day he did not sleep more than 30minute stretches, and most of the time it wasn't even that long. Every time he was layed down in his bed, he would wake up. So, the question running through my mind is, "what have I done to cause this?" I wanted him to sleep so badly...not just because I was tired, but because I knew his 6week old little body needed the sleep. Lately, I must confess, that during the late night/middle of the night feedings I have been so tired that I allow him to fall asleep on my chest for a bit before getting up and putting him back in his bed. Has this started a bad habit of him not wanting to sleep on his back in his bed? (His bed is still the bassinet beside our bed) I also haven't been as rigid on every 3hr feeding, sometimes it's 3, sometimes it's 2.5, sometimes 2 hours apart. Have I thrown off his little "schedule?" Is it even possible for a 6week old to have a schedule?
Well after a long day of very little sleep, the little guy did it. He slept for 6hrs! But does this count when his daddy put him in his car seat and walked him around the house in it to get him to sleep, and then we put the car seat in his bassinet?! Haha! *note: this is the 1st time we have ever done that, but desperate times call for desperate measures* Are we bad parents? I thought...is this bad for my son to sleep in his car seat? It was positioned in the bassinet to where he was laying back, not sitting straight up, just in case you were wondering (or worrying).
Today is a new day! We'll see how it goes...
I got a picture of his sleepy smile with my cell phone yesterday...
5 comments:
Do what you have to do! Fussy nights at our house=cosleeping. Piper is a great sleeper, Jax still cosleeps, same genes, same environment. He is too cute and I can't wait to meet him!
I fully agree with Christie. I'm on #3 and #4, and each kid has been totally different; so I am a believer that its the child NOT the parents when it comes to most things--mainly sleep. The twins have been sleeping in their car seats since 6 weeks old as well (they are 12 weeks now). It's glorious to sleep more than an hour at a time!! And now I'm scared to ruin a good thing, so they are staying in the car seats. Mia (#2) slept in a pack n play in our closet for over a year...and is our best sleeper now. Honestly, as long as they sleep, who cares where it is?!?!
I have read almost all the sleep books and tried just about every technique...all with my first, who is now 4 years old & still doesn't sleep well. I tried nothing with my second, who is an awesome sleeper from very early on. I'd love to share with you more, if you want advice. Email me if you'd like!! shana.voss@gmail.com.
Mandy,
Everything you are saying is completely normal. All babies are incredibly differnt and do incredibly different things. You are still in survival mode honestly, at least for another 2 weeks. Do what you gotta do! LaChandle had all of her boys in the carseat in the crib for up to about 6 months (I think she broke Mathew sooner) but her ped recommended it for acid reflux. K slept in a stationary vibrating chair (not on vibrate) until she was about 5 months old. I couldn't get her to sleep flat on her back. We also would carve out a good 2 to 3 hrs a day to just lay on the couch with her so she would take a nap..she would not nap in her crib. Only on us. It was crazy frustrating. Now she is sleeping in her crib by herself for naps and night :) She honestly just broke herself..one day decided she wanted to. Be encouraged! He is perfectly normal...and it's not you..it's him :) Also, I am still getting up with K 2 times a night. Around 10:30pm and 4:30-5:00am. I feed her both times. If she wakes up anytime in between I just go in and give her the bink and tell her night night! lol Keira has slept in our bed EVERY night since she has been born for some chunk of the night. We don't mind it and as long as she falls asleep in her crib (for the sake of our marriage) we're okay with it. I am extrememly irritated with the ideas of "your baby should NEVER sleep in your bed" and "your baby should be sleeping through the night!" they are both just not realistic. Your tired and if it works do it. Again..survival mode. Now, once he's older and you don't want him in there anymore and he's made it a habit..break it. The sleeping through the night thing...your not a bad mom or doing anything wrong if he's not. There's also a 6-8 week growth spurt that can have them either sleeping like crazy or up all night eating. love you!!!
The best thing you can do is to be forgiving of yourself and realistic about your 6-week old. You haven't done anything to mess him up and he has a long way to go before he's on any sort of schedule or sleeps for long stretches at a time (night sleep will organize before day sleep). At this age, focus on routine (baby wakes, baby eats, baby gets changed, baby sleeps, repeat). We found "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" to be very helpful. Hang in there!
They same the time between 6-8 weeks is called H-e-double hockey sticks weeks, where fussiness and all kinds of craziness happens. I remember reading that when mine was about 3 months and wishing I had known it at the time. This too shall pass! :)
Post a Comment