Ok, so it's not Christmas and this is hardly a miracle, but... last night, Jack SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! He has actually done this a handful of times. He started sleeping through the night when he was about 9 weeks old, which caught me totally off guard, because I certainly was not expecting him to STTN so early. However, it was short lived. He began waking up in the middle of the night, again, around 4 months, and since then, he's had one random act of STTN (around 12 months). At 4 months, he woke up about once, and, he then began to increasingly wake up more frequently. He has woken up in the middle of the night, an upwards of 10 times (I'm really not exaggerating!!!!) a night. It's been hard, to say the very least. However, we've also had nights where he's woken up just once and gone back to sleep super easily.
While we have several challenges throughout the past 14 months, sleeping has probably surpassed them all. I never really appreciated sleeping until Jack was born. I felt like I could take it or leave it. I never required much, I never loved sleeping, and I was never one to take random naps, like on the weekends or whatever. However, having a baby, who wakes up so much at night, has totally changed my outlook. It even prompted me to purchased a pair of pj pants that has "I love sleeping" written all over them! Even though I did not realize how much my life would be affected by lack of sleep, I never once questioned his night waking during the newborn days. That was just to be expected and, while I may have been in a daze some nights, my baby needed to eat and he needed me, so I gladly woke up, nursed him, changed him, rocked him, walked with him, and, lovingly, did whatever it took to lull him back to sleep. I was completely surprised when he began STTN at 9 weeks, but I accepted it! Even when he began re-waking at night, I accepted that, and, again, I gladly woke up with him. He was still so young, and I believed that he was waking up because he needed to eat in the middle of the night. All the way through about 9 months, I believed that Jack still needed to eat in the middle of the night, contrary to what some doctors or sleep "experts" will say. Around 9-10 months, when Jack had established a decent diet of solids and table foods, I began thinking that he probably, no longer, nutritionally, needed to nurse in the middle of the night. I still nursed him, though, as he often nursed for comfort, and that was usually the only way he'd fall back asleep. When he was an infant, he almost always nursed to sleep. However, as the months have gone by, he has learned how to put himself to sleep before nap time and bedtime, and that's been a giant step for him! Also, as he's gotten older, Jeff and I have shared middle of the night duties, because Jack has been able to fall back asleep with Jeff and not just me...another big step for him!
I would say that we've had a pretty strong anti-cry it out philosophy in our home, although there have been moments of desperation where we have let him cry.... not cry it out, but cry. For example, when we have just needed to collect ourselves (i.e. we've been attempting to put him to sleep for an hour or he's been up just about every hour, we've put him back to bed, and he immediately wakes up after being put down). We think that it's best for us to respond to him and comfort/soothe him, even if that has contributed to his frequent night-wakings. After experiencing how overwhelming and stressful sleeping issues can be, I can definitely understand why parents do sleep training. I think that you have to figure out what's best for your baby and your family and go with that.
I have just kept thinking that STTN will click for him, at some point. Perhaps, it's "clicked!" I am not holding my breath, but I am hopeful and optimistic, especially since Jeff and I are heading to LA this weekend (Jason Shomer's wedding), and Jack will be staying with Kathy and Eric for one night and with my mom and dad for two nights.
Jeff and I went to bed around 12:15 last night, woke up at 6:00 this morning, and I feel so refreshed! Thanks, little Jack! Hopefully, Jack will have a lovely day, after his uninterrupted night of sleep. In honor of sleeping, here are some recent sleeping Jack photos.
While we have several challenges throughout the past 14 months, sleeping has probably surpassed them all. I never really appreciated sleeping until Jack was born. I felt like I could take it or leave it. I never required much, I never loved sleeping, and I was never one to take random naps, like on the weekends or whatever. However, having a baby, who wakes up so much at night, has totally changed my outlook. It even prompted me to purchased a pair of pj pants that has "I love sleeping" written all over them! Even though I did not realize how much my life would be affected by lack of sleep, I never once questioned his night waking during the newborn days. That was just to be expected and, while I may have been in a daze some nights, my baby needed to eat and he needed me, so I gladly woke up, nursed him, changed him, rocked him, walked with him, and, lovingly, did whatever it took to lull him back to sleep. I was completely surprised when he began STTN at 9 weeks, but I accepted it! Even when he began re-waking at night, I accepted that, and, again, I gladly woke up with him. He was still so young, and I believed that he was waking up because he needed to eat in the middle of the night. All the way through about 9 months, I believed that Jack still needed to eat in the middle of the night, contrary to what some doctors or sleep "experts" will say. Around 9-10 months, when Jack had established a decent diet of solids and table foods, I began thinking that he probably, no longer, nutritionally, needed to nurse in the middle of the night. I still nursed him, though, as he often nursed for comfort, and that was usually the only way he'd fall back asleep. When he was an infant, he almost always nursed to sleep. However, as the months have gone by, he has learned how to put himself to sleep before nap time and bedtime, and that's been a giant step for him! Also, as he's gotten older, Jeff and I have shared middle of the night duties, because Jack has been able to fall back asleep with Jeff and not just me...another big step for him!
I would say that we've had a pretty strong anti-cry it out philosophy in our home, although there have been moments of desperation where we have let him cry.... not cry it out, but cry. For example, when we have just needed to collect ourselves (i.e. we've been attempting to put him to sleep for an hour or he's been up just about every hour, we've put him back to bed, and he immediately wakes up after being put down). We think that it's best for us to respond to him and comfort/soothe him, even if that has contributed to his frequent night-wakings. After experiencing how overwhelming and stressful sleeping issues can be, I can definitely understand why parents do sleep training. I think that you have to figure out what's best for your baby and your family and go with that.
I have just kept thinking that STTN will click for him, at some point. Perhaps, it's "clicked!" I am not holding my breath, but I am hopeful and optimistic, especially since Jeff and I are heading to LA this weekend (Jason Shomer's wedding), and Jack will be staying with Kathy and Eric for one night and with my mom and dad for two nights.
Jeff and I went to bed around 12:15 last night, woke up at 6:00 this morning, and I feel so refreshed! Thanks, little Jack! Hopefully, Jack will have a lovely day, after his uninterrupted night of sleep. In honor of sleeping, here are some recent sleeping Jack photos.
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