I hate people who say they love nighttime feedings! (If my mother-in-law is reading this, I don't hate you!) Seriously, who the hell likes waking up in the middle of the night for any reason, let alone to have someone suck on your boob? Like quality bonding time can't happen during daylight hours?!
At my son's two month check up with the pediatrician, she told us we could let him cry it out now and after three nights he would sleep through the night. That means put him to bed at 8pm and come back at 6am without going to the baby if he cries for any reason during the night. She said drink a big bottle of wine and pass out on the couch so you can't feed him anyway. (I swear she has credentials). It's hard for a new mom to stomach. I couldn't buy in to the idea of letting him cry for potentially hours and hours! What if he took a big poop? I would cry too if I had to lay in my crap for ten hours!
For the record, I'm not against SOME crying like when going down for a nap or bedtime. I think it's healthy to blow off some steam. Everyone needs to cry sometimes!
If he was older... six months maybe... then yes, I might allow him to cry his head off so I could sleep. I told myself if he wasn't sleeping through the night on his own by three months, I'd reconsider. A lot of my mom friends reported that by three months, their babies were sleeping around ten hours at night. So I had hope and told myself to be patient.
By the way, Dad was all about cry it out. Why is it easier for dads? Dads don't get up out of bed. And yet, moms are the ones tortured by the idea!
Starting around six weeks my son's routine became go to bed around 8pm and sleep six hours until 2am when he would wake to eat. Not bad! He would eat again at 5am then wake at 8am for the morning. Thankfully, he goes right back to sleep after eating (typical man!). I don't have to rock him to sleep or listen to him cry. Nighttime is dark, quiet, and boring. No funny business! Having two predictable night time feeds with no crying was really nice but still by 5pm the following day I was exhausted. Should I really let him cry it out?! I felt like crying it out myself some evenings!
Then on the eve of his ten week birthday, he slept through his 2am feed. This is seriously the day all new moms must dream of. The day you turn a major sleep corner! Traditionally when I hear him fussing around and stirring from sleep, I offer the pacifier first to try to buy myself another thirty minutes before I have to fully get out of bed to feed him. And this time it worked until 6am! I literally felt giddy as I fed him. And then he slept in until 9:30am! My husband and I were literally sitting in our living room in the dark at 8am waiting for him to wake up. It was marvelous!
His dad accidentally aided in this sleep transition (he was in charge for the evening) by putting him to bed an hour later than usual. Well if that what it takes so be it. Over the last few days, we've been making bedtime closer to 8pm again and he has continued to sleep until about 5am and then 8am. Yippie!
I am still putting the pacifier in his mouth 2-3 times at night before the early morning feeding. Eventually, he will have to self soothe and fall back asleep on his own if he wakes up in the middle of the night. But for now, it's too easy to put the plug in when he is two feet from our bed.
Although, I never resorted to the cry it out method that's not to say that I won't have to one day. Like in developing real nap times. Like when he moves from our room to his own room. Or when he spits out his pacifier and I'm not there to pop it back in. Or when he stops being swaddled and punches himself in the face. He may have to cry a little. And that's okay too!
P.S. That's not really my kid in the photo. I just found it on the internet.
At my son's two month check up with the pediatrician, she told us we could let him cry it out now and after three nights he would sleep through the night. That means put him to bed at 8pm and come back at 6am without going to the baby if he cries for any reason during the night. She said drink a big bottle of wine and pass out on the couch so you can't feed him anyway. (I swear she has credentials). It's hard for a new mom to stomach. I couldn't buy in to the idea of letting him cry for potentially hours and hours! What if he took a big poop? I would cry too if I had to lay in my crap for ten hours!For the record, I'm not against SOME crying like when going down for a nap or bedtime. I think it's healthy to blow off some steam. Everyone needs to cry sometimes!
If he was older... six months maybe... then yes, I might allow him to cry his head off so I could sleep. I told myself if he wasn't sleeping through the night on his own by three months, I'd reconsider. A lot of my mom friends reported that by three months, their babies were sleeping around ten hours at night. So I had hope and told myself to be patient.
By the way, Dad was all about cry it out. Why is it easier for dads? Dads don't get up out of bed. And yet, moms are the ones tortured by the idea!
Starting around six weeks my son's routine became go to bed around 8pm and sleep six hours until 2am when he would wake to eat. Not bad! He would eat again at 5am then wake at 8am for the morning. Thankfully, he goes right back to sleep after eating (typical man!). I don't have to rock him to sleep or listen to him cry. Nighttime is dark, quiet, and boring. No funny business! Having two predictable night time feeds with no crying was really nice but still by 5pm the following day I was exhausted. Should I really let him cry it out?! I felt like crying it out myself some evenings!
Then on the eve of his ten week birthday, he slept through his 2am feed. This is seriously the day all new moms must dream of. The day you turn a major sleep corner! Traditionally when I hear him fussing around and stirring from sleep, I offer the pacifier first to try to buy myself another thirty minutes before I have to fully get out of bed to feed him. And this time it worked until 6am! I literally felt giddy as I fed him. And then he slept in until 9:30am! My husband and I were literally sitting in our living room in the dark at 8am waiting for him to wake up. It was marvelous!
His dad accidentally aided in this sleep transition (he was in charge for the evening) by putting him to bed an hour later than usual. Well if that what it takes so be it. Over the last few days, we've been making bedtime closer to 8pm again and he has continued to sleep until about 5am and then 8am. Yippie!
I am still putting the pacifier in his mouth 2-3 times at night before the early morning feeding. Eventually, he will have to self soothe and fall back asleep on his own if he wakes up in the middle of the night. But for now, it's too easy to put the plug in when he is two feet from our bed.
Although, I never resorted to the cry it out method that's not to say that I won't have to one day. Like in developing real nap times. Like when he moves from our room to his own room. Or when he spits out his pacifier and I'm not there to pop it back in. Or when he stops being swaddled and punches himself in the face. He may have to cry a little. And that's okay too!
P.S. That's not really my kid in the photo. I just found it on the internet.
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