Thursday, July 12, 2007

Crying really does work!

I wanted to give an update on the sleep front. For the first week, things were really rough. Porgie woke up whimpering and whining every night, and then she woke up for the day anywhere between 4:00 am and 6:00 am. By the end of the week, I was starting to reconsider my methods. Obviously, crying-it-out was not working.

BUT, then she suddenly started sleeping through the night. She also began waking up between 6:00 am and 7:00 am, which has been pretty typical for Porgie since birth. For the last two week, my baby has been SLEEPING ALL NIGHT LONG. I couldn't be any happier with her new skill. This is by far the coolest milestone she has accomplished.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a huge fan of the cry-it-out method. For an entire year, I got up multiple times per night to feed and comfort my baby. Several close friends and family members told me to let her cry-it-out, but I refused. She was so little and so helpless. I didn't want to abandon her at night. I wanted her to know that I was always going to be there for her.

But after being sleep deprived for so long, I knew that something had to change. When sleep issues started to negatively affect my life, I began to realize that sleep training might help. But before I began , I waited until she was a year old and obviously did not need a night time feeding anymore.

Then, the crying began. Sometimes it was just a little whimper and sometimes it was a dramatic, horrible cry. I know, I am an awful mommy. But it worked.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! That is so exciting! I bet you feel so much better now that you are getting some rest, and Porgie too. It didn't even take that long, either! Yay!

S said...

Yeah for sleep!

I'm not a huge fan of cry-it-out either, but we had reached the point of no return. We did a modified version of it and K has been doing well ever since. :-)

Amber said...

Yay!! I'm so happy for you, you deserve all the sleep you can get! I am looking foward to sleeping through the night again cuz we transitioned Taylor to her crib so now I'm up about 3 times a night to put the binky back in her mouth, ugh. Hopefully soon she'll be able to put it back in her own mouth!

Ashley said...

I am so glad it worked!!! That is the exact time I did it, and it worked for Aiden. I am waiting for Caileigh to reach the same stage and then I will train her as well. You are a good, strong Mom!! Congrats.

Lainey-Paney said...

Yippy!

...and you're not an awful mom.

Anonymous said...

I don't think you're horrible at all! Porgie knows you're there for her even through the cry-it-out. Behavior issues for kids start early - even at a year and now Porgie knows mom means business when it's time to sleep. Kids crave routine, it's how they thrive. Congrats on getting some sleep!!!

karla said...

Thank goodness I never really had to do the cry it out method with Nate because I dont know if I could handle that. Once he was out, he was out.

Congratulations on sleep. It's a beautiful thing.

Anonymous said...

First: You are an AWESOME Mom. Sometimes, we just have to let the kids figure things out for themselves.

Second: Congrats on getting the extra sleep!

Maggie was a no-so-great sleeper (still has "issues" GETTING to sleep) but Will sleeps like a champ. He's only getting 1 nap a day, so by 8:00, he's pretty much ready for bed.

Em said...

I am so glad its worked for you, i never liked it either but it was a sucess in my house two at about 9months, didnt feel i could do it earlier as it seemed cruel.
Bet you feel like a new woman!

Cristina Mathers said...

yeah! congrats! i think it's always harder on the parents, but in the long run, it's best for both!

here's to many night of sleepful bliss! =)

Eva said...

Thanks for your comment. So glad you found a solution that works for you! Sleep is important for all, and if babies aren't sleeping well, no one's happy.

Re: your comment to me... S&J do share a room. But truthfully, once they're out, they rarely wake each other. They were NICU babies and now they nap at daycare so they're pretty used to a lot of noise. Sometimes it would be better if they woke each other because I could feed them at the same time, rather than on different schedules! We may try CIO at some point, still trying to figure out what and how is going to work best for the 4 of us. It's always helpful though to hear what works for others.

Mary said...

I'm so happy you are finally getting the sleep you need and Porgie is too. Life really is much better when you're not sleep deprived!

Anth said...

You are so NOT an evil mommy!!!!

And woo-hoo!!!! Porgie sleeps through the night!!!!