Just when I gave up on the whole CIO (Cry It Out) method, because no matter what Micah was only sleeping 30 - 45 minutes at a time and then would scream (maybe not that extreme, but that's what it felt like to me) until the next feeding, it worked! Micah started taking longer naps this past Saturday. His morning nap was 2 hours without a PEEP and the afternoon nap was 3 hours without a PEEP! Amazing! We're still working out all of the kinks and of course the Sunday church schedule set us back a day or two, but we're getting there. I'm hopeful anyway.
Yesterday and today he's still been waking up 30 - 45 minutes into his nap, but he cries/fusses for about 5 minutes and then goes back to sleep. I can handle that ... it's the crying for almost an hour straight that I can't handle. He's finally learned to calm himself down and most of the time he can do it without his pacifier!! YEAH!! For a couple of his naps, if he can't put himself back to sleep, I've been putting him in the swing and he sleeps longer too ... I did that on Friday and I think that's part of the reason why he slept so well on Saturday.
He's still doing well at night (sleeping between 8 1/2 - 9 1/2 hours), but will wake up to eat at 3:30am. That's fine because he goes to bed so early, BUT then he nurses really well and won't eat at 7am. This morning I tried to only nurse him a little at 3:30am, but then he couldn't make it until 7am. I'm thinking I might try nursing him fully at 3:30am (he obviously needs it still) and then wait until 7:30am for his first daytime feeding. We'll see how it works.
2 comments:
Glad to hear it's going well.
For a couple months, Kimberly took her naps in the swing and just slept in her crib at night. Just in the last month she has started sleeping in her crib for naps. The movement of the swing helped her to go back to sleep if she woke up too soon. We sure went through a lot of batteries though, especially when she was doing two 4-5 hour naps a day. Now she does three 1-2 hour naps instead.
I too had forgotten the cry it out stage - lasting so long, and with Eden who had gas pains in her tummy it took me a while to read when she was in pain and needed to burp and when she just wanted to be up. Good for you for hanging in there from memory - naps were a joke for a couple of weeks until she knew I meant business - going in and comforting etc. I also spaced it out further - she seems to be my loud passionate child so it was a battle of the wills.
Also as you know when they don't nap well they don't sleep at night (to their potential). It's awesome Micah sleeps the 8 - 9 hours!!! Great job mom!!! From my experience can I say that unless you wake him at 8 or 9 pm and give him a top up and back to bed he may do the 3:30 wakeup for a LONG time. It is easier to drop that 8 pm feed (I put eden down now at 7 for 12 hours - but it was up until 5mths that I had to top=up at 8-9 whatever was convenient to get her to 6:30 or 7am) than to stretch a 3:30 feed. If you want to start your day at 3:30 you are a Wonder Woman!! As he gets to 4 -5 months it might be that it will only be cereal that gets him over that hump - BUT even then, it seems you might have to deal with the cry it out at 3:30 because for some reason that early morning "LOCKS" in to the baby even when they can sleep 10 hrs.
I know it's easier with another one to put him down for the night at 6 but it's a trade off. It only gets more crazy that 6-8 pm night slot with dinner/ kids/ bed etc. so I'm there with you :) But was thinking of you and thought I'd give you a well done and also a little suggestion of "watch out for the 3:30 stuck mode" :)
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