Sleep Stress

Luke is a baby--no doubt about that.  And he really knows what he wants, and he wants things HIS way.  Not that that's always a bad thing, but sometimes what he wants for himself isn't always the best thing--like how he wants to chew on people's dirty shoes for instance.  

One thing Luke really doesn't like is sleeping through the night.  When he was six months old, right after I quit working, we decided that we would let him cry it out at night so that he would learn to sleep through the night.  It was horrible!  It took 4 nights of screaming before he learned, and each of those nights I was in tears and feeling like a terrible mean mother.  But he finally learned.  Then, when we moved here, things got thrown off.  He was waking up once a night, and I fed him so that I could go back to sleep.  But lately, he's been waking up several times, sometimes every 30 minutes for several hours.  I couldn't take it anymore!  I was so tired, but also dreading going through the tears and frustration again.  I hate feeling like I'm ignoring, hurting, damaging my child.  

I had three people recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to me, so on Thursday I bought it.  I am so happy I did!  I was using my scripture marker writing all over it and making notes.  One of the things it recommended for getting your child to sleep better through the night is putting them to sleep earlier.  I tried it.  I put Luke down at 7:15.  He slept until 2:00 am.  Jared and I had decided that he should be able to go at least 8 or 9 hours before feeding, so we had talked it out and decided that I wouldn't feed him until after 3 unless he cried for more than 30 minutes.  (He's never cried for more than 10!)  So I was ready for a hard night.  But he fussed for about 15 then quieted again.  He started fussing again at 2:45.  I was planning on going to get him at 3, but I fell asleep!  I NEVER sleep when he's crying, so that means, he STOPPED!  He went back to sleep until 6:45.  And last night, he did it again!  Just look at the difference!

Luke when he doesn't get enough sleep (ie. up every couple hours)

Luke when he's slept through the night!

Okay, so it was the same day.  But really, he's been in a better mood in the mornings, and I feel so much better too!  I think one of the main things is that this time, I took prayer into account too.  I've been praying that I would feel okay about our decision and not beat myself up with guilt.  The book helped with that.  It was good to have a doctor telling me that I'm not hurting Luke by letting him cry for a little while.  Also, when he is crying I've read the Book of Mormon for 15 minutes, and that helps me stay calm.  I've also prayed that Heavenly Father would comfort Luke and help him settle himself and feel safe so that he can sleep.  

The point is Woo Hoo!  Yeah for Luke sleeping through the night.