I'm rather discouraged about sleep-training Jori. I keep asking people how they did it and people are super nice and tell me, and I've looked up stuff about it online and read some things about it in different books...but I just can't do it. It seems basically the only way to do it is to make them cry themselves to sleep, period. This makes the most logic to me-they learn to comfort themselves that way, out of necessity. But it's so impossible in practice. I'm what my mom has always told me is 'tender-hearted,' and that's certainly true with Jori-she's got me wrapped around her tiny little fingers. I don't want to be a push over but she's only six months old-it seems so harsh to do what feels like is me saying "No, I don't care if you want me and I don't care if you're sad and cry. I'm leaving you here. In the dark. Alone. All night long. Bye."
I tried it ONE night, only one, and it went like this:
Jori was really tired when we put her down at...8? I can't remember, it was late that night, so she fell asleep within about 15 minutes. But then...
12:30 woke up, crying
1:30 still crying, panicked, frantic
2:30 still crying,
3:00 mommy breaks down and goes in. I picked her up and she like, passed out in my arms. Just collapsed. She was so exhausted. She fell asleep in like 10 seconds. Then I put her down, relieved but also stricken with guilt, and she stayed asleep. But then...
4:44 awake, crying. And I gave in and went in and fed her, because I had figured that it was ok if she needs to wake up at 5 and eat, I'd read that was normal. She fell asleep after I fed her...
7:00 awake, very upset. I go in and pick her up; she cried for 45 minutes anyway. Because the ordeal was so awful for her. She even made herself gag/wretch 3 times, since she was so upset.
I can't do that to her! But I can't keep going as it is. Two nights ago she woke up FIVE times, at 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30. Last night about the same but it wasn't as consistent, with the timing.
It's just frustrating that the only thing I'm really expected to have taught my daughter how to do so far, sleep, I haven't succeeded at.
:(
Would it make you feel better to know that after almost breaking Jared of the binky he is now addicted again? Why? Because his mom can't stand the screaming. I'm sorry it's rough, I wish I could give you some great tip that would work all the time, but kids sort of defy that kind of thing. Good luck and just remember, don't feel like you have to sleep train because others think so some just take longer at it than others. Hope things work out for you.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry the sleep training isn't working. I wish I had good advice, but I don't - we aren't doing much better. I still feed Candon three times every night and we are lucky that the other times he wakes up and we let him cry he doesn't cry for more than an hour. Hopefully you will be able to get more sleep. We will keep you in our prayers!
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