Thank you for all your comments on my post sleeping through the night. It gave me the courage to get Hallie sleeping on her own.
Here's how I did it:
- Nursed Hallie until very sleepy yet not asleep.
- Put her in her bed with a Silky blanket that smelled like me.
- Let her cry it out.
- Went in and reassured her with a kiss and a pat on the tummy.
- Had an amazingly supportive husband.
After reviewing some books and your comments (for the fifth time) we started Thursday night. She cried for only 40 min. before falling asleep. However, she woke up about every hour and a half to two hours crying. It was a long night, but it could have been worse. Every night since then she has gotten progressively better. She is still stubborn and cries but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is GLORIOUS!!!
My advice for any mom who has a baby that will only sleep in her arms. Read the comments on this post and pray, pray, pray! :) Find out what you feel most comfortable with and go with it. I cried like a baby the first night, but it has been soooo worth it.
Sleeping on her own has not been the only benefit. Hallie has also shown improvement in the following ways:
- She is not as clingy
- She plays better on her own.
- She is happier when she is awake.
- She goes to Ben and plays/snuggles with him. (She always wanted me instead of Ben.)
In Hallie's defense I realized that if I depended on someone for my food and sleep then I would be clingy too. Now she doesn't depend on me for sleep. Hallelujah!!
That is the GREATEST NEWS! Thank you for sharing with others.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cause for celebration! Isn't it amazing how good a regular amount of sleep feels after being deprived for so long!!
ReplyDeleteYeah for you and Hallie! I've noticed the same things with Bridger...and he takes better naps in the day because he sleeps better at night! It is a BEAUTIFUL thing!!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS!!!! I'm sure it was rough...I can relate to the crying myself, but it is so totally worth it. And trust me...it's sooooo much easier to do when they are this age than when the get older. But yea for you...now you can get some much needed rest as well!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I'm very happy to hear your good news.
ReplyDeleteWord of warning. When we didn't get Emma sleeping through the night until this late, everywhere we took her outside of our own home, caused the same waking up schedule she had before we trained her. She couldn't sleep well outside of the house for a year! The boys who were all trained to sleep early through the night had no such trouble! I am excited for you!
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