See this girl?
She no longer exists.
She has been replaced with a she-wolf who acts like she needs no sleep yet cries like a banshee when she doesn't get it.
She has literally changed her sleep behaviors 180 degrees since she was 0-3 months old.
0-3 Months
- Would sleep anywhere--on my chest, in our bed, on the floor, on a chair, in her swing, in her rocker--except her car seat, where she would scream.
- Took 34 naps a day (or, more accurately, was awake a total of 3 hours a day).
- Did not need any special blankets/swaddles/sound machines/pacifiers
- Slept 5-7 hour stretches at night
- Could be laid down and fall asleep without any interventions
Currently (almost 6 months)
- Only sleeps in her car seat.
- Wants to take 3 naps a day, but will only really take one--maybe two if I'm lucky. Depending on car rides for extra naps.
- It's sleep machine plus sleep sack or no sleep. Really only wants to sleep in our bed, but we've been working on moving her to the crib. It isn't going well.
- Sleeping 2.5-3 hour stretches at night
- If she falls asleep with the pacifier in, God help us if it falls out.
- Averaging a 35 minute go-to-sleep intervention, involving nursing, rocking, shushing, crying it out (completely ineffective), laying in our bed, laying in her bed, pacifier, no pacifier, tag-teaming with Dad, tagging back to Mom, falling asleep and then putting her down and having her wake up to have to do it all over again.
I seriously HATE this. After the 1.25 hour mark tonight, I just said "goodnight" to the screaming baby, closed the door and had to leave. I was SO PISSED OFF. Just &(^^@(*ing sleep already, kid. You're pissing me off. Nick went in and got her to sleep finally. (Thank you, husband!)
THIS is why I don't want any more kids. THIS is why I cried big bucket tears when we found out we were having another one. I didn't want to have to go through this AGAIN. Yes, babies are cute and snuggly and have squishy cheeks and pinchable thighs, but the incessant sleep training/loss/nonexistence is enough to make a woman go crazy. I need this kid to go to bed at 7pm. If she doesn't, then that's just more time in the day where she is latched on to me. And I completely love my kids, but if I don't get a good, solid 2 hours away from them before I go to bed, I become a bad mom.
(Edited to add: her first tooth pushed through yesterday, and it is a full moon--which might explain the last two nights--but not the three weeks prior to this.)
Allison, that is so hard. I'm hoping and praying you get some solid rest soon.
ReplyDelete