After propping up the mattress, paying more attention to his tired cues (as taught in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child), and use of the bouncer on more difficult occasions, I think it's safe to say we have our little boy back. Although he's not sleeping through the night, he is back to his 2 feeding a night routine rather than waking up almost every hour--something both of us appreciate! Last night he even slept from 9:30 pm to 4:45 am and then from 5:30 to 9:15! I think Sundays wear him out...
Part of me believes we were given those days of all night wakings to give us some perspective. Prior to last week, I'll admit I'd get a little frustrated when I woke up for the second feeding of the night. I just couldn't see an end to these nights of fragmented sleep (even though I know it'll come eventually). But after having a few nights of pretty much no sleep, I'll take the 2-3 hours I get at a time, and stop expecting him to sleep longer than he normally does. I know that in time he won't need to eat in the middle of the night and we'll all be able to get more sleep...and that's good enough for me.
Another dose of perspective came from the story of baby Karis through a friend's blog (click here for a little background, and here for the main site). In short, this family discovered that their sweet little girl was sick with Krabbe's disease around 5 months of age...a disease that slowly destroys the brain with a life expectancy of about 13 months.
I can't imagine finding out in a few short months that my sweet baby--the one that we hoped and prayed for and eventually anticipated throughout the pregnancy, one that we already love so much even though we've only known him for 2 months, one that puts us in awe every time we realize that we made him (with lots of divine help)--would only be with us for a short time! How many things would I do differently? I definitely wouldn't be frustrated if he woke every hour at night, I'd cuddle him a little more, let him take a few more naps laying on my chest (even if it does teach him a bad habit), and I'd try even harder to soak up every moment I had with him! I think I needed this dose of reality and perspective to help me understand just how fortunate we are to have a healthy, happy baby, to remember how long we waited for this baby to join our family, and to love every minute of it.
3 comments:
I LOVE your perspective. You are so right, Jess. Cherish those little moments, they won't last forever! Pretty soon Dylan will be walking and pulling everything off the shelves! :) And I'll say it again, you can't spoil a baby as young as Dylan. It's appropriate to give him LOTS of love, cuddle him, soothe him, and let him sleep on your chest! He's not going to turn into a monster because of it. And you are so right, it's important to recognize that while waking up every hour is frustrating to say the least (I need my sleep and that sounds painful!), there are always things to be grateful for, like the fact that Dylan is a HEALTHY, happy baby! Loved this post. Love you!
It's good to hear that things are going better. Don't be afraid to put him on reflux meds if he is still having symptoms as well (there is no need to have him be uncomfortable :) Sorry, the nurse in me... I'm a fan of meds(we have them so we should use them, right ? :). And if it is reflux, they grow out of it when they can sit up more and when their diet isn't all liquid, so there is an end in sight. He is such a cute little monkey Jess, you'll be amazed at how fast it goes (sorry, that made me sound cliche, but it's the truth!)Love you, hang in there.
You will eventually get sleep - he will stop waking up so many times - and he will get bigger, but every moment until then is SO worth it. I miss those middle of the night alone times, the snuggly naps. You are right to cherish every moment. I think I need a better perspective with my little busy bodies so that I can cherish the moments I have with them. Thanks Jess! You are doing awesome!
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