skip to main |
skip to sidebar
So after 3 nights of what I thought to be the most horrible experience of my young son's life, he has done it. He slept through the night. But first a little backstory.
For the past 3 weeks, he had gone back to a sleep pattern that more closely resembled a newborn than a 4 month old. Waking every hour wanting to nurse and napping frequently during the day but not for more than an hour at a time. I was exhausted and so I thought about what we could do about it because I knew I couldn't continue like we were going. So after some thinking, I moved him into his crib on Saturday night, and it was horrible. He cried and screamed most of the night, and I got very little sleep. Sunday night was better. He only woke up a handful of times, and I only nursed him twice. I huge improvement from nursing him every hour on the hour only a week before. He was able to put himself back to sleep without needing to be rocked, patted or nursed down. And then last night, we followed our usual nighttime routine: bathtime, new diaper, lotion, pajamas, story time, final feeding, and prayer time. Then straight down in the crib. He slept from 9:00 to 4:30. I was amazed! I woke up a couple times during the night and listened to the monitor, and Barrett was sleeping soundly. Not even a peep.
It is amazing watching him grow up right before my eyes, and I know I will miss the early morning snuggles and late night feedings when they are gone. But for right now, I am in awe of my son.
Daddy's camping. Baby's playing with his mirror. I am trying to watch movies. It's been a boring day. Nothing is going on around here.
So Barrett turned 4 months on Tuesday of last week, and it has been non-stop whining and crying ever since. I don't know what's going on with him. I think he might be teething so he is probably in pain. We've been trying teething tablets and camilia and baby tylenol and nothing seems to work. I'm at a loss. I feel like we have a newborn in the house again. It's making me crazy.
I find myself lonely today. Just ready for a vacation I guess.
Barrett's teething. At least I really hope it's teething. This has been going on for about 2 weeks now, and I don't see or feel anything different in his mouth. From what I've read, teething can start as early as birth so I guess we're lucky in that respect, but I really wish something would happen. The drooling, the biting, the chewing, and the nasty green poops are getting really old. Pray for us because he's waking up alot more frequenty at night and it feels like we have a newborn in the house again. I'm exhausted and running on mostly caffeine and sugar, not the ideal nutrition for a breastfeeding mom.
We have got to figure out some new way of dealing with Barrett at night. He's waking up 3 or 4 times a night, and I am not getting any quality sleep. I feel like we have a newborn in the house again. I put him in his crib last night for about an hour and a half, and miraculously he slept. I was amazed. But that still leaves us with the question: do we transition him into his own room/crib? Or do we continue to have him in our room in the cosleeper?
Either way I have got to start getting more substantial sleep. I'm a zombie today.
I am so sick of people trying to tell me how I should be raising my son. Where do people get off telling other parents what they should and should not be doing? GRRRRR! It makes me so mad.
No, I am NOT going to supplement with formula. It is made out of the lowest quality chemicals available on the market, and not even a fair substitute for breast milk. How can anyone think it is a good idea to use it? And no, I don't care if I offend someone who may read this. It's my blog. If you don't like what I'm saying, stop reading.
No, I am NOT going to introduce solids before my son is ready for them. Right now he is not showing any interest in our food and still has a fully operational tongue thrust reflect. He doesn't sit up on his own and is gaining plenty of weight just on breast milk. So STOP asking or telling me when am I going to start him on solids. I will when HE is ready, not when the conventional schedule says I should.
No, I am NOT going to move him into his own room until he is ready to do it. Yes, he is sleeping with us. No, I don't think that is going to give him a complex later in life nor do I think it is causing him a disservice by allowing him full access to Mommy and Daddy during the night. He is just as independent as he needs to be at this age. Right now, he is still waking up during the night to nurse so why would I interrupt not only my sleep but also my husband's getting up several times a night to go into the baby's room to nurse him? By the time I wake up enough to hear him screaming, he's been screaming for several minutes and will be harder to console back to sleep. He will continue to sleep in our room until his little body is capable of sleeping through the night.
No, I do NOT need or want your opinion. My husband and I are fully capable of raising our son in the exact way we have decided. We are going to wear our baby, let him sleep with us if it helps everyone get a better night's sleep, breastfeed until at LEAST 12 months, use alternative diapers, delay vaccinations and starting solids. The choices we make are ours to make, not yours. And I don't care if you don't agree with me. If you want to impart your beliefs on a child, have one of your own.
Barrett is going to grow up knowing his parents made informed decisions about his health and well being. He will be independent and have a burgeoning self worth. He will never question whether his parents love him because with our every breath we will be reaffirming that fact, and we will always be his advocate.
So in conclusion, leave it alone. I'm not going to change my mind for you or anyone else who thinks they know better than me or my husband in regards to raising our son.
