I put Aimee down to go to sleep a little after 8 pm. She screamed until about 9:30. I probably messed everything up because I picked her up for a minute. She fell asleep though, like immediately. And I thought, "Ok - maybe she just needed a little hug." I put her back in her crib. She woke up at like 10:30, then 11:00, then 12:00, then 12:30 (at this point I nursed her, she fell asleep, but as soon as I put her in her crib she woke up)... And as soon as she woke up, she cried really loud. It wasn't a soft wimper cry - the kind they say babies can sometimes get themselves to go back to sleep to. So what do you do? Do you play that game all night?
I came back in the room and told Greg "I don't know what to do." He picked up Aimee, brought her in our room and put her in her swing. She slept until 3:30 or so. I woke up to hear her "Ooing" in her swing. She had kicked her blanket off so her little hands were super cold. I fed her, she fell asleep. I tried to put her in her crib again. I laid her down, within 60 seconds she woke up crying.
I caved.
Into the bed with us she went.
So this morning I feel like a failure. I let my baby scream and cry for nothing. If tonight is going to be like that again, there's no way I can do it.
10 comments:
Oh sweet Emily! I feel for ya...your first child is always an experiment...and I promise things do get better! Kaci, our first,was in our bed for over a year...once she started teething I caved all the time. Is Aimee teething? If she keeps screaming and waking up a ton get her ears checked...Kaci did the same thing for a while when she was around the same age and not only was she teething but she had a double ear infection. But trial and error is what you'll do to find what works best for you guys...best of luck...don't hestitate to get a hold of me if you need anything!
~Alyson
Well, I just now got Nickolas out of my bed like a week ago...he is now 2. Good luck with it. I had doctors telling me to let them cry, even if they throw up. They said to just go in there, change the sheets and then leave again. I couldn't do that for 2 reasons. One, that is really sad, and two now that I live with my parents, I couldn't put them through it as well. But now that he is old enough to understand his new bed (I got him new sheets that he would love) he doesn't mind sleeping in his own bed and has been a really smooth transition. Just remeber, you guys are the parents. You know what will be best for your baby, not some doctor.
I'm sorry you didn't get any sleep. Does she have a light up crib toy or anything? I know that worked for my nephew Cash. He had a light up fish tank toy that strapped to the side of the crib and he would play with it until he fell asleep. I also think what Tiffany told you about the shirt would work too. :) Good luck. And I think it's normal to give in every now and then :)
You are so not a failure!! You are an amazing mom, and Aimee is very lucky to have you!! All babies are different and it's hard to give advice, because what helps one baby might not be right for another. So it's good that you're trying different things to see what works for Aimee. Maybe it wasn't the right time to try the crib after all. Maybe she is getting her first tooth. Kaleb wakes up in the middle of the night every time he cuts a new tooth. Teething tablets and tylonal seemed to help him with that.
I agree with Heather though, that you guys are the parents, and you'll know what's best. Keep praying about it, and you'll know what to do.
You mean this sleeping through the night thing doesn't just get easier and easier with time? I was really counting on that. From one sleepy mom to another, good luck. And I'm sure tonight will be better.
Andrea
Oh Emily, all I can say is I'VE BEEN THERE!! Kaia was the same way. She would not sleep without someone holding her and we were not sleeping at all! Finally when she was 8 mo old (looking back i should have done it sooner) we let her scream it out. I mean scream. She still screams, but not about going to sleep because she knows it no longer works. It took a week straight of her screaming at the top of her lungs for at least half the night! She finally got the picture and we finally got some sleep! I know it sounds sad, but we were so sleep deprived our patience had turned into persistance! Goog luck babe!
I let my kids cry for like 3 hour stretches it totally worked after about 3-4 days. But I couldn't do it until they were almost a year. I felt too guilty before that! Now they both just lay down and sleep for 12 hour stretches, so don't feel bad if you aren't quite up for it yet, she is still little. mine both woke up like 4-5 times a night to nurse until they were 1 and I weaned them and did the whole crying thing!
Well - good luck. The first time I had to let Drew just cry in his crib I got extrememly mad at Geoff - because he made me do it :o) But it is so worth it in the end when you don't have that 3rd body invading your space in your bed! I say stick with is - kids adapt very easily. Just stick w/ it and in a week or two she'll forget she ever slept in your bed at all!
Hmmm! Nora is also having diffuculties sleeping in her crib....what did you end up doing? Did letting her cry work?
Do not stress about it. Ben didn't start sleeping in his crib at night until he was over a year old and I stopped nursing. We made it an easy transition, even though he still cried a lot for the first night or so. We moved his crib into our room and put it at the foot of our bed. Then when it was his bedtime, I would rock and sing to him for a little while and then lay him down and cover him up and then I would lay down in my bed. I think that it comforted him to know that we were still right there. Now all he wants is his crib. Every child is different though and that makes a big difference. Good luck and don't stress about it because it will happen when you and her are both ready
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