Night 6 was again, a massive improvement. It was so good in fact that Hubby and I watched a MOVIE (at home, but still, a WHOLE movie) without BBDC waking. He did wake briefly at 10 pm after the movie was finished, but I put him back to sleep without feeding him! Success! However, he did wake at 12:30 am and 4:30 am, and then woke for the day at 7:00 am, but this is a huge change to a week ago. Yay, yay YAY!
Night 7 we truly tested him by eating dinner at a friend's house. He promptly fell asleep at 7:00 pm. When we got home at 8:30 pm we did the "B" routine and as I put him down in his bed, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes immediately. He almost looked relieved that he was in his own bed. Out-frickn-standing, little Bad Boy! He woke at 12:30 and 4:30 am, but went back to sleep easily.
Nap times during the day have also improved. I now can put him in bed, walk away and come back in 10 minutes to say "Sleepy time," touch his face and he closes his eyes and sleeps. Did somebody swap my baby while I wasn't looking?
I must admit, there are times when I lie awake and will him to sigh loudly or move because I still feel nervous that he hasn't woken yet and something might be wrong. The last 6 months has programmed me to wake every 2 hours to tend to him and thus satiating my fears: I know that he is okay if he wakes. Plus, it's nice to be needed and I love being able to put him to sleep in my arms. I return to my statement at the beginning of sleep training: it is much more about training the parents than training the baby.
I'm still aiming for the 10 hour continual sleep. But perhaps, I am not ready to give up the quiet time I have feeding him in the wee hours of the morning. I will get there! WE will get there together.
Note: Do NOT watch the TV series The Walking Dead while sleep training! It leads to many sleepless nights not induced by baby waking.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Bad Boy Dragon Child Night 5
I don't know what to do with myself...I had an uninterrupted evening with hubby for the first time in a long time. BBDC went down at 6:30 pm after only 20 minutes of protesting. He briefly yelled out at 7:10 pm to which hubby went upstairs to sit beside him, but as soon as he entered the room, he had already settled himself. He did not wake until 12:30 am! Unfortunately, I stayed up until 10:30 pm so only had 2 hours nap before he woke, but still, HUGE improvement. He woke again at 3:42 am and then 5:50 am. I fed him back to sleep every time he woke as hubby was on call and only slept about 3 hours last night. Unfortunately, I laid awake between the 3:45 am - 5:50 am feeds - I need to sleep train myself I think.
Then, BBDC went back to bed at 9:00 am after a 7:30 am wake up and he is still asleep at 11:00 am. I haven't had a Saturday morning to myself in 6 months!
I'm half-way through sleep training and I feel that I have become much more confident with letting him cry through and self-settle in his bed. I have realised that he can fall asleep without my assistance. I still have a long way to go, as we have to travel again soon so we may go back to square one, but I feel I know how to problem-solve minor issues now.
Let's hope we keep improving! Perhaps my Bad Boy Dragon Child will soon be a Good Boy Dragon Child and sleep all the way through? Am I too hopeful?
Aims: STOP FEEDING THE LITTLE GUY THROUGH THE NIGHT!
Then, BBDC went back to bed at 9:00 am after a 7:30 am wake up and he is still asleep at 11:00 am. I haven't had a Saturday morning to myself in 6 months!
I'm half-way through sleep training and I feel that I have become much more confident with letting him cry through and self-settle in his bed. I have realised that he can fall asleep without my assistance. I still have a long way to go, as we have to travel again soon so we may go back to square one, but I feel I know how to problem-solve minor issues now.
Let's hope we keep improving! Perhaps my Bad Boy Dragon Child will soon be a Good Boy Dragon Child and sleep all the way through? Am I too hopeful?
Aims: STOP FEEDING THE LITTLE GUY THROUGH THE NIGHT!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Bad Boy Dragon Child Night 4
My mantra for parenting is: "If it's easy, it's probably wrong."
BBDC didn't cope well with me sitting on the bed away from his crib. So I interspersed sitting on the bed calling out that it was sleepy-time and going over to pat his bum every 10 minutes. This seemed to satiate his need to have me close by, but didn't seem as mean as letting him 'cry it out alone.' It took him 30 minutes to settle again. It seems to be the magic number for him. He did 2 x 4-hour sleeps, waking at 11 pm and 3 am. Huge improvement. However, he woke again 5 am and 7 am. I fed him back to sleep every time - it was easy and yes, wrong, but after two 4-hour sleeps I was even more tired than usual (how does that work?). But, it's become apparent that my inconsistency with sleep-time/napping is restricting him from sleeping longer. So, this morning I implemented the same strategies with day-time naps. It took 30 - 45 minutes this morning to get him to sleep. Compared to the 10-minute feed-to-sleep routine it's much slower and I feel like I will loose my precious day time to relax and catch up on things, but I have to trust that I will hopefully have longer periods of time when he learns to self-settle. I would love 2 x 2-hour naps of free time to do things around the house! Combine that with 8-hours sleep and I will become a super-mum!
Alchohol Consumed: 1 glass of chardonnay by See Ya Later wines
Sweets: 1 x bowl of ice cream (must work out soon - can feel bum getting bigger by the day)
Achievements: 2 x 4-hour stretches
Failures: Feeding to sleep during the night
Aims: Consistency with nap routine and cutting out a feed during the night
BBDC didn't cope well with me sitting on the bed away from his crib. So I interspersed sitting on the bed calling out that it was sleepy-time and going over to pat his bum every 10 minutes. This seemed to satiate his need to have me close by, but didn't seem as mean as letting him 'cry it out alone.' It took him 30 minutes to settle again. It seems to be the magic number for him. He did 2 x 4-hour sleeps, waking at 11 pm and 3 am. Huge improvement. However, he woke again 5 am and 7 am. I fed him back to sleep every time - it was easy and yes, wrong, but after two 4-hour sleeps I was even more tired than usual (how does that work?). But, it's become apparent that my inconsistency with sleep-time/napping is restricting him from sleeping longer. So, this morning I implemented the same strategies with day-time naps. It took 30 - 45 minutes this morning to get him to sleep. Compared to the 10-minute feed-to-sleep routine it's much slower and I feel like I will loose my precious day time to relax and catch up on things, but I have to trust that I will hopefully have longer periods of time when he learns to self-settle. I would love 2 x 2-hour naps of free time to do things around the house! Combine that with 8-hours sleep and I will become a super-mum!
Alchohol Consumed: 1 glass of chardonnay by See Ya Later wines
Sweets: 1 x bowl of ice cream (must work out soon - can feel bum getting bigger by the day)
Achievements: 2 x 4-hour stretches
Failures: Feeding to sleep during the night
Aims: Consistency with nap routine and cutting out a feed during the night
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Bad Boy Dragon Child: Night 3
3 steps forward, 5 steps backwards...
Dragon Boy went to bed at 6:30 pm. Put himself to sleep in 30 minutes with a little protesting and moaning. It's quite funny to watch: he rolls his head from side-to-side, moans, yells, cries all while his eyes are completely closed. He's exhausted. The mental anguish is palpable and after 3 nights of observing him, it has become quite hilarious. Hubby and I stiffle laughter watching BBDC try to fall asleep.
He slept until 11:30 pm and I quickly nursed him back to sleep. Another wake-up at 2:25 am and then 4:05 and 6:15 am. 4-hour stretches interspersed with a 2 and 1 hour stretch. Improvement? I feel a little more rested, but my failure still lies in the fact that I cannot let him cry it out in the middle of the night. I feel things wont get better unless I find it in myself to do that.
Alcohol Consumed: Half a beer
Sweets: One bowl of ice cream with magic shell
Successes: 4-hour stretches
Failures: Feeding back to sleep
Aims for Night 4: Sitting on the bed away from the crib instead of beside him & letting him cry for 10 minutes instead of nursing him back to sleep.
Exhaustion level: 7/10
Dragon Boy went to bed at 6:30 pm. Put himself to sleep in 30 minutes with a little protesting and moaning. It's quite funny to watch: he rolls his head from side-to-side, moans, yells, cries all while his eyes are completely closed. He's exhausted. The mental anguish is palpable and after 3 nights of observing him, it has become quite hilarious. Hubby and I stiffle laughter watching BBDC try to fall asleep.
He slept until 11:30 pm and I quickly nursed him back to sleep. Another wake-up at 2:25 am and then 4:05 and 6:15 am. 4-hour stretches interspersed with a 2 and 1 hour stretch. Improvement? I feel a little more rested, but my failure still lies in the fact that I cannot let him cry it out in the middle of the night. I feel things wont get better unless I find it in myself to do that.
Alcohol Consumed: Half a beer
Sweets: One bowl of ice cream with magic shell
Successes: 4-hour stretches
Failures: Feeding back to sleep
Aims for Night 4: Sitting on the bed away from the crib instead of beside him & letting him cry for 10 minutes instead of nursing him back to sleep.
Exhaustion level: 7/10
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Bad Boy Dragon Child Night 2
Night 2 DOWN!
We followed the "B" bedtime routine: Bath, Boobs, Books, Bed. I woke him up from the boob after 7 minutes. He was very confused and patiently listened while I read "Goodnight Moon" and "Guess How Much I Love You" before I put him in his crib. He blew raspberries. Rocked from side to side. Played with Murasaki-san (his Cuski). Tried to suck my fingers a bit (but I'm reluctant to let him do this as it might become a new negative sleep association). I repeated my phrase: "It's nen-ne (Japanese for sleep) time, baby." He cried. Held my hand. Rocked. Cried some more, but without the force of the night before. I remained strong and did not pick him up. My husband began snoring in the bed beside us. Dragon Boy must have heard dad snoring, so he too rolled onto his side and began to sleep. I looked at my clock: 30 minutes had passed. A massive improvement from the night before. I celebrated my success of putting both baby and husband to bed within 30 minutes with a bowl of ice cream. No alcohol necessary.
He briefly woke an hour later, and again I did not pick him up but repeated the settling techniques. He settled again in 20 minutes.
Come 11 pm though, he woke and cried with intent, so I fed him thinking it would be a dream feed. However, this began an every 2-hour wake-feed scenario. Reluctant to wake Hubby, I succumbed to his need to feed, but was conscious of cutting him off before he fell totally asleep. This was repeated at 1 - 3 - 5 - 7. Bad Boy Dragon strikes again!
Sucesses for the night: falling asleep by himself within 30 minutes with minimal crying; sleeping in bed until 7 am. He woke happy and played until 8:30 am. Back to bed at 8:45 am and he put himself to sleep with me sitting beside him within 30 minutes.
Aim for Day 3: to cut out a night feed.
Progress? A little...Exhaustion Level? 9/10
We followed the "B" bedtime routine: Bath, Boobs, Books, Bed. I woke him up from the boob after 7 minutes. He was very confused and patiently listened while I read "Goodnight Moon" and "Guess How Much I Love You" before I put him in his crib. He blew raspberries. Rocked from side to side. Played with Murasaki-san (his Cuski). Tried to suck my fingers a bit (but I'm reluctant to let him do this as it might become a new negative sleep association). I repeated my phrase: "It's nen-ne (Japanese for sleep) time, baby." He cried. Held my hand. Rocked. Cried some more, but without the force of the night before. I remained strong and did not pick him up. My husband began snoring in the bed beside us. Dragon Boy must have heard dad snoring, so he too rolled onto his side and began to sleep. I looked at my clock: 30 minutes had passed. A massive improvement from the night before. I celebrated my success of putting both baby and husband to bed within 30 minutes with a bowl of ice cream. No alcohol necessary.
He briefly woke an hour later, and again I did not pick him up but repeated the settling techniques. He settled again in 20 minutes.
Come 11 pm though, he woke and cried with intent, so I fed him thinking it would be a dream feed. However, this began an every 2-hour wake-feed scenario. Reluctant to wake Hubby, I succumbed to his need to feed, but was conscious of cutting him off before he fell totally asleep. This was repeated at 1 - 3 - 5 - 7. Bad Boy Dragon strikes again!
Sucesses for the night: falling asleep by himself within 30 minutes with minimal crying; sleeping in bed until 7 am. He woke happy and played until 8:30 am. Back to bed at 8:45 am and he put himself to sleep with me sitting beside him within 30 minutes.
Aim for Day 3: to cut out a night feed.
Progress? A little...Exhaustion Level? 9/10
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Bad Boy Dragon Child
Sleep Training is more about training the mum and dad than training the baby. At last, we have stopped traveling enough to start the Sleep Sense program. It seemed easy enough: sit by his bed until he falls asleep in his bed. 40 minutes into it, I got the guilts and picked him up thinking he hadn't been burped. He stopped crying immediately. I put him back down. He cried. My husband tag-teamed me at the 45 minute mark. I ate dinner and watched The Big Bang Theory in an attempt to drown out his screams. It didn't work. I went back up at the 75 minute mark and he clutched my thumb and whined himself to sleep. It was a deep, painful whine. I hadn't heard that sound out of him before. It was the sound that an adult makes when they are still sad and want to cry, but the tears haven't had a chance to regenerate. Thankfully, I shed some for him. As his eyes closed, mine filled with tears. I prayed my sniffling wouldn't re-awaken him. We tip-toed out the room with heavy hearts. He is a powerful baby.
He woke half an hour later and screamed for another 50 minutes. Husband did this shift. 25 minutes in, I tip-toed upstairs to relieve him and woke him. First fail. 20 minutes more and he slept again.
Fed him at 12:43am then I woke with a start at 3:48 am worried about him. I shined my iPhone light over him and he was in the same position as when I left him at 12:43 am. Touched him to see if he was breathing and woke him from a very deep sleep. Fail number 2! Felt guilty, so fed him back to sleep. Sadly, couldn't do the same to me and I laid awake for 3 hours until my husband had to get up to go to work. After a brief 5:30 am waking, he slept until 7:45 am. Progress? Not sure. He was happy to see me when he woke. But I have Night 2 to contend with tonight!
He woke half an hour later and screamed for another 50 minutes. Husband did this shift. 25 minutes in, I tip-toed upstairs to relieve him and woke him. First fail. 20 minutes more and he slept again.
Fed him at 12:43am then I woke with a start at 3:48 am worried about him. I shined my iPhone light over him and he was in the same position as when I left him at 12:43 am. Touched him to see if he was breathing and woke him from a very deep sleep. Fail number 2! Felt guilty, so fed him back to sleep. Sadly, couldn't do the same to me and I laid awake for 3 hours until my husband had to get up to go to work. After a brief 5:30 am waking, he slept until 7:45 am. Progress? Not sure. He was happy to see me when he woke. But I have Night 2 to contend with tonight!
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