Sleep Update

Ok, so it's been a couple of weeks since we started sleep bootcamp and we have definitely made some good progress with Max but I am embarrassed to admit I caved, and cave badly, with Sam.

I don't know what it is but I give in or make excuses or give him milk in my sleep without knowing it, or convince myself he NEEDS me, or that if I just give him a bottle I can go back to sleep, or any other number or things that are counter productive to getting him to sleep through the night. But I'll talk more about that later.

I want to talk about Max right now. Mr. Maxy. Oh he is doing so well. And despite my caving the first night after listening to him scream for 1 hour and 15 minutes, I refocused and have had my game face on ever since. Game face, I tell ya. Game Face!

So this is how it went down:

First 3 nights he fell asleep fine around 6:45pm (minor fussing) on his own but woke up 45 minutes later screaming. Night 1: I caved after 1 hr 15 min and gave him a bottle. Night 2: screamed 2 hr 5 min. Night 3: screamed 1 hr 15 min (hoarse from the night before. So sad!) Night 4: screamed 42 min. Night 5: slept through that first waking. Yippeee!!!! . . .PROGRESS.

As for the rest of the night, he usually wakes up between 1am and 2am, gobbles 7-8oz of formula and then sleeps until anywhere between 6:30am and 8:00am.

So, I am proud to say, we have met our first goal (see: patting self on back) of putting him down awake and only feeding him once during the night. Every once in awhile if he goes to bed super early, there is a second feeding around 5:30am because the first feeding is closer to midnight, but in general we are down to one.

My next goal is to cut out all middle of the night feedings in about another month or so. I'm just reluctant to do it now because the poor boy does not eat any solid food. He hates it. So the extra calories at night seem needed for now. I will be sure to update more when the next phase commences.

Side Note: And just as I started to feel reassured by my parenting
skills and thinking I'm doing a good job, I talked to a mom on Sunday who
sleep trained her daughter at 7 wks. Yes, 7 wks. Stopped
all night feedings cold turkey. After a week of crying, Lucy now, at 6 months, sleeps 12 hours straight, and I am once again left believing
that I am too soft and not cut out for this. Damn over achievers!!

Ok, back to Sam . . .

I lasted all of about 3 nights with Sam. We did the whole, no milk in bed thing, only gave him water in his bottle in the middle of the night and it just made him so beyond pissed off that I gave in which is why as of tonight, this sign is now on his door. . .

I have GOT to do it. My new strategy is the same as with Max. Do not enter the room, let him scream, he will eventually fall asleep, unless of course he injures himself first from thrashing violently in his crib as he has known to do, but that is neither here nor there. He needs to learn how to sleep and I need to learn how to let him.

Game face back on!! Wish me luck.