Five Days of What I've Learned Since Becoming a Mom-- Day 4

Day 4- Sleep, or should I say NO SLEEP

Besides breast feeding, dealing with sleep issues has been the hardest thing for me.  My one concern, the one thing holding me back from getting pregnant again is the lack of sleep.  Two babies that don't sleep might kill me.  All babies are different when it comes to sleep habits.  It would be a whole heck of lots easier if they were all the same.  Then we could figure out the one thing that works to get sweet baby to sleep more than 15 minutes at a time.  At the rate Violet is going now I won't be sleeping until she can pop an ambien.  Can babies have Nyquil?  Just kidding. 

When your baby doesn't sleep it feels like every other baby in the world sleeps perfectly.  It seems everyone you meet or talk to is singing praises about their kid sleeping through the night since he was 3 days old (ok that might have been an exaggeration).  They tell me what works for them and I think to myself "I have tried all of that".  The truth of the matter is your baby is gonna sleep when your baby is ready to sleep.  You can try everything you want  but sometimes nothing seems to work.  It is the most frustrating thing ever.  I read sooo many books on it too, and they all teach you different things.  I tried them all. Nada.

I should of known Violet would be an anti-sleeper since day one.  They tell you that newborns sleep and sleep and pretty much that's all they do.  Violet didn't even sleep that first night in the hospital.  She cried most of the night.  Those first few weeks at home she didn't sleep that much either.  It was a nightmare.  My hormones were crazy, I was a new mom and had no idea what I was doing and I hadn't slept in days.  I found myself thinking "Was I really ready to do this? Should I have waited?"  I felt so bad for thinking like that, I mean she was already here, I couldn't return her.  I became a little more sane after a few months and Violet even started sleeping through the night around 2 months old.  I remember bragging about it when people would ask if she was up all night.  No sir, my baby is perfect and sleeps from 7 to 8 am.  Not a peep comes from her.  Boy oh boy was I fooled.

She continued to sleep well till about 4 months.  We moved her to the crib because she was starting to seem cramped.  We had a few good nights and then she started the never ending bad sleep nights.  And up until a week ago, the terribleness has been going strong.  Some nights it was every hour, some nights maybe only 5 times.  Always a minimum of 3 times though.  The only easy thing about it is that I just nurse her for a few minutes and put her back down.  Its not a long process at each wake up.  As you may have realized, since Violet won't take a bottle, I have to be the one who gets up with her.  Yup you heard that right, I have gotten up every time since she has been born.  EVERY time.  I should win a Awesome Wife Award or something.  I'm sure Justin would get up with her, its just not realistic at this point.  (As soon as she is weaned he is getting up with her for the next 20 years).

Ok so I know your dying to know why things changed for the better lately? Welp, there my new best friends.  My trusty ear plugs.  Yup, ear plugs.  Violet's room is about a foot from ours so I hear every peep she makes.  I am a light sleeper so I always wake up.  When she wimpers, it seemed easier for me to go in there and get her back to sleep so I could go back to sleep faster.  Well now I don't have to go in there.  I have been wearing my ear plugs to bed every night and its working!  I don't hear all the little wimpering and she just goes back to sleep!  It is amazing how much it's changed things.  Last night I didn't go in there until 4:30, the night before was the same and the night before she slept all night!!  If she was really upset I could still hear her even with the plugs.  And if she cries before I even go to bed I try to go in the other room so I won't hear her.  She usually stops within 5 minutes.  I am actually getting some sleep!  Now, I know every night won't be so easy but I'll take what I can get. 

So hang in there if your in the same boat as me.  Maybe even try the ear plug idea.  Lots of energy drinks during the day help as well.