Sleep, Interrupted
July 14, 2010
Yes, I am aware. I haven’t blogged in a LONG time. A really long time. Probably a record for me. But know there is a good reason. I haven’t slept in months. It all started around the day I found out I was pregnant with Judah…just kidding. It hasn’t been quite that long. While it is true that I don’t sleep well when pregnant, I have really been lacking sleep to a great degree since Mother’s Day. So, about 2 months. My descent into sleep deprived madness all started when Judah got an ear infection in the beginning of May. A double ear infection that has now taken 2 months, three rounds of antibiotics and 1 round of probiotics to get rid of. He had his follow-up today and while he still has water on his ears, his ears look clear of infection. Whew! I have had no time. The few moments Judah has felt well over the last few months we have been out enjoying summer. The rest of the time, I have spent my days in a severely sleep deprived stupor, chasing Judah around while he constantly destroys the house (oh the joys of the 9 month old!) or tries to “off” himself. Thankfully, the infection is now gone, so Judah is sleeping decently at night once again. As a result, I am sleeping decently at night once again. Not perfect, but decent.
Of course, with Judah getting sick, his sleep training was completely thrown out the window. Even once he felt better, he was still waking up 4 to 5 times a night out of habit. And don’t even get me started on how awful nap times were. WOW! So a week ago, I bought The No-Cry Sleep Solution. I was so sick of the “cry it out” solutions. It seems as though all of my internet research led me to two conclusions about babies and sleep. Either deal with it or let them cry it out. I have done the cry it out option in desperation before with Breckin and I HATED it. I have done it with Judah as well and still HATE it. Plus, it has been very ineffective with Judah. I hate hearing my baby cry. I wonder if they feel abandoned or confused. After all, Judah can’t possibly understand why I would put him in his crib and just walk away. So, I started reading this book to see if this alternative would prove effective. The whole process is one that requires some patience and initial loss of sleep. But, I am happy to say that after doing it for a week, Judah’s sleep has drastically improved. He was waking 4 or 5 times a night. Never went down at night or nap without a serious fight. Now, after a week, he is waking 2 times in a 12 hour period and happy to go to sleep at night. He is taking 2 2-hour naps during the day and happy to go down at nap. HIGHLY recommend this book to any parent who desperately wants more sleep, but hates the whole process of crying it out.
In summary, now that I am sleeping again, I should be blogging more. So, look forward to many more vegetarian recipes and delicious meals. Yes, we are still eating “asthma-friendly” foods here! Until then….(which will probably be sometime later today)
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