If the world could be created in 7 days why does it take so long for Babies to sleep through the night?
It has finally happened for us. Julian is now 4 and half months old and after an exciting meal of rice cereal decided to give up his two middle of the night feedings and sleep from 7pm until 6am. The next night he did it again and actually slept longer until 7am. Can you say hallelujah!
I must admit we were spoiled with our daughter Helena. She slept a 12 hour stretch by the time she was 8 weeks old and from the moment I brought her home from the hospital gave me at least one 5 hour stretch. Sadly the books tell you 5 hours is medically sleeping through the night.
Julian wanted to eat every hour and 45 minutes at first..and before two nights ago still woke up twice a night to eat.
Ironically, I have stayed up reading many books on baby sleep praying I would find the answer. I have come to the conclusion there is only so much we can do. Babies will sleep when they want to. However, I will say for all those new moms out there The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer is a great book to help you set the stage for sleep. It helps you teach your baby to fall asleep on his or her own. Yes, sleep is a skill babies have to learn and it’s one I don’t mind teaching. At one point I was really good at it!
Don’t you remember when you used to talk about how great a party was…or how late you stayed up in college? Now we compete with sleep stories. Oh I got 8 hours last night cause baby so and so didn’t wake up… or I’m delirious because same baby was up every hour. Sleep, or the lack of it, becomes an obsession. This must be why the military uses it as a torture tool.
I hope I am not jinxing us, but Dennis and I are happy our baby boot camp appears to be over, at least until he gets a tooth. I wish you all a good night and look forward to reading your comments. We all have war stories to tell!
Please, how long is this baby diary going to go on? I’ve seen it for over 2 months and based on the lack of comments, would prefer that Kara get back to the business of reporting, and spare us the notion that we want to goo goo and gaa gaa with her over every last burp and poo!
Sorry you are not enjoying the baby blogs, but based on the many postive comments I have received many are.
I will of course do the “business” of reporting everyday on Eyewitness News at Noon and on Better Ct at 10 am. I am also blgging about our health series Kara’s Cure. Perhaps you will enjoy those more.
My son is 4 months and 3 weeks and just started going through the night as well. THANK GOD! Your situation sounds so similar to mine, I completely understand how tired you must be, I was the same way. We started rice cereal just after Christmas and since then things improved drastically.
Also, we do the “dreamfeed” thing at 10:30pm and that gets him all the way until 6am, sometimes 7am if we are lucky. We put him down at 7:45pm and then we wake him at 10:30pm to give him a 4 oz. bottle and that does wonders! Sleep is such a gift
Hope your little one keeps giving you that lovely gift!
Kara,
I’m so happy that you are getting sleep now, but trust me, this will not last either! It’s not all bad, though.
I have a 22 year-old daughter who slept through the night for the first time at 3 months old and I was thrilled. That lasted for about a week. She was still sleeping through the night, but I wasn’t.
In the blink of an eye, she was starting her first day of school, which seemed to be more stressful for me than her! She slept the night before…I did not.
Then, what seemed like only a month later, she was in middle school and had her first crush. He broke her heart and I was so sad for her. I didn’t sleep for a week because I knew she was hurting.
The next thing I know, she’s in high school. Going out with friends that have their license (Lord, have mercy!!!), coming home late, dates, driving herself…the list is endless.
Now that she is 22, graduated from college, has a wonderful job that she loves, and a fiance…the sleepless nights don’t end!
I wouldn’t trade one minute of those sleepless nights for anything in the world. Being awake every minute of my life would not be enough time to spend with my only child.
I promise it gets better. You learn to live with less sleep or “half sleep”. Like, I said, it’s not all bad…just different.
Good luck to you and Dennis.
Kara – Keep the goo goo and ga ga coming. It’s very enjoyable reading. I am a gramma now and actually learn from this.