Crib Sheet
Aw yeah... I should have done this ages ago. Friday night, after Mark had completed his mid-terms, I prepared to go to bed with Liam at 7:30 as usual. Nurse him in bed and go to sleep - can't leave him in the bed alone as we already had an 'incident'. But, I thought, Mark is done with mid-terms, he could put the baby to bed and stay with him. And he did, sort of. After an hour and a half of crying (by Liam), I went back into the room, nursed him and went to sleep.
On Saturday, I told Mark I thought we should do that again. Heheheh. Mark decided it was time for Liam to sleep in the crib.
AND HE DID.
At 8:58 pm he woke up crying. Mark and I started discussing how he would know the difference between being abandoned and crying when he needs something. By 9:03, however, Liam was asleep. 5 minutes. It could be beginners luck, but he slept the entire night in his crib. He did wake up a few times, fussed for a few minutes and went back to sleep. He also had poopy diapers - nothing you can do about that but change him. And twice I got him out of the crib (when he was fussing) because I needed him to nurse. We'll have to wean me before we wean him!
Somehow, when he woke up this morning I expected him to look different. Bigger, walking, more mature, something, I don't know. I felt so changed, I guess I expected him to be, too.
Comments
Woohoo! Yes! More sleep for Mommy and Daddy! This is so good. I'm so happy about this. You and Mark will get much better sleep.
Posted by: Nathan | February 3, 2008 8:42 PM
In a perfect world we all get better sleep......as it is not what are the expectations? Having kids is a responsibility 24 hours a day. Mama and I not only survived it, we thrived on you four and your shenanigans. Nathan did not sleep at night. We left him to his wiles most nights on his own. We'd find him all balled up under the crib with his 'bim' and quite happily asleep. Mara seemed tickled to shove peeled grapes up my nose early in the morning hours before I'd normally get up. Well, you get the idea. I wonder what neato things Liam has in him. He has not even started yet! OOh hoo ah hahaha!!!!!!! Creepy ain't it.....I can hear the creakin' doors and floor boards now.....
all my luv......
Posted by: papa | February 5, 2008 2:51 AM
Mara,
It's more difficult to wean the mom than the child. Even at the age of 50 I close my eyes and remember the special bond I had with each child-the way they looked up at you while they were nursing ,the little giggle. I still giggle as I recall what my dad said to me when I turned 47 (I saw a new baby and of course my heart begain to melt), "you know Nadine your grandmother had her last baby at age 47".
I said, Are you crazy and we both laughed , he wanted to go back in time as much as i did.
Nadine
Posted by: Nadine | February 5, 2008 5:39 AM
I'm so happy for you. You probably already know this - but there will be times that he slide back into his comfort zone. When he's sick, or really tired. That's normal. I hope you're able to get better sleep.
Posted by: r.t.bean | February 6, 2008 6:52 PM
hi mara!
i'm so impressed-- my family is teasing me because akeva still sleep snuggled in between patrik and me, nursing most of the night... but at this point i just don't want to deal with sleepless nights of getting her used to sleeping by herself. you, however, have totally inspired me to try it!! i'm so glad it worked and good luck for tonight-- let me know if the good luck continues!
much love,
carolina
Posted by: carolina | February 7, 2008 2:51 AM
Carolina, we've had good nights and bad since then, but generally, it is working. His crib is in our room, as we live in someone else's home. So, I nurse him in our darkened bedroom and he's usually either asleep or very close to it. I put him in his crib and he fusses briefly. I either leave or lie down myself. He settles down quickly and doesn't usually wake up for another 3-5 hours, at which point I nurse him and put him back in his crib. However, when it comes to 4 am, I usually just nurse him and let him sleep in our bed. I figure it won't be like that forever. And it's good enough for me. It definitely helped that, at first, Mark was the one putting him in the crib. Somehow it seems easier for babies to accept from someone other than Mama.
Posted by: Mara | February 7, 2008 5:06 AM