Last weekend I picked up the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elisabeth Pantley. After 2 rough weeks of being tired to be a human pacifier at night, and not knowing what else to do, I seek for help.. You know, last night Merrick slept from 10 pm to midnight and a little bit between 7 and 9 am. So this afternoon, after getting at my mom's and getting Merrick to nap on my very self, I read the book cover to cover and it did help. Really.
She proposed a gentle way to help your baby to "detach from the breast" to get to sleep. She stresses that you should never let him cry by doing so, and that it takes a lot of time and patience. That you'll have to try consistently and it probably won't work the first night.... Didn't sound like a magic easy solution to a complicated problem, so I thought it was worth a try.
So tonight when we got Merrick to bed (with us), I breastfed him like I always did, only when he was a little more calm, and not sound asleep, I told him that he was a big boy, that it was time to sleep. I placed Ulrick (his cuddle doll I made him last solstice) between us and gently pulled out my breast. We stayed a little bit with him. I thought he would automatically moan and ask me back, but no. No sound. Just his regular, deep breath as he hold Ulrick. And I got up, and Papa got up, and we left the room. As magically as that.
So tonight when we got Merrick to bed (with us), I breastfed him like I always did, only when he was a little more calm, and not sound asleep, I told him that he was a big boy, that it was time to sleep. I placed Ulrick (his cuddle doll I made him last solstice) between us and gently pulled out my breast. We stayed a little bit with him. I thought he would automatically moan and ask me back, but no. No sound. Just his regular, deep breath as he hold Ulrick. And I got up, and Papa got up, and we left the room. As magically as that.
I will try doing the same each time he'll woke up this night. I will fill you in with our (I hope) progress.
Best of luck! We are in the very same spot with Owen, our little one...You want, you want and then you just can't.anymore. Mama neeeeeds to be able to sleep. When you are everyday, all day long with your kids, you need badly to be able to charge up your batteries. Since babies smell milk, my husband puts our son to bed when he wakes up for the gazillion time to, as you say, use his human pacifier...Let us know if it works!
ReplyDeletei enjoyed the "baby sleep book" by doctor sears.
ReplyDeletesometimes it helps to know everything is a phase... here things have changed slowly but by himself: since matteo was about 2, i just breastfeed him, and his dady fals asleep with him. now i can even not be there in the evening and dady can put him to sleep! amazing!!! it takes time, i felt confortable not to push or change anything, but my baby wasn't waking up all the time, maybe 2 or 3 times at night... and still does maybe once at night (i have no clue for real how many times, i am in between sleep and awake so not realy conscious). but as Doc Sears says it: if you resent it, change it! if you are not happy with the situation, you have to change something, because the most important thing for a child is to have a happy mom and dad! wish you all the best ! take care,
Joanna