A subject very dear to my heart at the moment.
The sleep deprivation started 3.5 years ago, almost as soon as I fell pregnant with Samantha. I was just catching up on some zzzzz’s when I got pregnant again. And so the joy of Pregnancy Sleep piled on top of the joy of Toddler Sleep, and crashed right into the wonders of Newborn Sleep, again. Add on to that changing continents twice in one year – I think that Samantha still has jetlag from the trip TO America – and jumping through time zones regularly, you have a the perfect recipe for Cranky Mum, with a side of Wired TwoPointFiveYearOld.
Timothy needs to be rocked or fed to sleep. I don’t mind this so much, except when he wakes up at odd times in the night to play. And I have a nagging terror that I am somehow only making it harder for myself the longer I let it go on. Not to mention the guilt that overwhelms me very time I read an article about baby sleep, and I’m reminded again that I’m doing it all wrong… what horrors we will we reap because of my mistakes!
Samantha just won’t go to sleep. There’s always something that she needs or some havoc she’s wreaking.
Sean’s got them both in the car right now… the result of a couple of hours of frustration. I’m an avid hater of ‘crying it out’, but I’m very tempted tonight.
So, should I just lock Samantha in her room at 7pm, and let her run amok till she drops from exhaustion?
And how do I teach my son to sooth himself to sleep so I’m not up in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me to sleep with him… we already do that…
And while we are on the subject of sleep, I have to recommend this hilarious article by Kerri Sackville at Mamamia to all the Mum’s out there.
oooooo anne! i can totally relate and i only have one…my heart goes out to you my dear. sleep deprivation is quite literal torture. i felt robbed of this first year with mateo and still grit my teeth when other moms go on about their 2 month old who sleeps 10 hrs a night…i'm sure people have heard me growl out loud. just know you're not alone…i wish i had the answers, but i did everything within reason by the "book" or rather books out there and still struggle. mateo just doesn't need as much sleep as other babies (but i need as much sleep as other moms)! God bless you guys through this tumultous time.
– michelle
We stayed up with the boy when he was little, and he eventually grew out of it. We were sleep deprived at the time, we can hardly remember it now. It was worth it. I'm so very glad to see that you hate the "crying it out" method.
It warms my heart to know I'm not alone… Thanks Michelle and Sage! For now we'll maintain status quo, but after we get back from Malaysia, I think I need to do something different… even if it just means sleeping on the floor so that I don't have to worry about Timothy falling off the bed when he decides to play at 3am.