SLEEP!!

When Kirra was born, a lot of people were really shocked that she was such a great sleeper.  She would sleep 8 hours a night and it was awesome.  It unfortunately did not last.  Around 3 months old, she started waking up more often and eventually she was waking up multiple times a night wanting to nurse and taking up half the bed.  She has been sleeping with Trevor and I for a majority of the night since she was born.  Needless to say we have been a little sleep deprived.  I really thought I would be more hard core about making her sleep in her own bed but she was just so cute and little and I always gave in.

Since we have moved back to Virginia I wanted to try to get her on a better sleeping schedule.  I thought it would be easy  if I couldn’t hear her but it was not.  I still found myself waking up in the middle of the night and running upstairs to check on her and eventually taking her out of the crib when she cried.  My friend Nicole has 4 kids and they are all excellent sleepers.  She has been telling me to let Kirra cry herself back to sleep at night since she was 6 months old but I always had an excuse.  One day when I was at her house her mother-in-law was there and we were talking about how Kirra does not sleep well and why I won’t let her cry herself back to sleep.  She explained how really I was letting her our of her crib at night for selfish reasons.  Usually it was because I didn’t want to hear her cry or I was worried something was wrong with her.  It is better to teach her to be a good sleeper now.  I know that good sleep is essential for growth and development so I decided to be strong and make Kirra sleep through the night.  Nicole explained that they have to teach themselves how to go back to sleep at night when they wake up.  I have a brother who slept with my parents till he was 8 and now he still has to sleep with a T.V. on or something to help him relax.  I did not want Kirra to have this problem so about a week ago I put her in her crib determined to let her sleep through the night.  I slept in the room next to her just in case she really really needed me.  She woke up around 3 and started crying.  I think she was a little offended when I did not run to her rescue like I normally do.  She cried for about half and hour but then the crying stopped.  I was so excited.

It has been about a week.  A few times she has woken up in the middle of the night and cried but each time the crying lasts less time.  I am now sleeping in the basement so I can’t even hear her and I can’t tell you how much I am loving sleep.  I will never take a full night of sleep for granted again.  It is good for Kirra too.  She has bad allergies and she gets a really stuffy nose during the day and a bad cough but it has cleared up since she got on her sleeping schedule.  She is also taking better naps during the day.  She goes down twice during the day and she is sleeping the full 2 hours for both her naps.

I admit that I was one of those moms that thought my child was different then all other children and was not capable of sleeping through the night.  I will never think that way again.  Babies are perfectly capable of sleeping through the night.  Next baby I am starting a lot earlier.