A Gallon Of Coffee Please!

Let's get real about sleep. It's precious. ESPECIALLY after having kids. And without it, most of us are grouchy, sleepy, non-functioning, caffeine addicted mombies. I speak from experience. 

I was so grouchy I think I scared my own reflection in the mirror. 

Well... 

This week I officially started sleep training Logan.

It has so far been incredibly tough and at the same time incredibly rewarding. 

As a mom you come to learn how to deal with the two-hour increments of sleep while your child is a newborn. Heck, you even come to expect them. And soon after you master it. 

I went weeks with about 4 hours a sleep a night. None during the day. Obviously, my coffee intake rose immensely during coincidentally the same time. Go figure. 

Well. He hit 2.5 months & I figure 'OK. His sleep is about to get much better and soon he'll sleep through the night.' 

W R O N G. 

A month passed before he finally slept through the night. Then two weeks later the 4-month sleep regression hit. 

Pretty much he went back to sleeping like a newborn but WORSE. Much much worse. Up every 45 minutes. Whining. Crying. Took longer than the ten minutes it used to in order to get him back to sleep. 

*if your child is not yet 4 months, pray s/he doesn't go through it. And if they're past 4 months and you have NO idea what I'm talking about, consider yourself L U C K Y. * 

Well that phase lasted about 3 months before he started sleeping 4-5 hours at a time. 

Now, he wakes up about 4 times a night & DEMANDS a bottle one of those times. 

This wouldn't be a problem if he was a newborn. But he's 10 months old. 10. 

I should now be accustomed to sleeping in my warm, comfy bed at LEAST 9 hours straight through. Waking up at 7 or 8 to feed my happy, well rested, sleeping-through-the-night baby. 

My solution? Sleep training! It has such a bad reputation because a lot of parents do the cry-it-out method. Which is fine if that's how they choose to parent. 

Me? No. I can't handle the constant crying without wanting to throw my head repeatedly against a very hard wall. 

My method? A mix. After he's fed, changed, given gripe water if he needs it, I lay him down in his crib with his pacifier & go sit down out of sight. Obviously he starts crying because he's not fully asleep. But, only when he stands up or sits up do I go over to him. Then without a word I lay him back down & go & sit down. This repeats over and over until he falls asleep on his own. 

I must say, it has been far more successful than I thought in this last week. The longest it has taken him was an hour. 

I still need that gallon of coffee. (Need, not drink because of my current being pregnant situation.) BUT I do believe within the next 2-3 weeks he will be able to fall asleep on his own. And my coffee need will drop significantly.

And for all my fellow mombies (or dadbies) it'll get better if you make it better.  Mind you, a 3 month old is still not ready to be sleep trained. But a 9,10,11 and so on old? Yes. What method you choose is up to you. 

But I promise you, in the long run it is so much better for both you & your little on. 

So keep chugging that gallon of coffee mamas as long as you need it. But not needing it will feel SO much better. 

Till next time, 

~Ashley 💋