Putting my little one to and keeping him asleep has been my Biggest hardship as a mother. Now coming up to one year, things don’t seem any easier. But then we were forewarned.
Everyone we met with the news of our newborn told us to be prepared for 2,3 sleepless years. The question I had right from the beginning up-till now is how do you put baby to sleep ?
I got a ton of advice and personal anecdotes but the one sentence that lingers on is each mother has to find her own way. There is not right or wrong, no easy or hard way. It’s mostly up to the baby and a few decisions of the parents. Either the baby is a good sleeper or like in my case, sleep is the mortal enemy that comes in the way of all things FUN !
The first month I was in tears most of the time not having sleep for weeks all together. The only sleep I got after the first two weeks was 1.5 hours in the morning after 8 am when my mother in law kept him with her and 1.5 hours in the evening when he slept after lunch time when again she or hubby watched over him. Baby slept through out the day, getting up for his food in timely fashion. Dusk I remember used to scare me in those times.
Then with someone’s advice I started using the baby bouncer and started getting a couple of hours of sleep at night. What a relief that was ! Once my parents came, I shamelessly started relying more and more on my parents to take care of him in the night while I got much needed shut eye. They could catch up on sleep during the day or when they went back home was my logic.
I remember the time after my dad left, baby started to sleep at 6 am in the morning. No kidding! He would stay up ALL night. The first two nights mom, hubby and I fretted. Then mom and I just decided to Not sleep thru the night so as to be fresh. We slept with him during the day.
When the time came for mom to leave two weeks later I was tensed about how I would manage but low and behold! Baby slept as soon as we entered the house, only to get up 2 hours later. But it was a beginning.
Through the first few months we sang religious hymns and poems and swung him to sleep in the baby swing or the bouncer. Around 5 or 6 am I’d wake hubby up to give me a couple of hours sound sleep before he left for work.
Month three and four would have me nursing him to sleep then wrapping him TIGHT in a swaddle and lying him down in the crib.
Fifth and sixth month has me bouncing and ABCing him till he nodded off. Then I would slyly slide him down to the crib. I’d nurse him all through the night bent over like the legendary Hunchback. It’s atrocious for the posture I’m sure but I think nursing in all forms is in one way or another.
When he grew out of the bouncer, after a few hyper nights, it was a just easy to let him to sleep by my side after nursing so that I could get up every two hours. Then he got the cold and the crib became obsolete as it was impossible to keep him down without comfort.
When we were out we’d drive around till he fell asleep. Took a lot of choruses of abc’s sometimes but being able to have a meal in peace would be priceless. On the whole he enjoyed sleeping outside the house so that wasn’t much of a big deal, unless he WANTED to sleep and there were traffic lights turning red. Then Hell hath no fury like a red lighted baby !!
Around the 7th month, we discovered holding him and walking to and fro was another way to go when he was super tired and that became an all exclusive Dad method of putting him to sleep, like the rocking the car seat method.
The eighth, ninth and tenth month saw even more reduction in naps and as we shifted homes a total change in night time behavior.The kicking, rolling, nuzzling and crankiness if not fed started and the desire for the crib re awakened.
Now, here in the 11th month going onto the 12th, BIG one we’re trying to transition him back to the crib with marginal results and big hopes. I for one, don’t have the heart to put him in a different room and there in lies the problem.
What influences me the most is that I slept with my mom till I was ten. Reasons not withstanding, it felt awesome to be that close to my mom. No matter all the turmoils, it feels good to be able to provide the same feeling to my baby. He’s nursed to sleep most the time through this year but
The doctor says baby hasn’t needed to be fed in the night since month six but is using me for the Million Dollar Lottery feeling of being fed whenever his heart desires. Since then I resent it a little but can’t stop as his diet has gone way down due to teething. It’s probably just me being a Mom but there’s got to be something to it.
One thing I would change if I could go back in time is listen to the idea about giving baby formula at night. It’s supposed to be more filling so baby sleeps much longer and most other babies I know started sleeping through the night in the 3rd or 4th month on. Feeding through the night is the habit that seems to be the biggest hurdle in sleeping soundly through the night.
The journey is still new and we are finding our way but hey ! that’s parenthood.
