We had Addy's 2 month check up Wednesday and as we were talking to Dr. Simmons about Addy's fussiness and suspected colic, he asked us how much she was sleeping. (His son apparantly had similar symptoms at Addy's age) We shared with him about how the ONLY way she would sleep was on us and that really the only decent sleep she was getting was at night from like 8 pm to around 3 am. The rest of the time she was restless and during the day only sleeping in 20-30 minute chunks! This of course is not super normal for a newborn who is "supposed" to sleep ALL the time...or at least this was my expectation....It was correct, but this is not how Addy slept. He gave us some tips on how to get her to sleep better and in her crib--Praise Jesus!! We love her more than anything, but she is getting big and therefore uncomfortable (10 lbs 1.5 ounces to be exact & 23 inches--long and lean baby were Dr. Simmons exact words)!!! She was not getting good sleep and nor were we, but the second we would lay her in her crib she would cry about 10 minutes later...and in order to get sleep, we let her sleep on us. :)
His tips along with some great coaching from my friend Jen has really helped her a ton. She is much much more content (or at least she has been so far) and feeds better and is SLEEPING, well at least at night (and in her crib--for a while I thought I had bought her crib for no reason--ha!!). Her naps are still a bit of a challenge--but she is getting better.
We have had to let her cry a bit so that she could learn to self soothe, which kills me since I have soothed and held her and prevented most crying for the first 2 months of her life non-stop, but for her health and our sanity...we tried it. She really adjusted well to it truthfully and only 3 days in generally only cries around 5-10 minutes before falling asleep on her own. At night she has been crying none the last 2 nights!!! The method was a lot gentler than some that I have read about because it allows her to cry for a bit, and then be loved on and held by mom and dad after 10 minutes if still crying, then 15, and so on!! She never made it past 25 minutes before falling asleep--thank God--I am not sure I would have had the strength to let her. Needless to say this process has truly been the hardest thing I have ever done...in fact I think on Thursday I cried more than she did!!! But things are improving for sure.
(Disclaimer: I have no problem at all with those who co-sleep with their babies--in fact, I am thankful for that sweet time we had with Addy during her first few weeks--that turned into first 2 months :). It just started to not work out for all of us--Addy included and so we had to do what worked for us...but for some...co-sleeping even longer works great...and it is so great and healthy for the babies security and even health!! It is also precious bonding time. We just had to make a change for Addy's health because well, sleep is pretty important for us all)
Anyways...if you read this...please PRAY that this continues! God has been so faithful to help us through this hard, but also amazing time. We are thankful for a baby that seems to be a lot happier and content, which probably means even healthier!! (We would still be thankful even if she was still super fussy and cranky, but of course it is nicer when she is happier).
I am not sure I could post this blog without including my favorite sleeping picture of Addy!! :) Love you all!!!
