13 minutes in Hades

Saturday, October 16, 2010

  So Grayson had gotten into a nice little night-time routine. At first it was a 5 hr stretch, change, feed, rock and back to sleep for a 3 hr. Then he started giving me 7, 8 & 9 hr nights...bliss! But then WHAM, out of nowhere he went back to his newborn stage of waking E V E R Y hour...not nice. I had no idea what crawled up his hiney.

This POUT will be the death of me!

  I've been dealing with this change in nights for a bit now, so when I was at the pediatrician for his 2 month check-up I asked the doc about it. His recommendation didn't make me happy either. He asked a few questions about our bed-time ritual, then gave me the diagnosis...

  

"Spoiled"

"Spoiled? My sweet little perfect angel baby?! You are false. I am dead-set against spoiled chirren'. Mine cannot possibly be. Nooooo...really? But..how, he is only an infant"

"He has you trained. He wakes up, wants you, he cries, you arrive. He breastfeeds so he always smells you. He knows you're right there. And where would he rather be than alone in his bassinet?...in your arms"

  So he tells me to move him out of my room and into his own. UGG! And on top of that don't rock him until he is sacked out. Put him to bed sleepy, say goodnight and leave. If he cries, let him.

  I understand this thinking, he needs to learn how to self-sooth, wake up and go back to sleep without momma's comfort. But understanding this and actually putting this protocol into action are two totally different things! What sane mother wishes to hear her baby crying?! He is literally crying because he wants me...how can I deny him...doing otherwise is against my core as a mother!!

So with all this said I still hadn't gotten the candies to move him out yet. Well last night came, I have been sick for a few days and gotten worse last night, coughing and feeling just terrible. He woke at 3:30am, then 4:30, then 5:30. At 5:30 I fed, burped, rocked to sleep and ever-so-gently put him down, slipped back into bed as quiet as the second coming and proceeded to get more shut-eye. But that tricky monkey had other plans. He let me get all comfortable and dozy, then "Umm hello mom, I request your continued attention!". I didn't pick him up this time. I stayed strong. I patted and shhhhh'd until I thought I'd fall over.

This is where the 13 minutes in Hades comes in.

Nothing I did calmed him...so I left the room. Shame on me! I took the monitor and went to the couch. Then I laid there squirming for 13 grueling minutes as I listen to my precious baby's cry's. But just when I thought I'd give up, or call CPS on myself...HE CALMED HIMSELF AND STOPPED.

Praise Baby Jesus it worked! 

He laid there quietly until drifting to sleep. Then slept for almost 3 more hours. Woke happy and had a good day! Houston, we have a new procedure.     

 

 

 "No babies were harmed in the making of this protocol."