Sleep training 101

I don't know if anyone else is like this, but I can't remember the hard times of having babies/children. For example, I can't remember how I potty trained Elijah.   I remember it as a distant memory of me going through it, but I can't remember the emotions/feelings or how I even went about it.  I don't know if it's my mind blocking out stressful times, or most likely God allowing the memories to fade so I'll actually have more children! :)

The same goes for sleep training.  You would think that I'd be somewhat of an expert being on my third baby.  This is nowhere near true!  It feels like I'm having to relearn everything.  And every child is different in how they handle it, so I guess you just have to do what you feel is right. 

So, saying all that, the title of this post is in NO WAY trying to tell other people how to get their babies to sleep through the night.  This is just what we did this time, and I would like it as a reference point for myself for the future. :)

Well, we got to that point where something had to be done with Rachel.  Early on, she was actually sleeping through the night.  I thought I was blessed to have a baby that just learned it on her own.  Well then she started waking up once (not a big deal) then it started getting worse and worse and I knew it was just her waking up to be held and comforted (nursed) back to sleep.

So I started researching a lot of different ways of sleep training, and I think I kinda took a little bit of everything. So here's the plan we followed:

After she eats dinner, I let her nurse as much as she wants.  Off and on all evening.  Then about an hour before bedtime, I turn down all the lights and (usually) do a bath.  Then she gets pajamas on, and I nurse her some more if she wants it.  When I see that she starts to get sleepy (she usually starts rubbing her eyes), I lay her in her bed awake and tell her "I love you" and "Goodnight." And then leave the room.

The first night, she did not like this at all.  She cried for a little while.  I think I only can go about 10 minutes before I have to go in to check on her.  And if she gets really upset, I'll go in before that.  But when I do go in, I usually try not to pick her up.  I rub her head and her back until she's calmed down again, and then I leave the room. Then we repeat this process.  The same thing goes for the middle of the night. 

The first night was definitely hard.  It took her about 30 minutes to go to sleep the first time. Then she woke up twice during the night.  The first time it took her about an hour to go back to sleep.  The second time, I caved and just nursed her.  But at least we had cut out one nursing session.

The second night was hard too, but she went to sleep the first time a lot easier.  And then she only woke up once during the night, and it took about an hour to get her back to sleep again.  But then she slept the rest of the night.  And I didn't nurse her at all!

The third night, I think was the hardest.  It was like she was realizing what was going on, and just wanted to see how far she could go before I would break. haha.  I think she woke a total of three times, each taking about 30-45 minutes to get her back to sleep.  I think I even picked her up and rocked her a couple of times that night, but I had decided I was going to cut out nursing all together.  And we did it! 

Since then she's really done awesome!  She goes to bed A LOT easier, and IF she wakes it's like once during the night and we pat her back and she's back asleep!  She usually goes to bed around 9, and then wakes up anywhere between 6-7:30 in the morning in which I will get up and nurse her. If she sleeps during the night, I am TOTALLY ok with that! :)

And we do have hard nights here and there.  One night, she woke up and it took me about 2 hours to get her to sleep.  But I think she was having some gas issues.   But nights like that will just happen sometimes. All in all, it's been a major improvement in the sleep department!   And the other night, when I was up all night with Hannah getting sick, she didn't wake once!  That was definitely a blessing in itself!

And since she's been sleeping through the night better, she's been a much happier baby!  That's been the best thing of all.  She's happier and plays better during the day, instead of just wanting to nurse and be held all day.  I think she was just tired before, all the time!  I understand that, though, because I was too!  Things are definitely looking better!

Next time, I'll post on how Hannah's potty training is going!  We've been busy around here!