Sleeping Problems Intervention Day Five

Yesterday for the most part was a good day. Sleeping was fine as well. Took two naps yesterday, one late morning and the other late afternoon. Both times, you went to sleep easily, as soon as you laid down on your crib. Mommy patted your back a few times and did not have to come back to room at all, once I left.

Last night was an okay night. Upstairs by a certain time, showered, diaper changed, moisturized, brushed your hair, read “Good Night, Moon”, had bottle of breast milk with cereal, brush your teeth. You fell asleep right away as soon as you laid down on the crib and after a few pats on the back. You slept for six hours straight. Wow! the longest you ever slept and the longest Mommy ever slept. After the six hours, you woke up, you had your diaper changed and was nursed but did not fall back to sleep, instead stayed up for an hour and the half. Then needed to be nursed in order to sleep and ended up sleeping with Mommy in the bed. Was up two hours later and needed to be nursed to sleep again. Then it was morning. Okay, Mommy is making the decision not to nurse you at night time any more, no more picking you up after you go to sleep and wake up, and will change your diaper while you are in your crib and with the lights off!

The crying it out method appears to be working well and teaching you to go to sleep and stay asleep longer for the most part. The days and nights keeping coming, we hope that you will become a better sleeper.

Sleeping Problems Intervention Day Four

Last night was an bad night. Ahhhh, our routine went haywire. The “crying it out”method, did not go like it was suppose to and we do not know why but let’s examine yesterday. 

Yesterday morning was good, nap time went smoothly. You went down easily after just a few cries, and some noises but after a few patting on the back, and you fell asleep. After you woke up, you went on a play date. You came home, showered, had dinner, and went right to sleep (which was earlier than you usually go to sleep but you were exhausted). It was easy putting you down to sleep and you did not wake until three hours later.

Now here’s where everything went bad… woke up three hours later, nursed, and fell back to sleep with a few pats on the back. Up again two hours later, refused to go back to sleep, refused to lie down in your crib, and screamed your head off. Mommy went to get your cereal in the bottle but you refused that as well. Okay, tried sleeping on Mommy’s bed but took over an hour to put you back to sleep and Mommy nursed you to sleep. Slept for an hour and woke up again and wanted to be nursed again. The patting on your back did not work at all, you were tossing and turning, scratching your head, and did not want to be touch, lol. Nursed you again, while lying down on Mommy’s bed, and fell asleep for two hours. By that time, it was 5am in the morning, nursed again and slept until around six or seven in the morning.

We did not follow bedtime routine well of reading Lina’s<3 bedtime story, you did not get your cereal in a bottle of milk, you were not suppose to be pick up, and you were not suppose to sleep with Daddy and Mommy in our bed. These could be the reason why you did not sleep well. It could had been your teething process (you have two bottom teeth, and two more coming on top, Yay for teeth). It could had been the symptoms of your eczema. It could had been that you just wanted to play.

Well tonight, we are sticking to the routine! and I hope it continues to work. We are setting you up for your own room, hoping that it will be better for your sleeping habit but it is not done yet. We, the parents, want you to have your own room, and do not want you to have your own room as well…such a dilemma. You had slept in the same room with us since the day you were born and even before that too when you were in Mommy’s belly.

Sleeping Problems Intervention Day Three

We are continuing the "crying it out" technique, and it is getting easier to put Lina<3 down to sleep. During yesterday's nap times, you could sleep from one to two hours at a time. During last night, it was still a little harder to put you down to sleep, but it was better than the first night, three nights ago. The patting on your back soothes and calms you down and let you know that Mommy will always be there to comfort you. The first night, you would cry through the patting on your back, and now it soothes and makes you drowsy. You had slept longest last night, five hours at a time, woke up a few times and needed to be patted back to sleep, and nursed you once. I am slowly decreasing your constant night time feedings to one or two a night, which will eventually stop when you can sleep through the entire night. So please continue to wish us luck!!

Please refer to Day One and Day Two for our routine schedule, if you like read more about it for naps and bedtime.

Sleeping Problems Intervention Day One

Lina<3 my poor sleeping baby, as in your terrible sleeping habits and problems. You had not slept through the night ever and that meant neither have Daddy nor I, lol. A good night for you meant that you had slept three hours straight, awaken, fed, slept for another three hours. A terrible night meant that you were up every hour or less and needed constant comfort, pick up, and nurse, or that you would wake up and stay up for one to two hours at a time before going to back to sleep. An okay night meant that you slept for a couple of hours at a time, wake, nursed, and sleep. Mommy takes care of you all night long (if need be) and sometimes Daddy helps, (if he is not sleep deprived).
So Daddy and I are putting our feet down and putting a stop to your bad sleeping habits, a decision that will be implemented immediately! (So we hope). Of course, Mommy understands that she could be the one that enables your poor sleeping problems by constantly coming to your every whimper, eh noise, cry, or scream.

Now for  the “crying it out” technique.

Night One (last night):

bedtime routine:: upstairs by 7:30pm, played on Mommy’s bed for 20 minutes, diaper changed, washed up or bath time, moisturized, changed into pajamas, combed and brushed hair, bottle of milk with cereal, burped, brushed gums and teeth with a wash rag, read Good Night, Moon.
In the crib while awake:: laid you down, said “Good night, and Mommy loves you and go to sleep now”, patted on back for a minute and left the room (even though you were crying or attempted to get up), waited one minute, went back to room, wiped your tears, laid you down again, said “Good night and Mommy loves you, it is okay, go to sleep now”, patted your back for another minute, left the room (although you were crying with loud screams, never heard that kind of crying before, so sad but still need to do this),waited two minutes, went back to room while you were standing staring at the door and crying, wiped your tears (lots of tears), laid you back down, said “Good night and Mommy loves you, it is okay, go to sleep now”, patted your back for another minute although it was hard because you were tossing and turning, and trying to get up, left the room again, waited four minutes, went back to room, wiped your tears, laid you down, said "“Good night and Mommy loves you, it is okay, go to sleep now”, patted your back for a minute….shhh almost asleep with eyes closed… left the room but the floor had creaked on my way out of the room and woke you up, the scream crying began tenfold. ahhh!! waited eight minutes, went back to room, wiped your tears, laid you down, said “Good night and Mommy loves you, it is okay, go to sleep now”, patted your back until you fell asleep…you slept for three hours straight, woke up, and would not go back to sleep again and started the crying it out technique again but this time it did not work well, and Daddy was trying to sleep, We gave up and brought you to bed with us… bad, we know! We are going to put you in your room this weekend, so it will be easier when you wake up in the middle of the night.