One of Those Exhausting "I Don't Know What To Do" Mom Days:
Being a mother is the greatest joy in the world, but it can also have its difficult days that test your patience. Right now im being tested.. these last four or five days have been those kind of days. Im not sure whats going on with Cash but he seems to only nap right now for 30-45 minutes (and even a couple times just 15 minutes!).. He regularly naps for at least an hour and sometimes 1.5 to 2 hours for his first 2 naps and the third is 45minutes or so. Never ever was he a cat napper. His new thing is also to get really hyper in his crib the moment i set him down drowsy. He begins kicking his legs up in the air and smacking them down on the mattress. After he hears the fun noise it makes, he gets a jolt of energy and is no longer tired...this is all new as of a few days ago. It was cute the first 20 times, now its been days of this and im beginning to feel frustrated and helpless. Getting him to sleep has been so much work.. i refuse to let him sleep on me, use the swing, and any other method that with throw off all the hard work we've put in to him having healthy sleep habits of going to bed in his crib and knowing how to put himself asleep without a sleep aid other than his pacifier. I admit I do rock him until hes drowsy and then set him down, ..this use to work great for us! I'd rock him for 1-3 minutes and he'd fall asleep perfectly on his own. Now Im having to rock him much longer for him to get drowsy enough that he wont kick up his legs.. but that isnt really working.. he seems to do it even if hes dead asleep when i put him down. Im not sure if hes going through a growth spurt, teething, or hes just super curious about the world and doesnt want to sleep? Its just really confusing and I don't know what to do about it. His sleep is so important for his development and happiness.. no one wants an overtired fussy baby whos brain has not had the rest it needs.
So I'm asking for all you mamas out there that have gone through this or are still going through it.. what do I do?
Im thinking about trying to keep him up a half hour longer before he goes down for his naps.. maybe he isnt tired yet? Or if that doesnt work i'll try putting him down sooner, maybe hes OVer tired and having trouble sleeping. Or maybe its a growth spurt and he'll be back to his normal easy going self next week..
I just needed to clear my head and vent. It seems so silly to be worked up about your baby not napping or napping poorly. But I know all you mamas out there know how it feels when your child is all thrown off and their behavior changes out of the blue. I just want to do whats best for him & not miss if theres something wrong or something I need to change (like putting him down later or sooner)..whatever this little boy needs I want to provide. I think its important to notice when things are different, it could tell you your baby is getting sick, teething, or somethings wrong.. they don't have a way of telling us whats going on with words so we have to pay attention to what their behavior tells us. It can be a bit exhausting trying to be the best mom you know how to be and not have things go smoothly on difficult days, but thank God for our littles, I wouldnt trade a difficult day for a good one without him in it.
Cash, you sometimes take all of mommies energy and time, but you are worth every moment spent doing what I can to make you happy, healthy, feel loved, and safe.
Mommy loves you dearly, always.
Okay, so after posting this I went and did a little more research.. i have been reading like crazy to figure this out & I have no idea how i skipped over the 4 month old sleep regression!!! AH HA! I have the answer.. now for the bad news..
"You might have heard about the 4 month sleep regression and wonder if your baby will go back to sleeping well. Some parents will be one of the lucky few whose baby will go back to sleeping well in 2-4 weeks, however, not all of us will be that lucky. For example, I find that babies who need a pacifier to sleep where you are replacing it many times per night do not stop needing that pacifier to sleep. You might get lucky and not have to replace it 10 times (maybe “just” 3-4), but maybe not. It is usually better to solve the root of the problem than to hope you are one of the lucky ones. So, maybe wait a few weeks, but if things aren’t better, plan to make changes. I talk to parents of 8 month olds and even 20 months old who are still waiting for their “baby” to grow out of their sleep problems"- babysleepsite.com
This is a great read, check out the rest here: BabysleepSite
So basically I may have to do some pacifier weaning.. oh joy! I'll get back to you on that one. Im going back to reading a bit more about this sleep regression. Praying I figure this out soon!
I just love reading your blog. Thank you for sharing the good along with the frustrating. We all have those "not so perfect" moments. But it sounds like you are doing things beautifully. Cash is just 2 weeks older than my sweet, Gage. So their behaviors are quite similar.
ReplyDeleteHave you allowed Cash to play (kick his little legs like you were saying) until he falls to sleep? If you have tried that, does he get mad and cry? One of the hardest things for me is listening to my little guy have a meltdown. But I have also been blessed with an incredibly mellow-tempered baby. So I know that he is crying because he is over-tired, hungry or has a dirty diaper. So I don't let him cry for all that long. Typically, when I put him in his crib and he wakes immediately I only go get him after allowing him to try and figure things out for several minutes. Then if he still is upset, I will swaddle him and he will pass out in my arms within 1 to 2 minutes. Silly boy sure does fight nap time sometimes. But mommy always wins. :) I know you said you have a strict sleep routine that doesn't involve lengthy cuddling, rocking or sleeping on you as a method to get him to sleep. But maybe allowing him to wear himself out and then give a quick cuddle of reassurance, will do the trick?
I certainly don't have all the answers and each baby is so different. But keep your head up. Pray for patience and don't forget you are doing a fabulous job!!
You are so kind! Thank you for your sweet words and mama wisdom! That's exactly what I've been doing, I let him work it out now, so he'll fuss for 5-10 mins and then falls asleep on his own. Sometimes I have to go back I there and give him his pacifier if he cries but I always wait a couple mins. I just can't do the whole cry it out thing, I just can't! It breaks my heart. So he's back on track naps are a bit shorter then they use to be but I think we are making progress. He slept 2 hours for one of his naps yesterday! Woohoo. But yes been averaging 45-60 mins this week. Last week it was 35-40. So it's improving! I'm hoping this sleep regression leaves us very soon!
DeleteTessa! Were definetly going through the samething! Wyatt has been difficult to put down to bed aince he was six months old (hhe's now ten) I've kept the same bedtime routine too since he waa born. Our pediatrician told us as they get older they need less daytime sleeping so the shorter naps sound normal and he should be sleeping ten hr stretches at night. For ex: wyatt takes a one hour nap during the day now and 11-12 at night. I encourage you to keep putting him in the crib. Its the best method. Keep praying for patience...I do everyday still...I always say to myself too.."ugh men!"
ReplyDeleteYa my dr said some baby's cat nap but cash use to take 1-2 hour naps soi knowhes not a cat mapper but I know they need less and less as they get older but our dr and every website and book has said he needs 15-17 hours a day. Cash is a wreck if he goes longer than 2 hours wake time. So basically if he wakes up at 6:30 and goes to bed at 6-630. He needs at least 3 hours during th day for his developing brain. (: he also will need to sleep if he woke up from his last nap too early around 1 or 2 and doesn't go to bed til 6. Because that's 4-5 hours wake time. Which will make him overtired and a mess! I think every baby is different and every age is different for their sleep needs. I just try to listen to his sleep ques and also to the dr and expert recommendations. He is still considered an "infant" so he needs a lot of sleep still. He seems to like the crib thank Od. We were doing naps in there for a while so I think it was an easy night time transition. Woohoo! Thank u for your wise mama suggestions love. Xo
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