All new parents learn quickly that getting their baby to sleep through the night is the holy grail of parenthood. The briefer the pursuit, the sooner apparently, you find some sort of sanity and regularity following you child's arrival on the scene (maybe). Last week in my mom's group the topic of choice was just that, sleep. Not enough, how much, when, duration, coping with lack of, and most importantly what we can do to help our child sleep longer or through the night. Every mom & baby had a different situation, with many variables that made each one of us unique. The one thing that seemed to be consistent in every shared story of what has helped, has been routine.
So, a bedtime routine is something we started early on with Rory. Never a schedule (strict to a timetable), but a normal way in which we regularly prepare him for bed. A warm bath every night, fresh warm jammies, singing/soft lights/rocking, and his bedtime feeding. And in the last month, whether he's fully asleep or not (but drowsy), we put him into his bed with his favourite blanket, his sleep sheep, and we hit play on the cd player which plays 45 minutes of soft lullabies.
So something has changed... Something is working. KNOCK-ON-WOOD.
Or maybe Rory understood the discussion last week... Whatever it is, since Thursday night of last week Rory has been sleeping between 9 AND 10 HOURS A NIGHT! I know! I say it out loud, and I almost tell myself to "GET-OUT-OF-TOWN". Or some variation of that saying. Anyway, for the last four nights straight... we have all slept, all night. It's been magic. And that's the part that worries me. Because we all know that just like magic, P-O-O-F, it can be gone. Babies schedules change. Over night. Anyway, until then, I am super proud of my little guy, but also in a way Peter and I rarely do... we would like to think we have done even a few things right to get us to here.
Maybe not, but that's what we're telling people. Yay for sleep!!!!
Oh... and just to set your expectations. 4 days of 10 hours of consistent sleep, still has done nothing to bring back the vocabulary that disappeared from my brain once I gave birth.
We're heading home to the valley this weekend for our first thanksgiving there in two years and of course as a new family. I can't wait to see all the fall colours on the drive up. It's hands down my favourite trip home of the year.
Happy Fall!
XO
So, a bedtime routine is something we started early on with Rory. Never a schedule (strict to a timetable), but a normal way in which we regularly prepare him for bed. A warm bath every night, fresh warm jammies, singing/soft lights/rocking, and his bedtime feeding. And in the last month, whether he's fully asleep or not (but drowsy), we put him into his bed with his favourite blanket, his sleep sheep, and we hit play on the cd player which plays 45 minutes of soft lullabies.
So something has changed... Something is working. KNOCK-ON-WOOD.
Or maybe Rory understood the discussion last week... Whatever it is, since Thursday night of last week Rory has been sleeping between 9 AND 10 HOURS A NIGHT! I know! I say it out loud, and I almost tell myself to "GET-OUT-OF-TOWN". Or some variation of that saying. Anyway, for the last four nights straight... we have all slept, all night. It's been magic. And that's the part that worries me. Because we all know that just like magic, P-O-O-F, it can be gone. Babies schedules change. Over night. Anyway, until then, I am super proud of my little guy, but also in a way Peter and I rarely do... we would like to think we have done even a few things right to get us to here.
Maybe not, but that's what we're telling people. Yay for sleep!!!!
Oh... and just to set your expectations. 4 days of 10 hours of consistent sleep, still has done nothing to bring back the vocabulary that disappeared from my brain once I gave birth.
We're heading home to the valley this weekend for our first thanksgiving there in two years and of course as a new family. I can't wait to see all the fall colours on the drive up. It's hands down my favourite trip home of the year.
Happy Fall!
XO
Whaaaat?! Kim, that is amazing! Such wonderful news!
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