It's been a tough week. I've been really working on Sophia's sleep. We implemented a pretty good nighttime routine previously and we're so fortunate that she has been sleeping through the night for quite awhile. Or at least she had been. Unfortunately, napping is a different story. I've been working for awhile on following a consistent routine for naps and putting her down as soon as she seems tired. It has made getting her to sleep much easier.
Staying asleep, however, is another story. She sleeps anywhere from 10-30 minutes and then she wakes up. Once she wakes up from her refreshing 10 minute nap, she absolutely will not go back to sleep, no matter what I do. Soothe her in the crib, rock her, sing to her, pray, let her cry for awhile, it doesn't matter. She's up. And if she was happy and well-rested, that would not be a problem. I'd just think I had a short napper. But she just gets more miserable and tired and cranky throughout the day because she's so tired. And therefore I get more miserable and tired and cranky throughout the day.
She has also begun waking up overnight and won't go back to sleep unless I feed her. Last night she was up twice and it took me two hours to get her back down after the first waking. Then she took 4 naps ranging from 15 to 40 minutes. My husband says that I should give any new routine at least 2 weeks to work and we're only through week 1, so I guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing for a few more days before I make any adjustments. I did by some black out curtains for the nursery. They don't match as nice as I'd like, but they will work for now. We'll see if it makes a difference.
The worst part of this all is that I miss my happy baby. She just started smiling and interacting more when this whole nap strike began and now I rarely see a smile any more. She plays for awhile, but it seems so half-hearted, especially as the day goes on. I've searched the Internet and read the books, but there is so much conflicting advice out there on getting babies to sleep. I've come to the conclusion that there are no experts in this area, despite how many letters authors have after their names. There are as many different solutions as there are babies and we're just going to have to figure this out on our own. I really hope it's soon!
On a brighter note, feeding is going well and the nipple blister I referred to in an earlier post came and went within a day. I really hope I've found a solution. What seems to have worked are really good bras and plastic nipple cups that I put over my nipples at the first sign of soreness. So far so good. I've got my fingers crossed that breastfeeding continues to be a pleasant experience. Interestingly, I talked to a good friend that I knew had ended up exclusively pumping for her first child. What I didn't know is that she had the exact same blister problem I've been having. Its the first time I heard of anyone else dealing with this particular problem.
It's a dreary, cold weekend again. No snow here, but bad enough to keep us in. We're heading to the beach next weekend, though. I can't wait. We really need some time away from home.
2 comments:
I think the older they get the more they realize they want to be with you more. Maybe this is what she is going through. But she needs her sleep.
Lillian isn't the best napper either. We just keep trying and trying. Sometimes she cries a few minutes.
Hope it gets better for you!!
Nap strikes suck. I would love a bed time routine, but we don't really have one yet.
Note to self...need to work on that.
The picture of her is really cute!
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