ooh good luck! It will be worth it in the end. It's a rough few days/weeks but that first night you get in bed and don't get up again for 7 hours is AMAZING.
We started night weening three nights ago. Last night was our first "good" night. Stay strong, you aren't alone.
What method are you using? How has it been going? I want to know everything!
Straight up CIO, no checkins. I hate it but it seems to be working. I used to go in an nurse her when she woke up, and she would go right back to sleep. But then she started to be awake for awhile and I would just let her cry/fuss for a little bit until she fell asleep. Every night it would take longer though, until she was crying for an hour after nursing and I was giving up and getting her up to play for awhile. Then I'd lay her back down and she'd cry for 30min-1hr before going back to sleep. After three days of that in a row I said screw this.
The first day I just let her cry was Tuesday night. When she woke up at around 2:30 am I went in and gave her some advil (she's teething which makes me feel guilty that I'm trying to do this while she's hurting), hold her and tell her I love her for a few minutes, then lay her back in her crib. I don't go back in. The first night she cried for more than an hour. I felt so bad. But she did go back to sleep and slept until 8am. (she goes to bed 730-8ish most nights, fyi). The second night she woke up first about 9:30pm. I didn't go in because she already had advil and tylenol. I was going to give her 15minutes before going into her room and comforting her, but she fell asleep again after 10 minutes (halleluiah!). She woke up the second time about the same time as the night before. I went in with advil, held her and told her I loved her, and put her back down again. She cried for a little less than an hour and then woke up a little before 8. Last night she went to bed late because we were having dinner with my parents and got home late. She was in bed at 845ish. She didn't wake up until 5:15. I went in, gave her advil, cuddled her, and laid her back down. I didn't have high hopes for her going back to sleep because it was starting to get light. She fussed for about half an hour and went back to sleep! She slept until 7:30! I'm hoping we continue to make progress. Those first few nights were heartbreaking, I have to admit, but I'm glad now that I stuck to my guns.
Of course, this is after a week of breaking the association between nursing and her first nap. She was nursing to sleep for her nap, but about a week and half ago I started nursing her earlier in the morning, and just laying her in her crib to nap. She cries for less than 30 minutes and falls asleep on her own. I think doing this for her nap helped because she knows she doesn't need to nurse in order to fall asleep. She does still nurse right before bed, though she is almost always still awake when I lay her down. I limit her nursing before bed to 10 minutes (and I limited nursing before naps to 10 minutes, too). At night she also still cries for a few minutes before falling asleep on her own. I really think that she is ready to sleep though the night and fall asleep without nursing, I just have to help her break the habit and the belief that she needs to nurse to go to sleep.
Skies - are you eliminating all MOTN nurses? I stopped this after her 1st year check up. The pedi said she doesn't need any more night feeds so when she wakes at night I just rock her back to sleep. It works 90% of the time, but occasionally I do have to nurse her back to sleep.
mala, I really relate to your post! I nurse to sleep and wonder how I can break this habit. Sam goes down no problem for the sitters (no bottle, no paci, no rocking, just down in her crib and she's out). So I wonder how I can make this work for us. I fear I have started a really bad habit.
Skies - are you eliminating all MOTN nurses? I stopped this after her 1st year check up. The pedi said she doesn't need any more night feeds so when she wakes at night I just rock her back to sleep. It works 90% of the time, but occasionally I do have to nurse her back to sleep.
mala, I really relate to your post! I nurse to sleep and wonder how I can break this habit. Sam goes down no problem for the sitters (no bottle, no paci, no rocking, just down in her crib and she's out). So I wonder how I can make this work for us. I fear I have started a really bad habit.
Yes, all night feeds. He is normally only up once a night. Lately its been twice (last night was 3 times) but for the most part just once. I'd like him to be able to go all night without nursing.
Post by skiesthelimit on May 31, 2013 18:46:55 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! I nursed him at bedtime, he unlatched and started clapping lol DH brought him to his room, read him a story and put him in his crib. He was out within minutes. Poor little dude has no idea I hope it goes better than I'm imagining!