A little background - Baby was a preemie born 4 weeks early. He was a tiny 5lbs 2oz. Due to all sorts of problems, he had a hard time growing until he was about 4 months old (was still just 8lbs 6oz at 4 months but then porked up). I still worry about his growth. Each time he is sick, his growth falters a little. With this most recent batch of illnesses including a MRSA scare and 2 colds, I got quite concerned because he had not grown AT ALL in a month.
Also, I just am not comfortable with the cry-it-out method at all. It's not just me not wanting to hear him cry. I just don't feel sleep should be so stressful and traumatic. I have avoided it for the most part. Occasionally, I would let Baby cry awhile. It always ended in everyone being miserable. I know it works really well for many, it's just not for us.
We went on a sleep adventure this past weekend. I had HAD IT and really needed a good night's sleep. I caved and tried cry-it-out for a nap. No way was I trying it for bedtime. I endured 45 minutes of "rabid-animal" screaming. Baby finally fell asleep, still sobbing. He woke 20 minutes later with a horriffic diaper and a great fear of his crib. I felt terrible as I realized he had been hungry because my milk supply had a big dip that day. Hubby and I agreed we were not going back to crying.
We took out the book The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
and re-read it. I started right away with keeping the sleep journals. I was amazed to realize how much activity we had for Henry within the hour before bed. We made a few small changes in his routine. We had one day where he was incredibly busy. Since then, Baby has been able to put himself back to sleep during both night time and naps. He has cut down his night wakings to just one feeding! This morning, he even slept through the dog having a bark-fest! I got to sleep in until nearly 8am! Heaven!Now, to see if this is going to last! We are praying hard for his sleep!
