I've told people for some time now that Stella sleeps through the night and the truth of the matter is she did, she just doesn't now. It was hard for me to realize this, because when she was tiny she was sleeping through the night, like nine hours a time. So when she started getting up in the middle of the night, recently, I thought it was just a fluke. Michael and I would take turns rocking her, stuffing the paci back in her mouth, she would get frustrated, I would too, Michael didn't know what to think, then I would reluctantly give her a bottle, thinking she really didn't need one, because she use to not...
So her schedule has changed and my mommy karma/ego, whatever you want to call it, got a bruise. But once I realized she's not ready to sleep through the night now, we have had much easier restful nights.
She goes to sleep every night between 7:30-8:30, such a good baby and loves her bedtime routine. She will wake up at 1ish for a snack, and then again at 4ish for another snake. Like I said now that I've accepted this, it's a lot easier, for everyone.
I'm breastfeeding through the night, because it's easier and its sort of a fun time to bond with her, quite, peaceful, and Michael's not hovering over me asking what he can do (love him). We wake her up about 6:45, change her, and feed her, she's down for another nap in about an hour if it's the weekend, and off to daycare the other days.
So there, my mommy karma is cleared: no my baby doesn't sleep through the night, but I'm OK with that!!
Aubrey, I am so glad you are admitting that you are not in charge of her life - rather, she is her own person. How many times do we new mommies hear - you have to do this or that to make it through, when the reality is, each child is different. okay, well we have heard that a million times, but now, along with you, now i get it too....they are different in their sleep patterns, they are different in their eating habits, on and on. i too had to realize this the hard way. i felt like a failure for not putting him in his crib too when he wouldn't sleep he went in our bed, and one day i realized, you know what, screw everyone who said the baby had to go in the crib from day one because you know what, this is Alex...not the other child, and he is his own person. i think i have learned that i will keep learning how he is as an individual, not as people say a baby should be....just my thoughts of the day on your blog ;)
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