Sleep Training

Just before I accidentally cut her finger while trimming
her nails and then took her for three terrible shots. Mean
Mommy!

Back when I was pregnant, I posted about a book my friend gave me after she used it successfully, called Twelve. Hours in Twelve. Weeks.

After vacillating wildly back and forth, I've decided to give it a go.

I'm not really sure why. Calliope is a pretty decent sleeper. After a few nights last week of waking up every three hours, she's mostly back to having one five and a half or six hour stretch at night.

Of course, after that she wakes up every hour, eats for two or three minutes, and passes out... only to repeat the same thing an hour later. Because, of course, she didn't eat enough to fill herself up.

On top of that, I have chosen today as the day to get her to sleep in the crib. Partly because I had asked Maria, my postpartum doula, to come by today. I knew that I would need emotional reinforcement.

Calliope successfully slept about an hour in the crib this morning... and then cried on and off for quite a long while. I'm not sure it was long in minutes, maybe 30-40, and not consistent... and mostly just a kvetching kind of cry, a "boy, considering the coffee is terrible, it's a wonder the service is so slow" kind of complaint, not an all out wailing. She looked pale and exhausted from it, too, which made me nervous because she just had her first round of shots two days ago.

And then when we went out, she totally passed out in the Beco. I think she's supposed to be awake in the late afternoon.

Anyway, the first step in the process is to get her to every four hour feeds. She usually goes every three hours, but sometimes it's more like every two. But so far, that part hasn't been hard (today). But it meant that when she got up this morning, I didn't feed her, because it had only been an hour and a half since she had nursed. Which felt very strange, not feeding her when we got up. But amazingly enough, she didn't complain, and went to sleep (in the swing) very agreeably about thirty-five minutes later. That was the last time she used the swing.

I'm also supposed to, apparently, wean her from the swaddle and especially the pacifier, because they are crutches that require my assistance. I don't really want to wean her from the pacifier, so I'm compromising right now.

Right now I am giving it to her when I lie her down, and then she gets one "get out of jail free" card where I will replace it. That's it.

So we will see how long I last tonight.

She just slept forty minutes without a peep (from the moment I lay her down) until just now... when she's doing her "yah-yah-yah" cry. The talkative kvetching one, not the all out wailing one. I hate the second one!

I'm also going to give her bottles at night, so I can see how much see is taking. I'm supposed to reduce the feeding by half an ounce every third night. Of course, I'm not supposed to start this until we've gotten the every-four-hours daytime feedings under control. I'm adding in the crib-not-swing part on my own.

Wish us luck!