A friend pointed out something to me tonight that I should have realized a while ago: I have OCD when it comes to caring for my son.
The reason I should have realized this is because I was obsessive when we were TTC and when I was pregnant, so why shouldn't I be the same way with raising a child?
Tyler is a sleeper. As in, he still sleeps about 18 hours a day. At nearly three months old. And for the past 5 of 7 days, he has slept through the night.
All this is absolutely wonderful and makes for lots of free time for me. I'm certainly not complaining.
Except.
Tyler still seems to need 6 feedings a day, which he takes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. And he sleeps in between every feeding. Which means that he usually takes about 5 naps a day, some of which are only an hour long. This means that my day is full of countless wakings and putting-downs.
The simple solution to this would be to decrease his number of feedings. But he won't do it. I tried for a few days to give him 6 ounces at each feeding, but he would never finish his bottle and he always wanted a 6th feeding at night.
Can you sense the OCD yet?
I know I should just relax and go with the flow. But it's really hard to do when you have all these outside forces expressing shock at your baby's sleep habits. My in-laws are especially frustrated because he's not awake long enough for their liking. They babysat for him on Saturday and my MIL kept track of his feedings and sleeping. He was up for almost 2 hours after one feeding! I know exactly what happened: He started to fuss, and rather than put him down, my MIL decided to just hold him.
Grandparents.
I think I need to jumpstart my freelancing career so I have something to think about besides my son's sleep habits.
(And yes, I just bought Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child and am enjoying it. Please don't suggest any more books on sleeping, because I have had it with so many different opinions!)
4 comments:
Amen to the having it with so many different opinions!! Wow, sometimes people should just shut up. Sleep is definately something that seems to elicit unwanted and unasked for advice. Oy.
(If I had a dollar for every horrified look I get when I people ask me if Sacha is sleeping through the night and I say "no", I would be a billionaire... trillionaire if we counted the looks that I get for admiting that I go into his room and feed him when he wakes up!!)
Bottom line: Tyler is healthy and happy and you are heathy and happy. THAT'S what matters. Enjoy the sleepiness now!! ;)
I think babies just do what they're going to do, no matter how we try to train them. My son slept through the night from 6 weeks to 3 months, and since then he will sleep through 2 nights a week, and be up and need rocking back to sleep every 3 hours 5 nights a week.
We have a nice bedtime routine that's relaxing for all of us and seems to work for getting him down to sleep, but it ends there. I think he just needs mommy and daddy time after being away from us all doggone day.
If one more person suggests a book, or suggests we let him lay in there and cry, I might pop a blood vessel.
If Tyler is happy, why fret?
Everybody eventually learns how to sleep. That's the truth. Whatever his habits are now, he will eventually be asleep at night and awake during the day no matter what you do. (Unfortunately, people never stop with the advice, and that's also the truth).
When are you going to start the freelancing? You may be right about that being a good idea, even if you were half-kidding.
I say enjoy all the sleeping while it lasts! His little body knows best what it needs; it sounds like he's happy, so everything's just fine.
I love HSHC, and Baby A very much follows the average pattern for her age. But there are always outliers; no sense in fixing something that ain't broke :)
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