Sleeping

This has been quite an ordeal for us. Getting Miss Paisley to sleep through the night. Nine months old and still waking up multiple times during the night to eat. We put her to sleep, both naps and bed time, while rocking and feeding her then lay her down in bed while still awake, that way she can put herself to sleep. At her Nine month check up her pediatrician told me not to feed her anymore during the night and just let her cry, and that she could cry so hard that she vomits.... seriously??? No way was I going to let her cry so hard that she vomits. I started letting her cry it out. I would feed her, lay her down and she would cry for about 5 minutes before I went back in there to feed her, she would go right to sleep then. I also started to only feed her once in the middle of the night, usually around 1:30am is when she would wake up. Any other times she would wake up I just let her cry (its more like whining).

The cry it out method is very controversial with parents and doctors both. I don't mind letting her cry as long as shes not crying so hard that she vomits. When her pediatrician told me to stop feeding her at night, just do it cold turkey, and let her cry till she vomits, my first thoughts were, "are you serious??? what kind of doctor are you?" The pediatrician doesn't have any kids, so I'm sitting here thinking, "you have no kids, you don't have that kind of bond with something so tiny, you've never felt the pulling at your heart when your child crys... you've never loved something so much that it hurts, you've never sat there and felt the pain of your child crying". Shes read books and went to classes, but she has never had the experience of actually being a mother and having the feelings that come with it. I was so worried about Paisley's bond with me being broken and her feeling unloved, I made my self cry cause I was so worried about it, but her bond with me is stronger than ever and I know she doesn't feel unloved.

anyways.... Paisley went from waking up 3-4 times a night to 0-1 times a night, and I did it my way, I did let her cry, but not like the pediatrician said. Rock and feed, bed, whining sleep... up at 1:30 for feeding, whining back to sleep then up at 8am!! Since I have started this new way of getting her to sleep, she has only been waking up once a night, some nights she evens sleeps through the entire night! I believe in crying it out, but to a certain extent.