It Gets Better

Yesterday, someone told me that letting my children cry it out was "incredibly cruel." My immediate reaction was to feel guilty and sad, but then I remembered that we are already seeing great results from our efforts and that Ezra and Elliott were incredibly happy today after resting well last night.

The second night of sleep training went terrifically! The boys went down at 8 PM and didn't wake up and eat until 3 AM. That is seven hours of sleep! They then slept until 6 AM, cried for just a little while, and had to be woken up at 10:30 AM. If that isn't success, I don't know what is!

I responded to this mother, who explained that her children have been sleeping through the night since they were two months old, telling her that I initially thought crying it out was cruel. However, crying it out (to me) does not mean placing your child in a crib and abandoning them for the night. 

Nathan and I established a routine, which calms the babies down and helps them realize they are about to go to sleep. The first night, we did go in and check on them. Last night, they were nursed when they woke up at 3 AM. Tonight, Elliott had a hard time falling asleep (Ezra fell asleep immediately), but we went in and checked on him every 10 minutes. We comforted him. It was hard to hear him cry, but I do not feel like we were being "cruel."

I also let this woman know that I would never have resorted to letting the babies cry if I wasn't on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown. They have been waking up every 1-3 hours since they were born, and they are 7 months old and weigh a healthy 20 pounds. The constant dizziness and vertigo were huge red flags that I needed to take control of the situation. Hopefully, establishing a firm routine will allow the babies to feel secure. It seems that some children naturally sleep well and others need to be taught sleep patterns. Obviously, this lady had been doing something right, while I, on the other hand, needed to play catch up. I just want the same thing she has: sleeping, happy babies and a well-rested family. 

So, thank you for the encouragement and for not making me feel awful about wanting sleep. And a big, huge thanks goes out to my friend and fellow twin mom, Becky. Lots of my friends had great advice, and Becky even sent me an amazing book that reinforced all of the things you all had said. Sleep Sense explained why letting them cry for a couple of nights is okay and made me feel like I could actually change our current situation. 

Thank you so much, Becky!