Friday, June 29, 2012

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!

10 comments:

  1. Oh! Her boys are so sweet. I'm so glad it's going better. I really don't think letting them cry it out for a certain amount of time is cruel. It's understandable that they would be sad, but they aren't in pain. In the long run, they'll be the better for it.

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  2. I think I mentioned in my original comment that I always get told what a jerk I am for being so blase about letting my kids cry. People get judgey about this stuff but it's something I feel strongly about. Moms need enough sleep to be good moms. And sometimes that means the baby needs to cry.

    I'm so glad this is working out for you!

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    2. Thank you, Kayla! I agree COMPLETELY with you. I appreciate your encouragement!

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  3. Yay! I'm so glad that things are going better! It seriously was the best decision we ever made in parenting, even though it seems so cruel.

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  4. I follow your blog and Becky's (Becky is in my ward, and amazing)! You are not mean, or cruel, you are being a Mom. You are not going to hold their hand in college to sleep, so a few nights of crying is okay. You know the difference as a Mom between a tired I want my mom cry and also a I am hurt cry. You are a great Mom, and will be even better with sleep. Your blog is so cute!
    Keep posting. You make me think about myself as a mother and what I am doing in my own life. Thank you for what you are writing. Now get some sleep!

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    1. That is seriously one of the nicest compliments ever. Thank you so much!

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  5. I didn't even finish reading yet but I wanted to say that I am SO GLAD you stayed strong to such an inappropriate/inconsiderate comment. YOU are doing the right thing for YOU and YOUR children. YOU ARE AN AWESOME MOTHER! Clearly you're willing to sacrifice yourself for them.

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  6. You're so amazing!!

    Mothers are the best and worse. We're all doing our best, but that doesn't mean it's the best for everyone. I cringed everytime I heard about how often your boys awoke, but not for them, for YOU! I struggle when I get less than 7 hours! I don't know how you did it for so long!

    I prayed for your nightly in the hopes that your sausages would let you sleep. I'm glad my prayers (and everyone elses, and probably yours) were answered. You're a fantastic mother!

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  7. Sleep training is the best thing I have ever done for my children and myself! I really learned fron my 1st & second and tried to right those wrongs with the babies this time. If you have more I'm sure your experience will help

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