The current situation in the Pitt household: a 4 month old infant whose sleep schedule is spotty at best which results in an overly tired infant and an overly tired mother. Since about 3 months, Beckham's sleep has been off kilter...wait, what i am i talking about. Try since birth. But about 3 months it started getting more difficult for him to nap for longer than 30 or 45 minutes. I have tried rushing to him at the slightest whimper, popping the pacifier back in, picking up and consoling, letting him cry it out, Baby whisperer's method, Ferber's method, Happiest Baby on the Block method, Weissbluth's method, and pretty much any other that you can find on the market. Just when I think i am on to something, I am not. Back to square one. Not only is this frustrating for me, but also for my little bambino--who is so, so tired.
I realized the other day that I am essentially holding my breath while we work through this process. I feel as if I can't live my life until this gets taken care of. There is hair on my bathroom floor, a trashcan that is overflowing, and my hair needs washing. Nothing gets done because there is no order to our days. I put him down, tiptoe around, and wait.... wait for his little whimper, cry, or all out scream to jolt me from my waiting. And then my heart sinks. And I wonder....how long can I let him cry this time? Which method should i follow this time? I know....follow my instincts, right? I think I lost track of those a long time ago.
I don't want to wait until this is resolved to live life. Too often, I think to myself.... "If only ____, then I would be happier, then we could be more peaceful, then we could..... ". You fill in the blank. I'm not saying I'm giving up on naps. I know we (he) will get it eventually, and the structure will be nice. Until then, though, i'm tired of waiting to live. I had thoughts about this blog entry long before now. In my vision, I would be telling you all of how I overcame this nap monster and all that I learned. Instead, I'm writing to you in the midst of it. He's crying in his crib right now as I post this. and I don't have any answers. I do know that I have a healthy baby boy and that eventually we'll make it. some day :).
i am/have been in the EXACT same place ~ Silver was napping about 45 mins. and i have had the EXACT same feelings! "when she FINALLY gets on a schedule, then _______". just know ~ YOU WILL get there. Silver is almost 6 mnths, has been a great night sleeper {7 hrs+} but the naps, not so much. she took two GREAT naps yesterday! i've tried to keep her up for longer stretches (atleast 2 hrs, almost 3, so she gets good & tired.) we also bought a box fan to drown out the noise...IT WILL come...i PROMISE! hang in there mama.
ReplyDeleteYou've given it your very best, Bri! And Beckham's finally catching on to the sleep schedule----age or your work---who knows---probably some of both---just so glad he's taking longer naps. Now it's time for Mommy to take some of those solid gold snoozes too.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, Mom/Mimi