ok so it’s kind of day two and a half. Two nights ago my four year old woke me up at four and the baby too so I thought I will put her in the cot. She cried for over an hour. He cried. My DH hid under a pillow. Needless to say it didn’t go to plan.
Next day I call in the big Guns and consult the friend of a friend who actually paid a sleep consultant. Her child now sleeps through from 7 to 7.
Armed with sisterly support and dos and Donts I went into the fray again last night. Yes I did read Super nanny and cry free sleep books and threads but there is something about the actual experience of another mum on the phone or face to face rooting for you that can’t be communicated through a book at 4am. Just knowing this virtual stranger is thinking about us is really encouraging.
So last night I put baby to bed after packing off my boys and daddy to MIL – they were thrilled. She cried for 45 mins and then miraculously fell asleep. I was so chuffed I watched bake off and had a bath. Then the fun began. Twitching in her cot she woke up every hour. People say that and what they mean is a couple of times but I had three timing devices and it was every single hour. At first I did really well. Went in at five then ten then 20 min intervals but at half twelve after three hrs I took her downstairs and we watched tv. She was v happy with this arrangement. I was happy because I could see that she wasn’t sick but playing me.
Back up we went and then another four hrs of patting back to sleep which saw me back in my bed and then at half five her too.
So I messed up. Yes my guru tells me I did well not feeding her all night as usual. Keeping her in the cot for the majority of the night.
But I need to stay away and not pat her back to sleep because then she is not self soothing.
So she is asleep now and I am not. I miss the boys and I don’t feel super safe without DH. I have Kung fu knives and Irish sticks and all sorts to batter an intruder but I don’t like it. So I will probably watch something and wait for her to wake up and hope that my sleep training buddy is out there keeping her fingers crossed.
Good enough mum 