I'm so tired again! still! always!
The hardest part of becoming a parent for me, has been the sleep deprivation. Jun was pretty tiny, to me, when she was born, (2,400 gm.). For the first year I was really worried about her getting enough to eat, so I gave her nightly bottles. And she stayed up and played for two hours. And I tried to keep her quiet and put her back to sleep. Because Daddy had to leave for work at 6 am, and hadn't gotten home till about 10 or 11 p.m. I was a sleep deprived mess. I was so tired I couldn't even sleep when Jun napped. She might wake up. Like I said, I was a crazy sleep deprived mess.
Well, about two months after her first birthday, we did the two week weaning plan, and sometime after that Jun started sleeping through the night. Hmmm. Wonder of wonders. However, by then, she was sleeping with me. Japanese made cribs are really tiny and the side that lowers is made like a ladder. And Jun is a climber.
So, when I stopped feeding her to sleep, I started laying down with her, waiting for her to fall asleep. Our one and only bedroom is no where near childproof, so I couldn't leave her in there alone. My friend's baby took about 20 minutes to fall asleep, with Mama laying near her. Jun? Usually at least 40 minutes, if not an hour. Well, by then I was pretty tired myself, and would often conk out with her.
Fine and good, but Jun's bedtime is 7:30. Jun sleeps through the night, but I wake up at about 10:00. Then I am up for hours! When I finally get sleepy again, if Jun IS going to wake up in the middle of the night, it is THAT time. Once we all get settled down again, it is 5:00, and Daddy is up to make morning coffee. ARGH!
So, Daddy and Jun are good sleepers, and I am going downhill fast! I try to drink a cup of tea late in the afternoon, hoping it will keep me awake, but...like as not, it doesn't help. Daddy gets home earlier than before, but not early enough to rescue me from my evening "nap". I feel like I have jet lag and NO control about NOT going to sleep. I have tried to use my cell phone alarm on vibration under my pillow, but I so don't want to wake Jun up. But, maybe I will try it again.
Anyone else out there poor sleepers? What is your problem and what do you do???? HELP!
3 comments:
Kim, I feel for you! We have had so many problems with Sophia's sleep habits. For a while it was that she wouldn't go to sleep at night--she would get out of bed 10 or 15 times. Now that we've gotten through that, she has decided not to take naps. Which means that she's really grumpy by about 5 or 6 in the evening.
Have you ever tried rubbing Jun's back to help her go to sleep faster? You probably have, but that's worked for me a few times with Sophia. (Not often, but a few times!)
Otherwise, I don't have much advice. I just keep reminding myself that this stage will someday be over!
Between 2 and 3 years of age, kids can learn to sleep in their own bed. Even cheap kids beds will come with side rails or half-side rails to keep kids from falling out. At first it will take some effort to get them to stay in the bed but if there is a lot of hoopla when buying the bed (Look! It's a big girl bed for Jun! Cool!) then most first-borns will figure it out really quick.
There are lots of ways to transition a child out of going to sleep with Mama but the biggest change will have to be "in" Mama. I'm sure that after all you went through to even have Jun in your family that your emotions about her sometimes outweigh your own needs (sleep is important for mommies, too). Maybe if you could work through those feelings and then come up with a plan, the two of you could work through it together.
Just remember, she will be sleeping through the night by the time she graduates from high school!
Carrie - Thanks for understanding! It helps to know we aren't the only ones in the boat! We are having shorter and shorter naps. And getting grumpier too! YIKES BTW, I only have your maiden name e-mail address. Do you have a new one?
Sarah - Thanks for the encouragement! Yes, you are probably right. Most of my "problems" with parenting are more with me than Jun! That's not fair! So, I will work on "fixing" me first.
Praise God she will be through this stage before she goes off to college!
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