I seriously don’t. Last night the boys slept in a room together…without ME! Up until this point, baby Everett has been in our room. Let’s go back to the beginning.
One year ago today at precisely 6:00pm a little tiny, shriveled ball of colicy, jaundicey, gorgeousness was handed over to me. He weighed exactly 7lbs. Our first night he slept on my chest and we did skin to skin, so he could get use to my heartbeat and smell. I also tried to nurse and a week or so later ordered a supplementer. Probably for the first 2 months he slept on my chest, when he did sleep. Baby Everett wasn’t very fond of sleeping. He also was a very impatient eater, and would get easily frustrated with the Lact-Aid. It came out too slow and he wouldn’t latch without a shield. It was a hard few months.
He moved from off my chest to in my arms at night. He would lay on his back in the crook of my arm and we’d sleep. I slowly transitioned him to his crib, which was up next to my bed. I hated to have him away from me, even if it was less than a foot. He still woke up multiple times, and I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t there. We bought a few toys. One played white noise and the other was a sea horse that played lullabies and had a glowing belly. I turn them on and he’d go to sleep. He used to wake between 3-5 times a night. I am not a believer in cry it out. EVERY TIME, and I mean every single time Everett woke up in the night it was because he was wet or hungry. I never ignored him. I would pull him over, change him, and get his bottle.
Everett started sleeping through the night between 9 and 10 months. Usually he would wake around 5 or 6 am and want a change and bottle. Again, I would pull him over and attend to his needs and then cuddle back to sleep until 8. It has been the most perfect routine for both of us the last few months. Lately he has been sleeping a full 12 hours straight in his crib. Last night Jeff and I decided to let him sleep in his crib in Elijah’s room/the nursery. I didn’t hear a peep out of that room until 8:30 this morning. They were up and playing. I’m not sure what time they got up, because they were so quiet!
I’m very excited that their first night together went perfectly, but secretly disappointed. I knew this night would come, but I didn’t know how useless I would feel. I don’t know if it will last, but I know it’s for the best if it does. It’s really hard because I don’t know if we will ever have a baby in the house again, and this all happened in a blink of an eye!
Anyways, I wanted to write this because I know everyone has an opinion on bed sharing, co-sleeping, etc. My advice is just learn your baby’s cues. I just wanted Everett to feel comfortable and safe in our home. Would it have been easier to let him cry it out alone in another room while sitting in his pee soaked diaper? I don’t think so. I’m not judging anyone and their methods. Different things work for different families and babies.
I just wanted to share our experience, because I wouldn’t change a second of it. It worked out so perfectly. Even though we spent 9 months getting up and down in the night, I knew that I was doing what is best for my baby. Also, if nursing would had been successful, he probably would still be nursing through the night. Which would be totally fine.
I think parents should listen to their children’s needs. Even as a baby, they can tell you so much through their cries. I didn’t read a book on sleep training a child, I just read my child’s signs.
We are an adoptive family. We got Everett when he was four days old, straight from the hospital. This is just what worked for us. It was perfect. Now, I’m terribly sad all my morning snuggles are over (he’s not one for snuggling any other time…except when wrapped).
The Stacy Chronicles 