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What is Preventing Your Baby from Sleeping Through the Night?
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By Elizabeth Pantley, author of The
No-Cry Sleep Solution
Here’s something that may really
surprise you: As much as we may want our babies to sleep through the
night, our own subconscious emotions sometimes hold us back from
encouraging change in our babies’ sleeping habits. You yourself may
be the very obstacle preventing a change in a routine that disrupts
your life. So let's figure out if anything is standing in your way.
Examine Your Own Needs and Goals
Today’s society leads us to believe that “normal babies” sleep
through the night from about two months; my research indicates that
this is more the exception than the rule. The number of families in
your boat could fill a fleet of cruise ships.
“At our last day-care parent meeting, one father brought up the
fact that his two-year-old daughter wasn’t sleeping through the
night. I discovered that out of 24 toddlers only six stayed asleep
all night long.” …Robin, mother of thirteen-month-old Alicia
You must figure out where your own problem lies. Is it in your
baby’s routine, in your management of it, or simply in the minds of
others? If you can honestly say you want to change your baby’s sleep
habits because they are truly disruptive to you and your family,
then you’re ready to make changes. But if you feel coerced into
changing Baby’s patterns because Great Grandma Beulah or your friend
from playgroup says that’s the way it should be, it’s time for a
long, hard think.
Certainly, if your little one is waking you up every hour or two,
you don’t have to think long on the question, “Is this disruptive to
me?” It obviously is. However, if your baby is waking up only once
or twice a night, it’s important that you determine exactly how much
this pattern is disturbing to you, and decide on a realistic goal.
Be honest in assessing the situation's effect on your life. Begin
today by contemplating these questions:
Am I content with the way things are, or am I becoming resentful,
angry, or frustrated?
Is my baby’s nighttime routine negatively affecting my marriage,
job, or relationships with my other children?
Is my baby happy, healthy, and seemingly well rested?
Am I happy, healthy, and well rested?
Once you answer these questions, you will have a better
understanding of not only what is happening with regard to your
baby’s sleep, but also how motivated you are to make a change.
Reluctance to Let Go of Those Nighttime Moments
A good, long, honest look into your heart may truly surprise you.
You may find you actually relish those quiet night wakings when no
one else is around. I remember in the middle of one night, I lay
nursing Coleton by the light of the moon. The house was perfectly,
peacefully quiet. As I gently stroked his downy hair and soft baby
skin, I marveled at this tiny being beside me—and the thought hit
me, “I love this! I love these silent moments that we share in the
night.” It was then that I realized that even though I struggled
through my baby’s hourly nighttime wakings, I needed to want to make
a change in our night waking habits before I would see any changes
in his sleeping patterns.
You may need to take a look at your own feelings. And if you find
you’re truly ready to make a change, you’ll need to give yourself
permission to let go of this stage of your baby’s life and move on
to a different phase in your relationship. There will be lots of
time to hug, cuddle, and love your little one, but you must truly
feel ready to move those moments out of your sleeping time and into
the light of day.
Worry About Your Baby’s Safety
We parents worry about our babies, and we should! With every night
waking, as we have been tending to our child’s nightly needs, we
have also been reassured that our baby is doing fine — every hour or
two all night long. We get used to these checks; they provide
continual reassurance of Baby’s safety.
“The first time my baby slept five straight hours, I woke up in a
cold sweat. I nearly fell
out of bed and ran down the hall. I was so sure that something was
horribly wrong. I nearly wept when I found her sleeping peacefully.”
…Azza, mother of seven-month-old Laila
Co-sleeping parents are not exempt from these fears. Even if you are
sleeping right next to your baby, you’ll find that you have become
used to checking on her frequently through the night. Even when
she’s sleeping longer stretches, you aren’t sleeping, because you’re
still on security duty.
These are very normal worries, rooted in your natural instincts to
protect your baby. Therefore, for you to allow your baby to sleep
for longer stretches, you’ll need to find ways to feel confident
that your baby is safe—all night long.
Once you reassure yourself that your baby is safe while you sleep,
you’ll have taken that first step toward helping her sleep all
night.
Belief That Things Will Change on Their Own
You may hope, pray, and wish that one fine night, your baby will
magically begin to sleep through the night. Maybe you’re crossing
your fingers that he’ll just “outgrow” this stage, and you won’t
have to do anything different at all. It’s a very rare night-waking
baby who suddenly decides to sleep through the night all on his own.
Granted, this may happen to you—but your baby may be two, three or
four years old when it does! Decide now whether you have the
patience to wait that long, or if you are ready to gently move the
process along.
Too Fatigued to Work Toward Change
Change requires effort, and effort requires energy. In an exhausted
state, we may find it easier just to keep things as they are than
try something different. In other words, when Baby wakes for the
fifth time that night, and I'm desperate for sleep, it's so much
easier just to resort to the easiest way to get him back to sleep
(rock, nurse, or replace the pacifier) than it is to try something
different.
Only a parent who is truly sleep deprived can understand what I’m
saying here. Others may calmly advise, “Well if things aren’t
working for you, just change what you’re doing.” However, every
night waking puts you in that foggy state where the only thing you
crave is going back to sleep—plans and ideas seem like too much
effort.
If you are to help your baby sleep all night, you will have to force
yourself to make some changes and follow your plan, even in the
middle of the night, even if it’s the tenth time your baby has
called out for you.
So, after reading this section and you’re sure you and your baby are
ready, it’s time for you to make a commitment to change. That is the
first important step to helping your baby sleep through the night.
This article is a copyrighted excerpt from The No-Cry Sleep
Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by
Elizabeth Pantley, copyright 2002
Website:
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth
USA:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071381392/qid%3D1003592050/sr%3D1-5/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F11%5F5/002-1419920-8436816
Canada:
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071381392/qid%3D1026668674/sr%3D1-1/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F0%5F1/702-1316659-8088819
UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071381392/qid%3D1019681327/sr%3D1-7/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F0%5F7/026-8551436-6902850
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