CIO, Attempt #2

I know, I know...I said we’d never try CIO again.  But desperate times call for desperate measures, and we were desperate last week!  Before last Friday our bedtime routine looked like this:

5:00 - 5:30 Dinner (1-2 ounces of purees)

5:30 - 6:00 Bath Time

6:00 - 6:30 Nurse to sleep

Once Lulu was asleep, I would wait for limp-limb sleep and then sneak out of the bedroom.  Fool proof, right?  Wrong. 

For weeks we battled the 45-minute intruder and/or constipation or teething pains.  And as a result, much of our night was spent taking turns soothing Lulu (until we’d finally go to bed, at which point she would wake in 1.5-2 hour intervals).  It was frustrating, to say the least.  I would finally collapse on the couch with my big glass of wine with Casey, and she'd wake up.   

But still, we persevered.  Bed-sharing was all we knew; we were committed. 

Until last Friday...when I finally reached my limit.  For three days Lucy refused to fall asleep after nursing; I spent hours trying to nurse her down before finally resorting to the car seat trick.  But even that wouldn’t put her to sleep!  As soon as we got home she’d wake up; and she’d continue to wake every 20 minutes all.night.long.  I dreaded going to bed each night. 

I didn’t know what to do.  I was mad (at myself).  I was scared.  I felt like a failure.  Everything I read said deal with it or Cry It Out.  Casey and I agreed that we had to try CIO one more time. 

We followed the same bedtime routine, except I nursed Lulu in the glider and put her down awake in her crib.  And once again, we followed the Ferber Increments to check on her.  The first night she cried for 1 hour and 15 minutes; she slept for 3 hours straight and then woke every 2 hours after that.  (I know that may sound horrible to some, but it was a huge improvement for us.) 

The second night she cried for 45 minutes, and woke every two hours. 

And for the past few nights, she cried for 20-60 minutes...and SLEPT.THROUGH.THE.NIGHT.  Say whaaaa?  I never thought the day would come!!! 

It was a big change all at once, the crib and CIO, but our girl did great!  We chose to bed-share to be closer with our daughter, and we will always cherish those memories; but we made a mistake by exclusively bed-sharing.  If I could go back in time, Lucy would start out in her crib each night and I’d bring her into our bed after her first night waking.  Also, we’d start CIO waaay sooner!  (Valuable lessons for Baby #2!)

And yes, hearing Lulu cry is heartbreaking.  That goes without saying.  I sit outside her bedroom door immobilized with guilt; but, when I wake up in the morning and realize that everyone got a full night of sleep, it is absolutely worth it! 






YAY for a well-rested Goosey!
(sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures)



Now go ahead and say I told you so!       

I hate CIO, I hate CIO, I HATE CIO

I caved.  I decided to try the Cry-It-Out Method for Lucy's first nap this morning, and whaddya know, I was right. 

Cry-It-Out just isn't for us.  I've known this for years, since I heard my brother and sister in-law using it with my niece.  I'm the mom that cries when her baby cries.  I'm the mom that drops everything and RUNS to my baby when she needs me.  Why I ever thought that I could go through with this method is beyond me.

Oh ya, I was stupid and I was selfish.  That's why.

We had a terrible night last night.  Lucy went down later than she should have and she was up all night.  Finally, around 4:30 AM, we threw in the towel and put her in the car seat.  We drove around town for 30 minutes, got home, and she actually stayed asleep in her car seat for two hours.  Lucy is almost 6 months old...we should NOT have to resort to the car seat trick.  I told myself, "Tonight she sleeps in her crib."

So, tired and frustrated, I tried putting Lucy down in her crib this morning.  For my first attempt, I tried nursing her in the glider; when she fell asleep, I waited for "limp-limb" sleep and tried to transfer her....she woke up instantly.  Rinse and repeat.  Attempt #3, Casey rocked her.  And, attempt #4, CIO.  I read the Ferber Progressive Waiting Chart on this blog and away we went.

The first interval was three minutes.  Lucy didn't cry for the first two minutes, but once she started, she didn't stop.  I went in for two minutes, patted her belly, held her hand, and stroked her face - which made her cry harder.

The second interval was five minutes.  After three minutes I was sobbing.  Casey went in for the second "visit" and just as I was about to throw the baby monitor through the window, he and Lucy came marching into the kitchen.

He said, "She pooped....  And we're never doing that again."

And then we both started laughing, which made Lucy laugh.  But as soon as he set her down to change her, she started screaming again.  I think she so overtired and afraid that we'd leave her again...  After much soothing and nursing, she finally went to sleep in our bed.  Where she belongs.

Call me a wuss, call me an idiot, I don't care...  I'm not judging mothers that use the Cry-It-Out Method, not at all, its just not for our family.