It is now 6:44 am. I have been up roughly since 2:30 am. Finally was able to fall asleep around midnight. So if you did your math correctly (and double check mine through the sleep deprived haze) that is about 2.5 hours I'm running on, here. Guess how long this had been going on for. Go ahead, really, guess. I honestly couldn't tell you if you were right or wrong, but I know it's been at least two weeks, and probably longer. That 3-4 hours I used to get seem so leisurely and luxurious now!
Although a few months ago, this perfectly captures how I look and feel 99% of the time
After going through practically every online source everywhere, and doing every suggestion under the sun, I'm stuck. Set a bedtime, have a wake up time, extend baps, shorten naps, get fresh air and sunshine, keep them in dark for naps, no dark for naps, nurse to sleep, don't nurse to sleep, rock, cuddle, sing, shush, lullaby, cereal, solids, vitamin d, rice bags, sleeping in crib, co-sleeping, lavender baths, calming lotion, lavender massage at night.... I'm pulling my hair out. Actually, baby B is doing that for me too, he's got wicked strong grip. Sometimes he sleeps, most times he doesn't. Sigh. And then wakes up screaming and cranky. Like right now. Literally right now.
*9 HOURS LATER*
Ok, I'm back.
So anyway, as stated above, I've tried literally everything I can think of minus crying it out. That is my limit, and my line in the sand. I can leave for about 10 minutes, max. I don't condemn anyone who practices CIO, it's just not for me. I tried once, and Baby B cried for 45 minutes, even with me checking on and soothing him every 10-15 minutes. Does not work for me and kiddo. So, I'm checking into a few different sleep books, as well as potentially emailing a sleep professional, and maybe even getting kiddo checked for sleep apnea to see if that may be a culprit, since hubs as it as well.
The books I'll be looking into are:
Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber ( I understand for this one, you're probably going "uhhhhhhh you said you DON'T like the CIO approach". You're right, I don't. But I also believe in looking at all material on hand, and seeing what parts of it you can take away to fit your needs. The guy's a specialist. There's gotta be something in there I agree with)
On top of that, I've subscribed to the pages of "The Sleep Lady", as well as various sleep professionals. I'm seriously contemplating paying some money to see what they can do. I'll report back on the books to see what I can share!
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