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Posted by chelsea on December 04, 2002 at 16:11:30:
In Reply to: Sleep, Glorious Sleep! posted by MarybethW on December 04, 2002 at 15:45:25:
: Well, guess what? I got a FULL NIGHT OF SLEEP last night. Alex went to bed at 7pm, woke up at 12:00 for a feeding, (which my night owl husband took care of), and then slept until 5:30am, at which time I HAPPILY got up with her after a full 7.5 hours for myself. : Folks, this might not sound like such a big deal to those of you who don't know our history, but believe me, it is a far sight better than where we were at (wakeups every two hours, our full assistance to re-settle). Could it be a fluke? Perhaps... my daughter is fairly inconsistent. But, I do beleive it's a direct result of our efforts to help her to learn to settle herself for sleep. Upon review of the last few weeks, both Andy and I can say that we see a consistent and overall improvement. : I want to stress that, although there is some fuss and fanfare at bedtime every night, it's no more than there was prior to our efforts with the self settling plan, and often times is much less. We are responding to her cries, but responding in a different way. Instead of doing it for her (feeding, walking, rocking her UNTIL she is asleep), we're doing those things in a abreviated version, helping her to relax, and staying close by, soothing her, reasuring her and encouraging her to do the rest for herself (teachin' the girl to fish...). We don't leave her to Cry It Out. AND, the best part is that with the reduction in wakeups and her increasing ability to resettle on her own, there is actually less fussing and crying in the overall, big picture. : Ok, that's not the very best part. The very best part is that my child is WELL RESTED. Which goes a long way toward an overall improvement in dispositon (for both of us). : What inspires me to keep on keepin on with this setting plan is the desire for my child to become a competent, self sufficient individual. What better time to begin teaching self reliance, while reasuring that we are close by and on-hand to lend support when needed? BABY-POWER! YOU GO GIRL! (ok, I've got a little too much energy right now....) : Best wishes for a good night of sleep for all of you... : Marybeth
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It's amazing what a full night's rest can do for your well-being and the rest of your family's as well!