Sleep regression torture session
17.09.17, 8:50 pm
Sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote – during the day you have lots of plans as to how you’ll spend your precious baby-free evening, and then when you finally do get the baby to bed you spend it watching NFL and playing Angry Birds 2 because your brain’s so fried. But I’m here now!
Things are easier than I last wrote. I’m mostly at peace with the fact that all I do all day is look after Lara, especially as I’m over halfway through my maternity leave and will be going back to work in a few months’ time. It doesn’t feel quite so much like I’m constantly killing time (though by 4pm it definitely feels like that), and I’m attending all the mad baby classes with very little cynicism. I think Lara’s the best thing in the world and her daft little gummy smile makes me melt every time. And I’m pretty confident in looking after her now – taking her out and about doesn’t make me anxious anymore, as I know I can handle most of her nonsense. So, as everyone who had kids told me at the time, things do get better. Basically around the 3 month mark.
Yeah, Lara’s pretty great. She’s currently 4.5 months old, is rolling and standing supported, and is basically desperate to start moving under her own steam. So there’s lots of frustrated bellowing as she tries to learn how to crawl, or when you lay her down on her back when she wants you to pull her up to her feet. Yesterday she started making a noise like a dolphin and hasn’t stopped yet. It’s REALLY annoying, but still not quite as annoying as the mad shouting phase she went through a few weeks ago. But no, she’s generally loads of fun at the moment. Lots of smiling and laughing, interested in everything and not physically fragile like she was as a newborn.
Saying that though, it’s been pretty rough recently as Lara’s been going through her 4 month sleep regression. This is where their sleep suddenly becomes more like an adult. In practice, it means that they suddenly wake up all night long and wake up as soon as you put them down for naps. It’s really tough – I’ve been woken every 2 hours through the night for the last 3 weeks, and most of the days start before 6am. I’m so goddamn tired. I feel almost ill with how tired I am.
Because of this, last week I suddenly decided that I’d had enough of bouncing Lara to sleep for her naps. She only sleeps for 40 mins per nap, which means she ends up having 5 naps a day. She also only fell asleep after being bounced, and then because of said sleep regression you had to let her nap on you as otherwise she’d wake up when you put her down. And whilst I love watching Good Wife, it was getting ridiculous, and my body just ached from all the bouncing and walking her around and lack of sleep. So I started sleep training her, nice and gently, to fall asleep in her own cot. And now she does! She still needs me to hold her arms down and shush in her ear, but she falls asleep on her own, which she hadn’t done since she was a newborn. It was hard for the first couple of days , as she wasn’t impressed at suddenly having the lovely bouncing taken away, but it’s getting easier and easier each day. And my poor old back doesn’t feel quite so knackered.
Have slight Sunday night blues, which always happens because things are much less boring and much more fun when James is around too. Still, I have Sing and Sign to go to tomorrow. I barely know what it’s about – something to do with using sign language with your baby – but it gets you out the house on a Monday and that’s the main thing. I’m not picky when it comes to nonsensical baby classes – it’s all about the Escape The House element.
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