Quality of Life, Overall Improvement: 1000%

Molly was such an amazing sleeper as a newborn. At two months she was sleeping 10, 11, even 12 hour stretches. Even better? She put her OWN SELF to sleep. The first time I saw it happen I nearly contacted the Vatican because: EVIDENCE OF A MIRACLE.

Molly stopped sleeping those long stretches after she finally acquiesced to our demands for a proper baby schedule, one that didn't involve a midnight bedtime. "You can have it ALL, Parents Of Mine!" she seemed to sneer every time we stumbled into her room for a middle of the night wake up call.

That was around five or six months (you'd think I'd remember the exact day) and she's been a terrible sleeper ever since. We're talking multiple wakeups, hours to get her back to sleep, up for the day at five in the morning. And then, when we moved her into Jack's room, it was worse, what with having to dash in there before she woke him up and dealing with TWO cranky children all day.

I was very much against crying it out in the beginning. Too little! Falls asleep so well when she WANTS to! Her cries always have a good reason! My wittle baby! But the girl is now nine months old, she does not need her Maybe You'll Go Back To Sleep Faster If I Give You This Bottle Bottle and has shown herself to be quite a picky and demanding little thing. I started to switch out my No Cry! banners for a few of I'LL DO ANYTHING.

Night One: Even though I told the internet we weren't going to start that night, I set up the pack 'n play downstairs because... we'd just had ENOUGH. I mean, we were reaching very high points of ridiculousness. And at three am, when she woke up, downed her allotted four ounces and refused to go back to sleep even after Phillip and I took turns rocking and holding her, OH YES we put her in the pack 'n play. And I feel sort of bad saying this but: BLISS! Sure, the girl howled for a straight forty minutes, angry angry how dare you leave me here cries, but I was not standing up in her room, half asleep, attempting to rock her back into submission. And! Only forty minutes! And then she was quiet till SEVEN. I am not joking about the waking up two and three and sometimes FOUR times a night, never knowing how long it'd take to get her back to sleep, and then waking up for the day at FIVE. Unacceptable! So in the morning Phillip and I felt like we'd fought a bloody battle and were thisclose to winning the war.

Night Two: My parents took Jack home for the night which meant we could let Molly cry in her own crib. We were PUMPED. Put her down at seven and, uh, I didn't get out of bed again. Phillip did- she woke up twice - but he put the pacifier back in, checked for poo (we have a Night Pooper! Gak!) and left her in bed. She cried a grand total of thirty to sixty seconds each time and (be still my beating heart) fell back asleep. Woke up at six. There was much Happy Dancing in the morning.

Night Three: Identical to NIght Two, only Jack was back in the room and didn't wake up.

Night Four: Identical to Night Three.

Night Five: Molly woke up at three something, wouldn't go back to sleep, and we sent her straight to her pack 'n play to think about what she'd done. This was probably the hardest night. She cried, but it wasn't the loud angry crying, it was soft whimpering. But I've heard pleny of crying to know if anything was wrong AND NOTHING WAS WRONG EXCEPT SHE WAS AWAKE. She did tihs off and on, sometimes being quiet long enough to think she was asleep, then starting it all up again fifteen minutes later. Maybe after an hour, an hour and a half, she was asleep.

Night Six: Everyone slept through the night. EVERYONE.

Night Seven (last night): Identical to Night Six.

I still have the pack 'n play set up in the living room so as not to tempt fate, but for goodness' sake Internet, WHY DIDN'T WE DO THIS SOONER? I know I know. The answer is: Because you weren't done with all your handwringing over Potential Disastrous Consequences. Next time just tell me to shut it, okay? SERIOUSLY.

Comments

[morgan s]

Maggie, you are inspiring me. After yet another night of baby toes poking me in the side for half the night and endless thrashing around, I think the pack and play is moving to the guest room and Hadley will have to stay in there!!!! Then we can ease her into Brooke's room/old crib, since MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, she started to sleep in her toddler bed last weekend!!!!

Sleeping through the night???? I can hardly wait!!

[Kate]

Congrats, Cheung family!! Now you know that even if she does wake up, Jack is able to tune her out, so no worries about having TWO cranky, non-sleeping babies. And once she gets used to this routine, HOPEFULLY it will be all wonderfully peaceful sleeping from here on out. Fingers crossed for you....

[Sheila]

HOORAY! So excited for you! We started sleeping through the night like two nights ago... just in time, since husband and I started getting sick.

YAY YOU! I know it's hard to let them cry like that, but in the end, it's soooo worth it.

[Jen]

Awesome!!! You win! I am almost as excited as I would be if it were happening to me.

[Manda]

If Syd hadn't gone back to being a good sleeper last night this would be SO ON. In fact, it will be ON if we have another night like Sunday AGAIN!

[Jess]

I am so, so, so glad for you! Thank god! This plus the Vitamin D should equal one Very Happy Maggie!

[Lisa]

That is exactly what we had to do to get Olivia to sleep through the night, and we were there within a week too. This apparently teaches them that Mommy and Daddy are in charge and that they can't just keep us up for their personal playtime when it's night and sleepy time. She was a perfect sleeper for something like nine months. Unfortunately, all bets are off when they learn to climb out of their crib. Then it's back to Mommy: Slave to Baby's Whims.

[Elsha]

Yay for sleep! There's just nothing like it:)

[Christiana]

Maggie - I am so happy that things seem to be working for you! Yay!!!! I never thought I'd be singing the praises of CIO, myself, but sometimes, it is just the right decision. And sometimes it works fabulously! Not to say you'll never have to get out of bed in the middle of the night, but... take it one night at a time, right? :)

[Jen Pierce]

:)

[Oana]

Yay yay!

[Jessica]

WOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!! We also have successfully cried-it-out with both our kids. And it works.

We've also broken the swaddle addiction, too. Still using just the arm part to get him to sleep, but then when we put him down, we undo the velcro.

[Kate P]

Congrats on the success! Never mind the "sooner" part--the timing was probably just right. :)