At our most frustrated, we even tried this home remedy we found on the internet. Its not my proudest moment, folks.
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| Can you see the frustration in my face? |
And just because I know some of you are silently judging me and contemplating calling social services right now, let me just say that we didn't let her sleep like this. Bless her little heart and adorable face, we just couldn't leave her like that.
The gauzy swaddling blankets solved one problem- her swaddling blankets were just too hot. I thought they may even be giving her a heat rash (although after a visit to the pediatrician it seems to be eczema- and is clearing up nicely with some expensive lotion) so I felt pretty pressed to get something not flannel to bundle my baby in. The gauzy blankets (the fabric was a 'specialty cotton' that is a loose weave) are keeping her cooler, but she still wriggles out and wakes herself up by flailing her arms. In fact, she has started waking up more and more recently. We used to put her down and she might wake up once or twice, but be easily pacified back to sleep and then sleep most, if not all, of the rest of the night. Last night I spent most of an hour putting her to sleep, then calming her back down after she awoke again several times. During the night she continued to wake up and not be easily pacified. It was rough. We have been at a loss of how to really work this all out.
I know the 'cry it out' method isn't for me. We live in a small apartment and can hear the kids below us scream, so I'm positive they'd be able to hear, and wouldn't appreciate, long periods of crying at all hours of the night. We've been struggling through trying to figure out how to get her sleeping again and 'wean' her of the swaddle. I just haven't been ready to tackle it full force and sacrifice my sleep willingly.
Tonight is different. Tonight I'm ready. She's swaddled, but with her arms out. Each time she wakes up (which has been about every 10-15 minutes as I'm writing this post) I'm going in, singing to her while she stays in her crib and I hold on to one of her hands. I'm hoping if I continue to do this she will figure out how to not flail and will get a groove that works with hands unswaddled. I dunno. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but if I've learned anything as a parent so far, its that you have to follow your instincts.
"Follow your heart, thats what I always do"-Napoleon Dynamite
Wish me luck tonight on my war path!
