Michael's Sleep Regression

Nowadays when people ask me if Michael's a good sleeper, I hesitate.

Do they mean easy to get to sleep, or easy once he's in his deep sleep?

For the past week or so Michael has had an awful time going to sleep. We'd be in bed for close to an hour before he'd wake up, back arched, legs and arms going this way and that, and he'd start crying. I didn't understand one bit.

We tried everything.

I thought it was gas, so I had gas drops and gripe water ready. That didn't seem to do much.

I thought he needed a new diaper. I'd change it even if it wasn't that wet.

I thought maybe it was because he's getting over a nasty cough/cold. That may play into it still.

I thought maybe it's because he's going through a growth spurt, I've been focusing more on feeding him, he's started rolling over more, maybe I ate something different, I've been drinking too much caffeine....

So many things have gone through my mind, and I tried to do everything in my power to help.

And yet, last night, he still woke up crying.

So Clark did his research.

That's right. I cannot claim this one. Everything I found said perhaps he had acid reflex, perhaps it was bad gas, perhaps he needed to pass a bowel movement... the list goes on.

But never did I ever look it up by his age.

Clark found this.

Apparently between three to five months, babies brains and sleep patterns grow up in a major way.

Babies brains start acting like ours do in the sense that they don't truly sleep through the night. As the article says, a full night's rest is actually considered to be five hours.

Not eight. Not ten. Five.

We wake up and check the time, or get on Facebook, or roll over, re-position our covers... whatever. As adults we are aware that we're waking up and we attempt to go back to sleep.

For babies, it's a bit more difficult. After all, babies don't typically just fall asleep on their on. It's a process.

If you do give in to the "crying out" method, it means another round of crying.

If you rock your baby to sleep, perhaps another round of rocking.

Nursing.
Putting in the pacifier.
Singing,
Walking.
Patting.

And so on, and so forth, and so on.

So, tonight, in an attempt to help Michael learn, we're crawling into bed a little bit early.

While he is starting to finally nap on his own, he still hasn't quite gotten to the point where I can put him down for his night sleep and he'll be fine without me for awhile.

What does this mean?

It means when Michael goes to bed, I go to bed.

I can't say I mind. There are random nights when I'm wide awake at godless hours, but those nights are very rare. I'm typically the true "early to bed, early to rise" sort of person.

For my friends... going to bed early still means post ten, maybe even eleven o'clock at night.

For me?

Going to bed early can mean anywhere between 8:30pm and 9:30pm. But usually we're in bed at a strict nine o'clock.

It's not THAT much earlier tonight... I mean... it's 8:43. Besides... we get up early.

Don't judge me.

If your baby is having a hard time getting into his true sleep... just know you're not alone. Have some advice? PLEASE feel free to share it!