I’m not completely set on them but I’m a little closer to working out what my New Year’s Resolutions are…What?! I’m taking my time and making sure I get some good ones!
In the mean time I thought I’d fill you in on the baby sleep experiment… A few weeks ago I hunted out some “tips” for how to get your baby to sleep through the night. The main one that I pinned my hopes on was dream feeding. What a crock of shit that was! Seriously stupid idea. I did everything that was advised…pick him up carefully, don’t wake him, let him feed then put him down again. All fine except he then started to wake up earlier than when I was supposed to feed him. Then he started to wake up every 2 hours through the night! It was exhausting.
Mike and I had a date night away scheduled in for 27th December – meal, drinks in town, hotel, the works – and we nearly just went for the meal because I was so worried about him waking up and screaming my in-law’s house down because he wanted boob. When we turned up at the in-laws, however, there was no room in the Inn so it was either all go home or leave Reuben and have our night out after all. So, what actually happened was I cried, then we left and Reuben took a bottle before bed just fine and slept through until 3:30, had a bit more bottle and then finally woke at 7:30. What a tinker!
Thankfully that night away has broken his bad habit for multiple midnight snacks and proven that he doesn’t need it. The next night Mike put him to bed with a bottle and the same thing happened. When I put him to sleep, however, he woke at 10 again! Thankfully he resettled and I didn’t need to see to him until 4.
All in all, 1st new year’s resolution is to relax more when it comes to Reuben and, in the words of lovely Ellie in the comments, just accept that he’s going to wake up. I’m also going ignore the sleep tips! It’s part of my being thankful for what I have resolution…Any sleep is better than none and waking up once or twice in the night is definitely better than waking every 2 hours!! So, don’t mess with something as precious as sleep in the hunt for the illusive full night. If it does happen it’s luck as far as I can see.
6 comments
Ellie on 1-2-2013 at 10:15 pm
Ah I love this! “What a crock of shit that was”! Cracked me up! You’re a star! A tired one I bet but a star non the less!
If I am the ‘lovely Ellie’ then thank you 
and I am sure you are doing a fab job with your boy. I found the transition from freedom to mother incredibly hard at first, my anxiety levels must’ve been off the scale, plus sleep depravation hell that terrorists would have been proud of, but I wouldn’t change anything because my girl is the absolute light of my world. 
:) Stay positive and keep making yourself laugh with all the crazy things you do as a mum! (Yes I sat on the loo holding my baby cos I was scared to put her down!) X
hannah on 1-4-2013 at 4:06 pm
Haha! Done it too
the first night we brought him home, I was so scared to put him down because a) he would cry and b) he was feeding for hours on end, so I had to do everything holding him loo, washing hands, you name it! Thanks for your comment xxx
Alice on 1-3-2013 at 10:24 am
I HATED accepting that Hux was going to wake up. But as soon as I did it became slightly easier to deal with. Then whoever got up with hux to feed at 2am would get to sleep til about 7.30 whilst the other would get up with elfie at 6. Urgh, babies are brutal! He’s just started sleeping through the night at the grand old age of almost-8 months. My mum reckons it’s the solids but I think it’s just him growing up and getting used to being in a deeper sleep.
Now he needs to teach his sister not to get up all the way through the night…
hannah on 1-4-2013 at 3:58 pm
Ha! We’ve just been having this discussion on twitter. Never mind the babies, the older ones can be just as much trouble. Someone’s 4 year old has just started regularly waking and my Gabby also went through a phase recently and she’s 6! Brutal is a very good word to describe it, hun! Xx
Ania on 1-3-2013 at 2:07 pm
Love this post, messin with sleep is such a dangerous thing, sounds like Reuben is a cheeky chappy! How amazing that he is capable of going til 3.30 then back to 7.30. I’d call that sleepin through!!! And if he can do that now then that’s ace. You’re doing a wonderful job and living seeing the mega cute pics in fb of him Xxx
hannah on 1-4-2013 at 3:55 pm
Thanks Annie
he is v cheeky! But like his dad. Mike said he’d wake me up 5 times a night too, if he thought I’d give him booby (he did quite say it like that, I’m paraphrasing!). He is rather cute, ain’t he?! X