Night Owl

Eva has been having trouble sleeping again. Her fourth tooth finally broke through this morning after weeks of misery, but a fifth is pushing up right alongside it and continues to make her cranky and irritable. I can feel the little swollen bumps in her gums with my finger. Whenever her Tylenol wears off at night (every four hours, on the dot), she wakes up crying. A couple nights ago it was so bad she would only sleep when rocked or held. She kept falling asleep in our arms, but if we set her down she'd cry. Even nursing her in our bed didn't help because she was tossing and turning in her discomfort and kept waking herself up. It was horrible.

Even though Dave and I took turns, neither of us were able to get more than a combined total of 4 hours of sleep. The next day, instead of using her naptime to get things done around the house, I took a nap of my own. That's the first time in months. A friend in my mother's group had hired a consultant for $550 to train her 10-month old to sleep 12 hours through the night. She recommended that I try it, but since she is a Ferber fan, I'm not comfortable with it. I don't support letting a baby "cry it out", I don't think babies' bodies are designed to sleep 12 hours straight without waking, and I'm suspicious of sleep training methods which are targeted more for a parent's convenience than a baby's natural rhythms.

Obviously the stage we are in now is difficult, but it's not usually how she sleeps, either. Usually she only wakes once or twice to nurse for 10 minutes and goes right back down. I'm fine with that. Already two people have asked me when I plan to wean her. Since my Mom nursed us all to about 18 months, I figure that sounds about right, but I'm not going to force a deadline on her. She can go most of the day without it, but night-time is another story. Personally, if it helps her get through the cold season without getting sick, I just might keep it up the through next winter. Whatever Eva is ready for.