Cry it out

Wow, to believe I am even writing about my experience with the CIO method is amazing. Up to this point I was all but against it. And although I hate to admit it I even shook my head at those who were doing it! It seems whenever I choose to look down on an action, I almost always without fail end up doing the same thing! Some might call that karma! I think when you get desperate and you are running on little to no sleep you will try just about anything. So it was with me and I decided it really might be worth I shot. I wasn't by any means going to let her cry for hours on end but it was absolutely true that she needed to learn how to self sooth and to stay asleep for more than a few hours! 

I have a few friends here in MS that were big advocates of the CIO method and they gave me some very helpful tips. The first night I made sure she had a lot to eat for dinner and started back into our nightly routines (which had all but disappeared a few months ago.) A bath, massage, story and prayers. And into her bed she went, lights out, door shut. I expected what came which was a lot of crying, about thirty minutes worth. I had such a hard time but luckily Matt was there to keep me from going in. Low and behold and much to my surprise she put herself to sleep. She stayed asleep for four hours but I was under strict orders not to go in to her unless she had slept for at least seven hours, so she cried for about thirty minutes then fell asleep slept for another four hours. When she awoke the second time I nursed her and she slept for another three hours! This was so much better then the fifteen times a night she was waking up before, nursing about eight times and taking up half the bed! All in all the first experience went much better then I was expecting. The next two nights she did even better and only cried for ten minutes and then five. She has yet to sleep through the entire night but I am hoping that happens soon. I cannot say how happy/ well rested I am! And it is nice to know that she can comfort herself.  I know it doesn't work for every baby and I hope I haven't created a huge amount of suppressed trauma for her (which is what some of the articles against CIO have said) but all in all I am very glad I tried it and I'm never more glad it worked.

ps. I was worried it would break her happy fun loving spirit. It didn't! She is happier then ever!