Sleep

Today marks another change in Annette's sleep habits because I realised it was time to do so. Wish I had recorded down her previous changes and Sam's changes for easier thought process but it could have been rather tedious. And though I've found it useful to read books like Gina Ford and Baby Whisperer (which I wouldn't have known about if not for some other mummies who shared with me before I delivered Sam - very helpful because there's not much time/energy to read when caring for an infant), I've found it more useful to come to terms that each one has a different set of personalities, family situations etc, so I needed to find what works for me and not compare it to others or be envious even though others may have a much easier and desirable way of putting their kids to bed. :)

Why I continued to nurse Annette to bed up to now was because she often regurgitated her milk when she was much younger (so I didn't want the hassle of having to clean up while struggling to put her to bed) and she could not be left in her cot alone after the regurgitations had stopped when she got older because she could not sit up/stand steadily (so I was worried she would hit herself against the cot railings). And that was just the easiest way to put her to bed because I didn't want to go through the rocking phase I had to do with Sam (and I ended up nursing Sam to sleep when she got heavier till she was 2 years old). Besides, Annette had poor weight gain so I thought nursing her even at night would help to keep her full.

After all the Christmas, new year, wedding, CNY and birthday celebrations from Dec to Feb, there were times when her nap/bedtime was out of the ordinary but after a few days, it would go back to normal before the next celebration/weekend disrupted it. But this past week was just totally strange  - she kept nursing for the longest time before she fell asleep so I would end up falling asleep after many attempts of trying to move away successfully. Then when I finally woke up and managed to move off the bed, she would wake up shortly after and continue nursing for the longest time! Thankfully there were some exceptions when she slept for a longer period but I didn't want to see this pattern becoming a habit (especially since she and me didn't seem to be getting proper sleep) so I finally made up my mind to make a change.

So starting with today's nap, I held her in the patapum (so thankful for my friend who passed it to us since Sam's time cos I really find this carrier good) without swaying much and got through her relentless crying which made her almost vomit (thankfully she didn't!). Though more wind got into her stomach which made her cry even more, thankfully she settled after a while of burping and sobbed even while asleep. Then I put her down on the bed and she remained asleep. Hope I'll be able to sustain the training for the next few days especially the nights! And for Jie Jie and Papa to sleep through her crying.