For days, we leave Mia alone and follow her sleep and eating schedule since she is an infant and that's what you are supposed to do. We've figured out by now it's impossible to force a baby to eat because she will simply throw it all back up at you and it's equally difficult to get an infant to sleep since they don't know better. Sometimes they don't even know they are over-tired themselves. However there is this thing called "sleep training" and most girlfriends have tried one approach or another. After two and half hours of sleep last night and receiving a call from Vancouver around 10 PM from a girlfriend who swears on sleep training, I decide it's time to set a little routine of our own.
Initially we try to bathe her before 9 PM and then give her a bottle and put her to bed. After a few days, she's been consistently fully awake after eating whether it's one oz or four oz and would stay awake and cry endlessly even when we cradle her. I am told that's way too late and a baby's night sleep cycle should be from 7 PM to 7 AM. They need 12 hours at night and two naps during the day. My little one has been sleeping less during the day nowadays and her night starts rather late also. No wonder she's fussing. It's likely due to over-stimulation and fatigue.
Today we gave her a bath right at 7 PM and gave her a bottle at 7:30. She ate two oz and drifted off on Mike's shoulder as usual. Instead of leaving her in the crib downstairs where we would watch TV and continue our nightly business, I took her upstairs into the bedroom and placed her in the crib there. Of course she woke up as soon as her head touched the sheet and started protesting. I did not pick her up but comforted her by rubbing her hair, shoulders and arms. I pulled a chair by her crib so when she started fussing, I'd repeat speaking soothingly to her and patting her. By 8:20ish, she finally went into deep sleep. I took a shower. Mike changed and went to play basketball.
So now I am writing the blog. Tonight is the first night I had time to do something else other than holding her, feeding her, lulling her and repeating the entire cycle all over again. I plan to stick to the same steps tomorrow and hopefully establish a routine that will pave the road to eventual separation of her moving into her nursery and sleeping through the night on her own.
