I'm so proud of you! Having a non-sleeping baby/toddler is not easy but you've made it, you've persevered, you have have even managed to keep some brain cells from dying during the last two years of sleep drought you've experienced.
You are now the proud parent of a child who can and most of the time does sleep through the night, a concept that was completely foreign to you less than a year ago and still very rare until just a few months ago. You also have a child that falls asleep, in her own room, in her own big girl bed, all by herself - for naps and bedtime. You knew that crying it out wasn't right for your family and so you ignored all those who said she would never learn to sleep if you didn't or something. You waited until she was ready and now she falls asleep happy as a clam. You check in on her only to have her look up at you and smile, and then leave again only to return to a cute little girl with a fluffy bum stuck up in the air, puppy tucked under her arm, and a peaceful look on her face and you can know you met her needs, night or day, until she was ready for this step.
It wasn't easy and I know I can't convince you it was. But I can remind you that you think it was worth it. Remember this moment, this feeling; remember how short the times seems from this side of the struggle, how fast it seemed to go. Now it is your job to encourage those other mothers that are struggling and I'm starting with you, my future self, because I know that in just a few months, we'll be starting it all over again. But I have faith in you, you can do it!
Yea, Self! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel like this applies to me as well even though Eliza is younger. She's starting to sleep longer at night when conditions are perfect (big dinner, consistent environment). We still aren't to 12 hours yet, and might never get there, but I don't regret meeting her needs instead of forcing her to conform to mine which probably would have ended up with neither of us being very happy.