read it and weep

I saw on Facebook that the hub's cousin, who had a baby around the same time as we did, attempted the "cry it out" method of getting her baby to sleep through the night. His other cousin, whose baby was born a month after Britton, previously mentioned on Facebook trying it out too. Neither made it more than a couple of minutes. And you know what? I don't blame them one bit.

When Britton was going through her colic crap, I would rock her, walk her, "shush" her, until she was fast asleep, then lay her in her crib, just for her to hit the mattress and start screaming. I was so superstitious, to the point of refusing to use a certain bottle of baby lotion because the first night I used it Britton stayed up all night. I was resentful, that my evenings were consumed with hours of trying desperately to get my baby to sleep, only to have to put myself to sleep right afterwards. I was angry that I never got any "time off," that this baby needed so much and refused to accept it from anyone else. I was tired, and after an entire of evening of coaxing a baby to sleep, on top of an entire day of feeding and nursing and playing, I didn't want anyone else, including the dog, to look at me, let alone touch me.

I bought a book - "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" and I diligently read it and followed it. Until it got to the part where he says to shut the door at 6:00 p.m. and not open it until 6:00 a.m. And against our better judgment, the hub and I tried letting Britton cry it out. One night. For 10 minutes. Then we vowed never to do it again.

See, I don't know what all babies do, only mine. And Britton cries for many reasons: sleepy, hungry, needs to burp/throw up, poopy diaper, in pain. But she always cries for a reason. So when all those things are addressed, and she is still crying, what do you do? Well, I got angry, certain that there was nothing wrong and that she was just playing me for a fool. Because babies are so manipulative like that. No, Dr. Ferber and others touch on, but never give credence, to the one need some babies cry for. Comfort. And it's just as important as the feeding and the changing of the dirty diaper, and the correct room temperature. Sometimes babies just need what we call "the human touch."

So where am I going with all this? I don't really know. But I do know that we're not alone when it comes to the ins and outs of babydom, that what works for someone may not work for everyone, and that sometimes all we really need is a good night of sleep.