And on the ninth day, she went to sleep without crying. Was it post-inauguration resignation? I keep telling her we have to stay mad. She doesn't think I'm serious because we didn't attend the march this weekend while sleep training's running its course. We watch The Daily Show together, but she seems blissfully ignorant of politics. After all, what could be so wretched when there's 5-6 scheduled servings of breast milk a day? We both agree that Twitter is no place for a baby, so we're thankful for curated tweets like these that keep us well informed.
Nap times are a precious scramble to stay on schedule, and sometimes it feels like she's only just woken up from one as I'm setting her down for another. What can I say? I miss her when she's off dreaming. When she comes up to the library at 11 for her second breakfast and I get to leave the desk and retreat to the back for 30 excellent minutes with her, I can imagine wanting to start this circus all over again some day. Once you've been desensitized to crying it's just like riding a bike, right? But how do you make room in your life for yet another bike? How many other bikes does a bike really need to grow up socialized and well adjusted with a penchant for charity and tolerance? Is this when parents start considering the ceiling mount?
Just a few more days, and research assures me she'll be going down for all 3 naps and bedtime without the familiar roar of loneliness - which has already faded considerably. We've been very strict about leaving her alone while she works through it; I watched her roll around and rage for an hour at 4:30am before going in and giving her a stoic 5 minute feeding and putting her back down, which worked. Geez, having a baby is easy! Noble cries about 99% less than she did 10 days ago, including in the car, where she listens to us sing along to Raffi and alternates playing with whatever we put in front of her and staring bewildered at herself in the mirror. While we were crossing town this weekend in a hurry to reach our destination for her 3:30 nap, she fell asleep right on time in her seat before we got there. No. Crying. Sleep training has transformed my life, and the shape of my daughter's head.
She's got a preferred side to sleep on, and spending 12 continuous hours with her left cheek down has resulted in (or been caused by) a little touch of torticollis, or "tight neck". What I thought was just adorable is actually a chronic head tilt to the left. Treatment is simple: stretches at every diaper change and a consult with a physical therapist. I'm told she has a flat side of her head due to lack of balanced pressure but I can't see it. We're supposed to get some photo imaging done at a lab periodically to see if she becomes a candidate for a helmet, but I'm just as keen on alternating her sleeping position when we lay her down for sleep to encourage ideal skull shape.
One last note on sleep. Every night around 9pm I become helplessly tired. I nap until around midnight when, barely conscious, I pump a few ounces before retiring for the night. If Noble's restless I watch the monitor until I pass out, hoping she pulls herself together and drops off. I'm more tired now than I ever was pregnant, and i'm likely to stay that way as long as I'm breast feeding. I'm talking fumbling, stumbling, struggling to construct sentences tired. Sleep training. It works.
No comments:
Post a Comment