Just call him "The Cranky Afternoon Baby". My son has been a little difficult the last several days. He just won't sleep in the afternoon. He's too excited about the world. The problem is, he's tired. He NEEDS the sleep. He's also at his gassiest. *sigh*
I've spent the last two days getting very little accomplished after 1pm. He eats just fine. And then he won't go down to sleep. He gets that sleepy look. He yawns. I try rocking him. Swaddling him. Putting him in his swing. His bouncy seat that vibrates. Giving him a pacifier. Nothing works for more than 5 minutes of light sleeping. Then he's up and crying again. I give him the gas drops every two hours like the bottle says. He still has gas. I'm PRAYING this isn't colic.
At least he's quiet during feedings. After his 5 pm feeding frenzy it took me 30 minutes to get him to fall asleep this time. He started screaming as soon as he finished eating. He even took himself off the "tap" because he was sleeping. As soon as he fell off, screaming. He's finally asleep on my chest right now. I'm afraid to move. To make noise. To breathe!
As many of you know, it's hard being the stay at home parent during this age. You are the one feeding, changing, burping, and consoling them throughout much of the day. Then daddy comes home and it's almost like you want to throw the kid at him and say, "Your turn!"
And then there's the guilt. I feel bad because dinner isn't ready. I feel bad telling the dogs they can't bark when Kendall comes home. I feel bad if Max wakes up because I moved the wrong way. *sigh* As I told a coworker earlier today, I think that a mother's guilt magically appears with their baby's first breath. Growing up Catholic, I should be familiar with guilt. But this guilt is like no other.
I was explaining to this coworker how guilty I feel when Kendall has to get up in the middle of the night to help with Max. Their response made me feel a little better. "Yes, but even if he's tired, he still gets to leave the house and get a mental break." Oh how true that is!
6 comments:
I know exactly how you feel. I went through almost the same thing with Juliet. I remember saying to Allen that I didn't think she had colic, but it was close. Her nickname became "Queen of the no-naps." I get nothing done, honestly. Even after almost 10 months. It's better now, she will nap for maybe 1/2 hour in the morning and afternoon. That's usually about it. The crazy thing is, she naps GREAT at the sitter's. 1 hour in the am, 2 in the pm. I can count on 1 finger how many times that has happened at home. I guess I'd rather it be that way. I don't usually say anything, because I'm a little embarrassed that I can't seem to get my child to consistently nap.
I am not a parent and have no advice. I do hope things get better and Max decides napping is fun!
Ahhhh... the joys of moving out of the sleepy newborn phase. This is when their personalities start to come out. Daniel was a chest sleeper too. Do you have a sling? Here's my best advise: Do NOT make your house extremely quiet because it's naptime. Babies are used to noise- quiet seems to freak them out.... or at least that was my experience. Gracie was good if I could get her into a sling and vacuum. The vacuum was a miracle worker- don't ask me why.
i thought nicole had night colic for a few weeks (which is apprently most typical). Turns out i needed to feed her more because she wanted to build up to sleep through the night. Trial and error.....
it's most likely a phase you'll have to rough through. have you tried running errands so he has new things to see? nicole appreciated the car rides and fresh air in the afternoon.
Other nap tricks i've heard of - sound machines, fans, rocking (though a tough one if he gets in this habit)....
I always felt guilty about her sleep because it is during sleep that kids' long-term memory sets in. i worried that if she didn't sleep she wouldn't be as smart because her brain didn't get the right amount of time to process....
it takes time (a few weeks) but it'll even out. promise!
I know what you mean about feeling guilty about Kendall getting up at night with Max...but even if you aren't "working" as a teacher you are working as a mom 24 hrs a day. And it is a tough job! Besides, I think some very special bonding occurs at night in a dark room when your just holding your baby in the quiet :)
Hello, Cranky Afternoon Baby, so nice to meet you. Please don't give your mom too hard of a time (but hey, you wouldn't be a kid if you didn't give at least a teeeny little hard time). And take it from a seasoned veteran - sleep and naps are gooood. I take a nap almost daily. I enjoy them. I look forward to them.
:)
Sorry, Lisa, hopefully things'll improve, and soon. Good luck!!!
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