A Glorious Night...

Guess who slept through the night last night?  Yes, that's right, Sarah actually slept through the night for the first time.  I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this day.

From the day we brought Sarah home from the hospital, sleeping has been a challenge.  Not just for us, but for her too.  You expect to experience a lack of sleep as a new parent.  What I didn't expect was how difficult it was going to be to get Sarah to sleep well.  I mean, isn't that what babies do?  Isn't that the one skill they all have?  Plus, she had suckered us at the hospital.  The whole time we were there, she was a perfect little angel.  The nurses would comment to us how she was the most mellow, peaceful baby in the nursery and how she slept so well.  Niel and I would beam with pride.  We'd not only made a beautiful baby, but one who was well behaved and already a shining example for all the other little hellions in the nursery....this is how you act.  Then we came home.

I won't go into the long drawn out details of everything we've tried to get this child to sleep peacefully on her own.  I will tell you that she has never liked sleeping on her back.  She could be sound asleep and the second you put her down, she'd wake up.  And she wasn't waking up happy!!  For the 6 weeks or so, Niel and I literally took "shifts" sitting up with her at night and holding her while she slept.  It was the only way any of us could get any sleep whatsoever.

We were finally able to find a sleep positioner that would hold her up at a 45 degree angle while she sleeps.  That's all it took.  She instantly started sleeping for a few hours between bottles and within the last week has been showing signs of stretching out her sleep at night.  Then last night she finally made it all the way through.  I don't know if it will happen again, but considering the struggle we've had with her, I'm claiming this victory however short lived it might be!  For today, my child is back to being a shining example to babies everywhere!!

I have to admit though, I do miss sitting up with her and cuddling at night!!