The swaddle has been very good to us. It helped my son sleep through the night since approximately 1 month old, however, all good things must come to an end.
See the little cut on his head? That was from when they cut into my belly to get him - so horrifying! I found out that my doctor ended up getting fired before my surgery but apparently was given a month or so to figure things out before he left. That's comforting.
As Carter began to outgrow the small/medium SwaddleMes, we decided the habit had to go. I checked into the size large SwaddleMes at Target and they look like they could fit a toddler! That's embarrassing, so no.
We waited until a Friday night about a week or so ago to start the process since at least there would be no getting up for work the next day, and we expected to be pulling all-nighters.
Night 1: No problems falling asleep, but about 3 nighttime wakings, trouble eating, and trouble falling back to sleep. Lots of under-the-breath cursing from mommy.
Night 2: No problems falling asleep, but about 2 nighttime wakings, no trouble eating or falling back to sleep. Mommy replaces curse words with hope.
Night 3 and on: No problems falling asleep, one early morning waking (about 5am) and back to sleep until about 7am. If he sleeps from 8pm-5am, I consider it sleeping through the night since 5am is technically morningtime. Success!
Seeing my little man in his crib with his arms over his head or a hand in his mouth makes me so happy. I want him to have that freedom! I noticed when I put him back to sleep after the 5am feeding, he likes to sleep on his side just like me. Sometimes he even gets to snuggle in the big bed in the morning.
See ya, Swaddle, you were good while you lasted!
That's great!
ReplyDeletei'm about to have a baby in less than a month. I wonder when should I introduce swaddle at night. You said it helped Carter to sleep through night since he was 1 month old? So you didn't swaddle him before that?
Thanks for reading and congrats! I'm so excited for you! As far as the swaddle, we've done it from the beginning, but he wasn't capable of sleeping through the night for the first few weeks. Once he gained some weight, he started sleeping through the night. I think the swaddle, combined with his nightly routine, facilitated that. He has the startle reflex in his arms (called the Moro Reflex), so the swaddle kept him from startling himself awake.
DeleteI highly recommend the SwaddleMe because I could never get a blanket tight enough :) and I didn't want to risk him busting out of a blanket and them suffocating somehow.
Deletethanks for the tip! :)
DeleteI can't believe they let that doctor operate on you. oh my gosh.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever use just a blanket to swaddle? or you wanted to kick the habit all together?
Scary, right?! And we decided to just break the habit and get it over with since I could never get a blanket tight enough and was afraid he'd bust out and somehow suffocate. Paranoid, I know :)
DeleteThat is crazy that your doctor cut that sweet baby!
ReplyDeleteWe were professional swaddlers and I was super nervous when we started to wean P. We started by leaving one arm out for a few nights, and then both arms, and then gradually loosening it. It wasn't bad at all! Now we just use the sleep sacks in the winter time so she stays warm!
We have a few of these gown things that are similar to the sleep sack but my husband won't let me use them because it will make him look like that girl from The Ring haha ridiculous!
DeleteI never swaddled but wish I did because Mia has never been a good sleeper! Maybe it was one less thing we had to wean, but maybe that's why she didn't sleep well either! Sorry about the cut on his head, did they say when it will heal completely?
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine not using the swaddle! You guys were brave those first few months :) his cut has healed (old pic), but it took a few weeks and every time I looked at it I freaked out a little because it could have been so much worse!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cutie! My little guy likes to sleep the exact same way.. on his side and with his hands up.. he also moves all over his crib, it's crazy!
ReplyDelete