Hi Elizabeth, Bec and Mia,
I just wanted to write and tell you thank you so much for writing The Gift Of Sleep. My little girl is 6 and 1/2 months old and I was so tired and desperate for sleep! I was up 2-3 times a night for feeding and then in between those feeds sticking the dummy in. I was close to being up 15 times a night, and then forgetting: was I up for the dummy or was it a feed? Oh – I can’t remember, I’ll just feed her, rock her, sing to her, pat her and she’ll go back to sleep…. I had about 10 dummies in her cot for quick plug ins! I couldn’t even eat my dinner without having to rush to the nursery to put that dummy back in!
After reading so many sleep books, and being recommended so many other routines and sleep strategies I came across Mia’s YouTube video via Google, recommending this book. While I was watching the video I thought, hey she‘s been through what I’m going through now….I downloaded the book without hesitation.
Well, I started during the day as I wanted Grace to get used to no dummy to begin with. She had her first day sleep a little late than usual at 9.30am. She went down no problems as she was very tired. I thought great start! Then again in the afternoon 1pm went down a few grizzles. Night one began! Grace went to bed at 7.26pm, she cried for 5 mins, with a start/stop cry. I left her and thought this is good… she’s not screaming yet! And she went to sleep, by 7.31pm. My husband and I went straight to bed, thinking…. it’s going to be a long night yet! Grace awoke at 10.52pm grizzling until 10.58pm, we didn’t even get out of bed as it was just a start/stop cry – grizzle. And then back to sleep!!! She woke up again during the morning, but re-settled herself after a few grizzles. Then at 7am, she was up. Playing with her flat out bear! She even drank a whole bottle (which she hadn’t done for a few weeks now!) Day sleeps were a breeze – no dummies! Night two was an improvement on night one. She woke up less, and grizzled less, again resettling herself. We were worried about night 3 as we both play sport on Sundays and it was a big day for her, with only and hour and half sleep all day! I put her to bed at 7.23pm that night with her bear and she grizzled for 3 mins, but then straight to sleep. We didn’t hear from her until 3.53am – with a little grizzle and back to sleep, up and ready for the day at 6.30am.