(Sleep) Miracles Really Do Happen
"My daughter was colicky and a bad sleeper. Her cries would wake up my son who was 21 months old at the time. It was rough dealing with a toddler and infant all day long—and then all night long, as well. I was at my wits' end. When she was about three months, she miraculously turned into an amazing sleeper. I was used to putting her down around 6 p.m., and her waking up at 9 p.m. to scream her head off all night. One day she just stayed asleep. I don't remember what time I ended up passing out. My son actually woke me up that morning, and I jumped up and ran to the baby's crib convinced something was wrong. But she was still sleeping and it was about 6:30 a.m.! Best. Sleep. Ever."
An End to the Year of No Sleep
"I breastfed all three of my children, so none of them slept through the night right away. It's something about breast milk that runs right through them. Well, at the 2-week mark with my first child, I knew my life was changed forever. I was getting up every few hours feeding a baby and even cried, 'Is this what life with a baby is like? No more sleep?' My first child eventually slept through the night around five months when we added solids to his diet. The first time he did it, I still woke up to make sure he was breathing and actually waited to see if he would wake up. I actually didn't sleep through the night until my son was around 12 months. "
A New Woman
"The first thing that happened when my baby slept through the night is I took a leisurely stretch in bed and thought, 'Wow! I feel very rested!' Quickly followed by, 'My breasts are really full and painful!' In that same instant, I looked at the clock, I realized that the baby had skipped a feeding and a feeling of utter panic took over. I felt sick as I raced into the nursery to make sure the baby was still breathing. Baby was, of course, fine, but slightly ticked that I had woken her up. It was like a new woman had taken over my body. It's amazing what sleep can do!"
Bittersweet Victory
"I wish that I could say that the first time my son Micah slept through the entire night, I did too. I remember waking up in a panic, sure that I was missing Micah's cries. However, the baby monitor transmitted nothing but soft breathing. I stood over Micah's crib and watched him sleep, sure that he would wake up at any second. He didn't need me to rescue him anymore? I slowly came to the realization that I shouldn't feel sad that my baby 'didn't need me' in the middle of the night. This was a time to celebrate his growth. Yes, it would be amazing to achieve at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, but it was even more amazing that my little boy's body had finally grown enough to sustain itself overnight. Feeling simultaneously helpless and victorious, I went back to bed. I listened to him breathing a little while longer until I finally convinced myself that everything was okay. It was safe to sleep. We had done it."
- Laura Santana-Aguilar
Happy Tears
"When people ask—and they do ask frequently—'Is he sleeping though the night? Are you able to get some rest?' I kind of cringe because what does that mean exactly? A newborn eats every few hours so, no, I'm not sleeping eight hours straight since the little one gets hungry and/or my boobs wake me up feeling like they are going to explode. Since our son was three and a half weeks early, he is considered a 'late-preemie' and the doctors suggested I feed him every 1.5 to three hours to get him caught up with his growth. We were blessed with a baby who loves to sleep so it was hard to wake him up so often when he looked so peaceful in his bassinet. I had a lactation consultant come in once a week to weigh him and make sure he was taking down enough milk. At his 1-month appointment, the doctor weighed him and was so pleased with his weight that he said, 'You can now sleep through the night and no longer need to wake him up for feedings.' This was music to my ears and had to refrain myself from shedding a tear! That night, I slept so hard that when I woke up about five hours later due to engorgement, I was at first nervous and confused because it felt like I had slept for 12 hours straight. I instantly looked into his bassinet and saw that he was OK. I fed him and we fell back asleep together in bed."
- Krissy Citro
A Beautiful Day
"When my daughter slept through the night for the first time, it was completely unexpected. That whole week had been strange actually. My husband had a horrible flu, so instead of having my 3-month-old sleep in the pack 'n' play by our bed, I moved her into her crib and got an inflatable mattress for myself on her bedroom floor. As an infant, she never went to sleep for a long stretch before midnight, so as you can imagine, I was running on fumes. Well, this particular night, we did our usual ritual of nursing for hours on end to get her to bed. Then she slept in her crib and I slept on the floor. I woke up with a start because my boobs were in terrible pain and milk was leaking through my top. I bolted upright when I looked at the time. It was 8 a.m. My first instinct was to see if she was still breathing. Of course, by doing that, I woke her up. I remember feeling so unbelievably refreshed and ready to take on the world that day. And now, my world revolves around babies and designing nursing and pumping wear."
Double Win
"I rolled over in bed, slowly pulled back my eye mask and saw the light peering through my window early one morning. I looked at the clock and had a quick 'KEVIN!' moment (insert voice of mom from 'Home Alone' when she realized she forgot her child back in Chicago). Did I not hear the boys crying? Was the monitor off? As I crept over to the monitor to see what was actually going on in the nursery, I couldn't believe my eyes. Two beautiful, 11-week-old twin boys, sound asleep in their cribs. Instantly, I reacted like every mom probably does the first time her babies sleep through the night: I woke up my sleeping husband to tell him the good word. I tried to whisper but what actually came out was, 'They're getting a full night's sleep! You're getting a full night's sleep! We're all getting a full nights sleeeeeeep!' I sounded like Oprah at one of her giveaways! It was a glorious milestone for the boys, my husband and me that morning."
Sunrise Surprise
"The first time my son slept through the night, I woke up feeling so refreshed. It was like I hadn't slept in ages. The first thing I noticed after stretching myself awake was how bright the room was. I couldn't remember the last time I woke up after sunrise! Then, panic quickly consumed me. I jolted up to look for my 8-week-old to make sure he was fine. Sure enough, he was sleeping soundly and comfortably. I suddenly had so much energy and pride that there was no way I could go back to sleep."
The Joy, The Pain
"The first time my daughter slept through the night I woke in a panic. Was she OK? After I triple checked that yes, she is breathing, yes, she is totally fine, I experienced intense pain. My boobs were as hard as rocks and the skin couldn't have been stretched any tighter! Ouch. That is one pain that will never leave my mind. I didn't have a pump at the time so I held my boobs over the bathroom sink and tried to squeeze. No such luck. I toughed it out until she woke up. In hindsight, taking a hot steamy shower or applying a hot pack would have kicked my letdown into gear and alleviated the pain."
Perfect Timing
The very night before I had to return to work after maternity leave, we decided to transfer our son from the bassinet in our room to the crib in his own room. Like some kind of magic from above, he slept eight hours straight for the very first time!I was able to go back to work after six weeks, feeling like I could take on anything. It was absolutely refreshing and I felt so much more competent upon my return to work. It was an oddly difficult move, sending my firstborn into his own room—like his first step toward independence from me—but that restful experience made it a whole lot easier.
Panic Attack
"Our first son was a really terrible sleeper. It took almost a year for him to sleep more than two hours. We were both so exhausted after an entire year of sleepless nights. A couple of weeks before his first birthday, he slept for almost six hours and I remember waking up at about the five-hour mark in a state of sheer panic. I was certain something was wrong with him and felt terrified. I was also still breastfeeding him, so my breasts hurt terribly from having not nursed for a longer stretch than I had ever gone before. I rushed over to him and found him perfectly fine and sound asleep. I stared at him for about ten minutes, confirming for myself over and over again that my sleeping child was fine."
Goodbye, Sleep-Deprived Haze
"The first time my daughter slept through the night was at 10 months. I woke up in the middle of the night as my body was trained to do this every night to tend to the baby. When I didn't hear any crying, I thought something was wrong. I checked the monitor and all was well. I fell back asleep but kept waking up to check the monitor. So the first time my daughter slept through the night, I didn't! Now that she's sleeping consistently through the night, I feel like a new person. I no longer walk around in a sleep-deprived haze. It's wonderful!"
