No rest for the weary

Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008 4:51 PM

Little Dude woke with screams and arms outstretched twice last night. Once at 10:30 pm, and then again at 1:30 am.

My heart just breaks when I go in there and he is kneeling in his crib, crying and holding his arms out for us to come and rescue him from whatever horror visited him in his sleep.

As an infant, Little Dude was a HORRIBLE sleeper. The Hubby and I spent many nights taking turns sleeping upright on the couch or in the recliner, with Little Dude laying on his stomach on our chests. The minute we tried to put him down, the tears and cries would begin.

We followed the rules of putting him on his back, which he hated, since he would never stay asleep longer than 30 minutes, or so it seemed. I wanted to put him on his stomach, since he did so well on his stomach when he was on us, but the fear of SIDS was too great.

Later, after he was diagnosed with his dairy protein allergy, Little Dude began to improve in his sleep habits, which made us wonder about the turmoil he was experiencing from the dairy proteins prior to our knowledge of his allergy.

Today, Little Dude is a great sleeper. Usually. Lately, however, he is waking up several times per week, at odd hours, and he is usually upset.

Night terrors, nightmares, discomfort? We have no idea... As parents, we just worry and comfort him the best we are able and we are tired - so very tired!

I've determined that the sleep deprivation I've experienced since becoming a mom is almost more difficult to deal with than leaving my child, as a mom who works outside the home. Selfish? Yes. But at the moment, very much the truth.

The people who are with Little Dude when the Hubby and I are away, have earned my trust and respect when it comes to their care of my son. I worry sometimes - especially if something isn't quite right in Little Dude's world, but overall, I know he is having a good day with grandma or at "school." (Or occasionally with his aunt, cousins or my awesome neighbor, who have all helped out in the past.)

As much as I miss him, as well as that time with him, I know he is overall enjoying himself. (I pretty much get dismissed from my house by him if grandma is there.)

But as much as I miss sleep, I just can't get that back - and it misses me as well.

**yawn**

I would love to know if anyone else has had a toddler wake frequently, and if they have ideas to help Little Dude get a better night's sleep...

This crazy, working mom and the Hubby are both exhausted, and better sleep could only help Little Dude as well.

Originally published on July 29, 2008, at http://hillsmithfamily.com.