Dave and I are adamantly against using the cry-it-out "method." Though we have considered the idea at times, and though we have suffered extreme sleep deprivation, we have not yet felt the need to try something so seemingly harsh and possibly ineffective. If Dave was in a dark bedroom crying I certainly would rush to comfort him, so why would I provide anything less for my daughter? (And, no, this is not the extent of justifying my position against CIO. Trust me, you don't want to get me started!)
Annabelle's lack of sleep is not due to our lack of trying to get her to sleep. I promise that we have tried everything. (CIO is not actually doing anything, so we don't consider that an option.) Over the last few months we have become really serious about our efforts towards getting more sleep. Gradually, these efforts are paying off! Figuring out Annabelle's allergies has been key in helping prevent night waking. We are also big fans of Elizabeth Pantley and found her suggestions very helpful. We have also tried, without success, alternative methods using homeopathics or occupational therapy. Once we visited a chiropractor who told me that she was allergic to the nightshade food group. In the end, it all seemed like a load of crap.
Last week I was reading a blog that referred to another blog that I found really interesting. She had some very interesting things to say about sleep and CIO. She also helped me to recognize that some babies cry just to get it all out of their system and calm themselves down, while others (like Annabelle) wake themselves up and build tension when they cry. The post was fascinating and if you missed the link in my last sentence, I'll give it to you again here. I read through some of her stuff on reflux and contacted another reader who said that she had had great success with her son's reflux via the help of chiropractic care.
So I contacted a chiropractor yesterday and we got a same day appointment. He adjusted Annabelle (no neck cracking- a different milder adjustment is used for babies) and told me that he could help her. I've been sucked in before with hope and anxiety. (What if this actually WORKS!?!?! Oh God, what if it doesn't!?!?!) So, I thought, yeah, we'll see.
Last night she slept two four hour and one three hour stretches. A rarity. A miraculous "holy shit, I think it's working" phenomenon. So this morning I called for another appointment. We went back for a second adjustment. And so far we are 2.5 hours into the night without a peep. I marvel at the possibility that this might just be IT. I've already made our third, fourth, and fifth appointments. We are going to fix this thing.
Like the chiro said, "Annabelle's reflux isn't because she doesn't have enough Prevacid in her blood, right?" There's another cause. And maybe it's a little out there to think that real life trauma to the spine can be caused by
