On Facebook I have nicknamed our child Screamy. This is not without reason. After the sun sets, usually within an hour, the screams begin. I begin the pacifying dance which usually starts with, "you're okay baby, you're okay" which turns inevitably into a dance/bob around the living room and that fails I wind up with the final offering of milk, and if that fails, then I'm screwed.
Tonight, I think I'm screwed. We've been back and forth all night - passing the babe from one to the other, rocking, feeding, a bath, a story, possibly asleep for the night... but wait, no, just a 30 minute nap it seems, more feeding, the screams again and it's back to the passing. My husband reads aloud to me that overtired babies often cry more at night and have a harder time sleeping through the night. I cannot get over the Catch-22'ness of that situation. I immediately begin again questioning myself as a mother, wondering why I can't seem to get this cycle to work for us. I shoulder the responsibility because I am the source of food. Is she eating enough? How do I know? She's gaining weight, but she's hell in a swaddle come 9pm. Should I try feeding her more? Check my last post.
So the question becomes: how the frick do I get my overtired baby to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes? I will report back on what I hope becomes progress, but may just end being more nights of the husband bunking in the spare rooms to save his ears and sanity and strength for his hands on job.
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