Sleep has been a tricky deal ever since Trevy's seizure disorder became symptomatic. Prior to that he slept like an angel. Being parents three times over...we blamed the sudden night waking on teeth. Ears. Baby just being baby.
Never dreaming what was really to blame.
And for the next 2 years our sleep pattern went to pot. A good night ended with only 3 wakings. A bad...you don't even want to know. Let's just say it did not a healthy family make.
And we tried everything we could think of.
Eventually we reached our last resort. Letting him "cry it out". Which was SO SO SO SO SO hard on our hearts. But we were exhausted. And our insurance wouldn't approve overnight help. We were at the end of our rope. I remember sitting sobbing outside his door while he wailed. I remember begging God for him to just not be seizing. I hated the thought of him seizing without mommy's arms around him in comfort. But I am a mommy to more than Trevy. And I knew they needed a mommy and daddy who weren't angry zombies. So I told myself we would try this last resort for a week. And if it didn't work...we'd call it quits. And beg the neuro for medication to help.
I forget how many nights it took. Less than a week. And it may have even been less than three days.
And when I say worked. I don't mean we had nights without any wakings. It took radical brain surgery to achieve that.
Buuuuut...
He would wake with seizures. We would go in to comfort him through them. And when the cluster passed we would immediately place him back into his pack n' play. He would roll over and go back to sleep.
It wasn't perfect. But it was better. We lost the angry to the zombie.
And then after the majority of his left brain was removed, the most amazing thing happened.
He began sleeping through the night.
Like seven to seven sleeping through the night! We've never been more rested in our post Trevy lives!
Which is why this whole Operation Big Boy Bed is such a scary step for us! See, with the right sided motor loss resulting from the brain surgery...Trevy can't climb out of his pack n' play anymore. He's a hostage. Which is why sometimes...when he wakes too early from his afternoon nap...I'll leave him there. Just because I'm feeling lazy. He can reach the toys on the shelf and keep himself safely entertained.
I think it's a mental thing. He knows he can't get out without mommy. So he makes himself content.
We're in such a nice sleep groove. I hate to tinker with it!
But alas...he's getting too big for the pack n' play. Even if he's not complaining. I know it'll only be so long before we have to tinker with the sleep situation anyway...
So it begins. We've set up the big boy bed and have it snuggled in his room. He sat on it once or twice. But otherwise has been ignoring it. I'm sure he really doesn't understand what's in store. But I'm hoping the Toy Story Christmas bedding will help entice him to sleep in it. And stay put too!
Comments
If it makes you feel better Kayla is still actually in her crib. Since its the same size as her toddler bed we have never changed it over and for some reason she has never tried to climb out of it. We keep saying that we will switch it over when we move but we will see... (((HUG)))
Connie
...d
And I so know what you mean about the sleepless nights to seizures. It's always been a constant battle with us too. It's heartbreaking because I know Austin just wants to go back to sleep but can't because of the seizures. Kills me. He was a 7 to 7 kinda sleeper before that too.
Good luck Trevy, hope you love your new big boy bed (and good luck to your mommy too!)!!!
((hugs))
(((hugs back))))
...danielle
Weirdly he slept ALL the time with his seizures, in fact his excessive sleeping was the first sign things weren't 'normal'.
The first few days post-surgery he hardly slept at all - that freaked us out!!.
Now he's a 7-5ish boy, kt :)