Thanks for the update p! :)
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Thanks for the update p! :)
So two months down the track and DS is sleeping happily in his own bed. He slept through 3 nights in a row last week, I never thought I would see the day! He wakes once a night and is settled easily with more watered down formula, which I am changing over to herbal tea (sleepy ones like passionflower, lemonbalm and chamomile). DP and I are planning TTC in a few months so I am super pleased to have DS in his own bed. DS comes in for a cuddle in the morning but only for a minute or two before he is off to start his day.
Thought I would update as I love reading the endings of people's conundrums :)
Another update and DS is sleeping through in his own bed, I never thought I would see the day he slept without me and without boobies! Hang in there mamas, its hard work but worth it. Im so happy I co slept and breastfed as long as I did. And if you choose to stop you can with determination and patience and no crying it out. You certainly dont create a rod to break your back.
Ha! well, about a week after I posted this last post, I found out I was pregnant with DS2 :p:
DS2 is now 19 months and I have the strongest breastfeeding aversion! I am working two jobs, full time, and DS2 stirs several times a night for boob. He's mostly comfort sucking (as he had an overnight with my mum and when he came home, I had no engorgement/let down/sore/full boobs) and has settled a few times without boob, after a little crying.
Join me on my journey of gentle weaning from co sleeping to solo sleeping happy mama!
So it has been almost 2 weeks since I stopped breastfeeding DS2 in the night (and at all) and he now settles with some patting or rubbing of his back. He is still in bed with me though, so that's the next stage. At first he was very angry about it, he would scream for about 30-45 mins at a time when he woke. After about 4-5 days, he would stir and cry a little but resettle very quickly with some light patting or rubbing of his back.
My next plan, is to move myself into my own room then go in to resettle him and leave him to sleep on his own. It will mean more sleep deprivation but given how quickly he has cottoned on to the change I am hoping he takes it on quickly. Certainly quicker than I remembered it being with DS1, and then again they are completely different people ;)
Update: I've started going back to my bed after settling DS2. So the routine is...
Bedtime (around 7.30pm) DS2 goes down in his cot without the need for bottle or rocking or patting. I lay on a queen mattress (which is on the floor on the other side of the room) and he settles to quiet, but before he falls asleep I get up, put a blanket on him, and leave him to fall asleep alone, which he does without protest.
He stirs around 1.5-2 hours after he goes down, and I grab him and cuddle him and lay with him on the queen mattress. He usually resettles quickly and I can remove myself from him (unless he falls asleep on top of me lol) and he will sleep for another few hours alone. I go and sleep in my bed.
After this when he wakes (maybe 3-4-5 hours later) I go in and stay with him, as he is usually unsettled throughout the night from then. He would usually stir every hour or so but resettles very quickly while I'm there.
I'll keep going with this for a week or so. I plan on moving the toddler bed in replacement of the queen mattress, as then he will get used to that bed. I might try and keep the queen mattress in the room so I can sleep in that while he stays in his own bed. It feels a bit all over the place, and it's different to my experience with DS1,amd after all he's a different kid!