We’ve hit our limits. We can no longer function. Pete needs to sleep and so do we.
It feels strange to admit we are working with sleep coach. I mean, we have three kids and the girls had their challenges, but they sleep like champs now. I read all the books (p.s. I’m not a fan of Babywise as it does not suit my attachment parenting style. I found “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” the best book I’ve read on sleep and the most balanced approach . I’ve read a ton of books!), but don’t know how to help Pete. He’s sensitive, has experienced trauma, and in order to survive, we’ve created some unhealthy habits.
Since Pete’s vaccine injury and seizures in January 2019, Pete has slept with Dan in our master bedroom. Pete would panic and become extremely aggravated if he saw me … in some ways if I didn’t “save him”. So, Pete would start out in his crib (scream to sleep), wake up maybe 1.5 – 2 hours later (screaming) and then Dan would take him into bed with him. Pete would wake a lot in the night and be up at 5 a.m.
I would sleep with the girls as I didn’t want to sleep downstairs in the guest bedroom if Dan needed me and Pete had a seizure. I also didn’t want the girls to get to Pete first if he was seizing.
Naps are also awful. He screams. Sleeps for 45 minutes. Wakes up. Screams. And is a grump from not having enough sleep.
Isn’t it crazy how the lack of sleep can be traumatizing for a parent and child? I long for bedtime and to have some one-on-one time with Dan, but dread it just the same. We need some tools.
This next start will be different. I’m scared and hopefully but also hesitant: we will start working with Andrea from Blissful Nights. We will come to come up with some sleep strategies and approaches. She has a track record and experience working with kids who have sensory processing disorders, autism, separation anxiety, illness and sensitivity. Once Pete is out of hospital
Did using a sleep coach feel like a failure to you? Have you ever considered using a coach? Let me know your thoughts 🙂