I've kinda been going with the flow. Letting things happen as they do, getting up without complaint, taking shifts with Bryan to breastfeed, diaper, adjust or sooth Roa in the night. 2, 4, sometimes 6 times in the night.
The Botox injections went off without problem. We await the full effect of the botox...dreaming of a sleep filled night that hasn't come..... and question.
Is Roa's waking and nightly crying session behavioral?
Is it muscular?
Will the botox help?
Should we try a new bed or memory foam?
Should we have him adjusted?
How do we teach him to fall back asleep?
Do we cold-turkey cut out his night nursing session or do we wait it out and let him self-wean?
Do we let him cry it out after we check his diaper and reposition him or is that cruel?
Do we try medication?
It is dietary issues?
Why is he wide awake and looking around his room OR screaming bloody murder at least one time in the night for UP TO 2 HOURS??
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THESE SLEEP ISSUES THAT ARE SLOWLY DRIVING US INSANE???
I read and research and ask doctors. We have been to the sleep specialist, we have chatted with other parents of children with CP. We know sleep issues are common. We know we could try our sleep training methods AGAIN or breakdown and give him medication. NONE of the options are easy. None of the options provide instant magical, wonderful, life-altering sleep.
Bryan and I are attempting to regain some normalcy in our life regardless of our lack of sleep. We have started working out together when Roa goes down each night. We try and watch a weekend movie rental without gazing up at that monster known as THE CLOCK that ticks away and counts down until "Screamfest 2010".
We continue to go on our nightly family walk through rain and snow and dark of night,... sometimes with weak, tired bodies and heads that ache and yearn for a pillow. (Our bodies and heads, of course, not those of King Roa the happy backpack carrier-rider, giggling up at the ducks or moon overhead.)
We shower and settle in for our nightly, bedtime reading session even with tired eyes. We read a few pages of another world before saying a nightly prayer that "tonight is THE night" when Roa will decide, "AHHHH, sleep is great.. I need this... I can do it without Mom and Dad!"
We try and regain normalcy in a completely sleep-deprived state. What else can we do?
We also have sleep issues here with Walker. Two and a half years of sleep deprivation has left my brain in shambles... we struggle with the same issues, is it behavioral? have we created this monster? is it cruel to let him cry in there? is he getting enough to eat? Wouldn't it be so nice if he could just tell us what is wrong??? Sorry I don't have any cures... just know that at 3am we are up too! Kinda like sleepy souls across the web!
ReplyDelete