Or lack thereof...
I don't really know whether Abby's inability to sleep comes from RS or just from her. I do know that there are several abnormalities of the brain and body that are strongly correlated with very poor sleep patterns.
So, she is three and a half years old and we have had very few nights where we have slept through the night. Be it nightmares, night terrors, the need for a dry diaper, milk, water or a hug. It might not sound like much but it is nothing short of exhausting. After over three years of not getting more than a few hours straight sleep I am fed up.
I read a great book about sleep, get on a good pattern, it lasts a few weeks and then we go back to where we started. The girls still sleep in cribs because I can't bear the thought of compounding this existing problem with a new routine.
Frankly I am at wits end. I am hoping that the behaviorist might be able to give us a little insight into how to approach it. I am really, really, really hoping...
So for now I sit here and listen to her cry and talk and whine. All the while wanting to go up and scream at the top of my lungs. It is such a fruitless cycle...
I think I need some sleep.
I know just how exhausting it is - I hope someone can help with something soon - I am going on 3.5 years of it too.
ReplyDeleteI too have a 3.5 yr. old (with no diagnosis of anything) who has only a handful of nights slept through the night and NEVER fallen asleep without someone lying next to or sitting near him. Sometimes I just want to close the door to his room and put on headphones or something and let him cry until he falls asleep. But I know he's just not ready for that yet. The farthest we can go is sitting by his bedroom door, where he can still see us. I've never timed it but I'm guessing it usually takes less than 30 mins. for him to fall asleep. I'm sure one day our children will be secure enough to lay in their beds and fall asleep quietly on their own.
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