Sleeping through the Night

Sleeping through the night, or more commonly referred to as STTN in the internet world, is a goal that most parents in our culture desperately desire.  What is this obsession with getting our children to sleep through the night from the day they are born?  I understand that as new parents, we want to get rest and if our child sleeps for long stretches, we will be able too.  If our child sleeps through the night, we feel like we must be great parents (when in reality, it had nothing to do with our parenting style).

Here's proof of my very own obsession with J sleeping long stretches at night:

Click to enlarge.

The above image only shows some of the "positive" feedback I received from J sleeping well when he was (check the date) 2 weeks 5 days old.  There's no way this would be a normal scenario for any child, let alone my own.  But was I proud of this fact?  Yes.  Did I want to share it with the world?  Clearly.  Was I secretively so happy that I was the one posting this status and not anyone else?  You bet!

Here are two recent status updates from other friends of mine with children under 2 months:

The comment that really kills 

me on this one is the "Good Girl!" comment.  

What, so R isn't a good girl if she doesn't sleep 9 hours?  Ugh.

This child is 3 weeks 6 days old.

Now at four months, J typically goes to sleep around 6:30 -7:30 and will sleep until 12:30, when he's up to nurse for the first time.  This is a great 5 to 6 hour stretch of which I do not reap the benefits because I stay up watching M.ad M.en and blogging doing chores.  When I do go to bed, he usually wakes up for his "midnight snack" and spends the rest of the night in bed with me and T.  After which, I can honestly tell you, I have no idea how long he sleeps/how often he nurses because I have learned to nurse while sleeping.  It's heavenly.

As I g.oogled "Sleep Through the Night," I found a multitude of websites on sleeping training.  Some legitimate, some notsomuch.  I also began reading about nighttime nursing (and/or bottle feeding) and how children so desperately need those feeding sessions to help combat SIDS, encourage attachment, and give energy for growth.  It is at night when children grow the most, so wouldn't we want them to have the energy necessary to do so?

Is sleeping through the night for our convenience or is it in the best interest of the child?  I struggle with this question myself.  Do I want J to sleep through the night?  Hell to the yes.  But not before his cute little butt is ready to.

Bottom line:  Follow your child.  When he/she is ready to sleep through the night, he/she will sleep through the night!  And if you get there at 2 months or 2 years, congratulations!

Disclaimer:  This is no way is saying that sleep training is not necessary or very important for some children.  Each child is different and will require different parenting styles and techniques.  If your child will only sleep when you implement sleep training, then that is exactly what he/she needs.  You know your child best.