Sleep? What's That Again?

I used to think that Moms who said their babies slept through the night were lying. Seriously, 10-12 hours of sleep? That would mean I could sleep more than a 3 hour stretch. I really, really didn't believe them. Then along came Lucienne. And guess what, she slept through the night (see the past tense there? Can you sense where this blog is going?). Some babies just come wired that way. It was nothing I did. No sleep or night training. She just did it.

Then a couple weeks ago she got the flu. I can't remember ever having a baby sick at such a young age (other than a cold here and there). She was miserable for a week. Barely ate during the day and what she did eat just came right back up (thank goodness for breastmilk). I was watching pretty close for signs of dehydration. Her diapers were barely wet, her lips were pretty dry but she still had tears and her skin was okay so I just kept trying to get her to eat little bits at a time. Her best times to breastfeed were at night. She didn't seem to bring up as much and she was up anyway just being uncomfortable.

However, I don't think she had realized I was a 24 hour service station and she's now become a frequent visiter. She slept better during her flu and the few times she came down with colds then she does now. With the other girls it didn't seem to bother me as much doing the frequent night feedings because they had done it from the beginning and a full nights sleep was a distant dream. Evelyn and Audree slept most of their first two years in our bed and I loved it, it was more comfortable and I slept through most feeds.

Lucienne raised the bar though. She's been doing 10 hour nights since she was a month old so now at eight I have zero patience for these night feedings. I've tried bringing her into our bed but they are the worst nights - I have forgotten how to sleep with a baby. I have a sneaking suspicion she's teething but she already has two and she managed to get through those without waking all night.

Now I'm not sure what to do. I want to go back to the old way because I have forgotten how to be good night time mother but I've never been one for night training. Around two it all seems to work out. That's 16 months from now. I don't know what is better, to be sleep deprived but know nothing else or to have seen the light only to have it taken away.