We went through a rough week. Ethan started teething (for real this time) and wanted nothing more than to feed (constantly) and to be held (constantly). I was unable to bathe, use the toilet, or even eat. I was drained, both physically and emotionally. I decided to give sleep training a shot. After all, Ethan sleeps SO WELL at night, nap time shouldn't be any different. 

I did a lot of research online and to my dismay, there wasn't very much about sleep training for naps. So after my 5-day success story, I decided to do my part to help out other moms who might want to sleep train their babies for naps. 

This is an exhaustive log of our 5-day sleep training process:

Sleep Training: Day 1 (Friday, June 5th)
Finished 210 ml of formula at 2:30 then changed poopy nappy
Put down at 2:45
Started crying at 2:52
Went up at 3:02 and picked him up
Put him down at 3:05 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 3:15 and picked him up
Put him down at 3:15 and he immediately started crying
Stopped crying at 3:22
Slept til we woke him at 6:22

Sleep Training: Day 2 (Saturday, June 6th)
Put down at 9:43
Started crying at 9:46
Went up at 9:56 and picked him up
Put him down at 9:58 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 10:08 and picked him up
Put him down at 10:09 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 10:19 and picked him up
Cried nonstop til 10:28
Put him down at 10:28 and he continued crying
Went up at 10:38 and picked him up
Put him down at 10:39 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 10:49 and picked him up
Put him down at 10:50 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 11:00 and picked him up
Put him down at 11:03 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 11:33 and picked him up, changed his poopy nappy, and decided to feed him and try again later  

Attempt 2:
Put down at 12:21
Started crying at 12:27
Went up at 12:37 and picked him up
Put him down at 12:40 and he immediately started crying
Went up at 12:55 and picked him up
Decided to try again later 

Attempt 3:
Finished 210 ml of formula at 1:33 and changed poopy nappy
Put down at 1:39
Asleep by 1:43
Woke up at 5:08

Sleep Training: Day 3 (Sunday, June 7th)
Put down him at 3:30 and he immediately started crying
Cried til 3:35, stopped, started again at 3:47
Went up at 3:47 and picked him up
Put him down at 3:50 and he immediately started crying
Stopped crying at 3:56 but continued fussing til 4:13
Started crying again at 4:30. Guess he wasn't sleepy!

Sleep Training: Day 4 (Monday, June 8th)
Fed for 21 minutes and kept falling asleep on the breast
Put down at 9:06 and immediately started crying
Went up at 9:16 and picked him up
Cried consistently, put down at 9:18, and he continued crying
Went up at 9:30 and picked him up
Cried consistently, put down at 9:32, and he continued crying
Went up at 9:47
Drank 140ml of formula from 9:50 to 10:05
Changed poopy nappy at 10:10
Put down at 10:18
Fussed til 10:21 then fell asleep

Sleep Training: Day 5 (Tuesday, June 9th)
Finished 210 ml of formula at 9:34
Put down at 9:35
Asleep by 9:55

So there you have it, folks! It IS possible! The common denominator between the successful times was that he was fed a bottle beforehand. At first, this was frustrating me. Was he not getting enough to satisfy from breastfeeding? Is this going to be the start of a bad habit we struggle to break when he is older? I did some more research (I love information on babies!) and learned that breastmilk and formula metabolize differently in a baby [source]. Since Ethan is somewhat used to having bottles of formula, he is used to having more in quantity. What he gets from breastfeeding, though enough to keep him healthy and full, isn't quite enough to keep him satisfied enough to self-soothe, just because it isn't as much as he would get from a bottle of formula. And THAT'S OKAY. (I'm repeatedly telling myself that....It makes me feel better.) Who cares that he needs a bottle to fall asleep on his own? It works. My baby is growing and he is fed and he is loved. That's all that matters. 

I'm improving! Only 6 days late this time! Ha!

Do you ever feel so desperate and helpless where the only words that come to mind are "Lord, help!"—when you know there's nothing you can do on your own strength?

Motherhood often brings me to the most humbling position—on my knees. (I say that only figuratively. I mean, let's be honest, I'm usually sitting on the sofa breastfeeding.) Life is new, life is different, life is exciting! A new baby brings in many new joys but also many new challenges. I've realized, now more than ever, that I am terrible at balancing my time, that I have no clue what I should prioritize, and that I often end up neglecting my own needs so I can coddle my baby. I don't want to spoil him, but I'm not exactly motivated to bathe when my baby is screaming from teething pain and just wanting to be held. There goes my shower, there goes my chance to eat, and there goes any hopes of making my house look liveable (at the very least).