Sleep Training Continues

Yes. The week and a half that it was supposed to take to wean Winona from night nursing has taken us much longer. Matter of fact, it is still happening. It is this last step that we can't quite get. We are having a hard time sticking with this one.
The first step was 3 nights of giving Winona boob every time she woke up fussing but not letting her fall asleep nursing. It was hard and Jake really stepped it up and helped me out big time. It was difficult letting someone else tend to her crying in the night. However, she won't let me do anything but nurse her. We extended step one to five nights.
The next step was not nursing Winona when she woke up at all. I still nurse her to sleep initially but when she wakes up and nuzzels for my breast she doesn't get it. Jake has had to dance and bounce her back to sleep. We are really still on this step and it's been about a week. It has gotten better and she falls asleep much easier. I think she is starting to get used to the fact that she isn't getting breastfed.
So he step that we are having the hard time with... When she cries we are supposed to just let her lay there and cry. It isn't working for us. Now I'm not condemning those who choose methods of sleep training like CIO (cry it out.). Different things work for different families. That was not for us and now it is still hard to just listen to her cry and not pick her up. I know that all her needs are met and she can't possibly be frightened but I can't stand it!! We have full intentions of moving to the third and final step. We are just letting her (ourselves) adjust more to step two and ease into it. We will see now it goes. Btw, please excuse the typos as I am posting from my iPhone.

Rockabye Baby

We are deep into day six of what we are just referring to as "sleep training."  It's hard.  Forgive me for my lack of description but I am exhausted and a little on edge.  

First, let me preface all of this by letting you know that we co-sleep.  Winona has slept in our bed every night since the day she was born.  Her crib was more for aesthetic "nursery" appearance.  Now she has a toddler bed and I guess I've just been kind of lazy about trying to get her in it.  She sleeps better and longer in our bed.  We like having her next to us.  

I also still breastfeed and Winona nurses throughout the night.  It has always worked well for us.  Having a family bed and breastfeeding meant that I could just roll over and take care of my crying baby with little effort or sleep loss.  Until recently.  I'm just on the end of my quickly fraying rope of sanity with night time feeding.  I praise all the mommies who can keep going.  However, for me I have made this decision as a way of taking care of myself.  

I can't be the best Mama when I am frustrated and exhausted.  

I have to keep reminding myself of this as the guilt starts to creep into my mind.  The guilt that I am not giving all that I can give.  There is the feeling that as a Mother it is my duty to squeeze every last drop of giving I have in me, like a lemon.  And then once all the lemon juice is squeezed I should probably zest the hell out of it!!  I don't want to be a juice less, zest less lemon.  I need to be somewhat intact.  

There is another big reason that helped push me to this decision.  A big ugly reason.  Baby Tooth Decay.  GASP!!!  Yikes.  I don't want my sweet girl to get yucky rotten teeth.  Not to mention that baby tooth decay affects adult teeth as well.  

We are loosely following a schedule of night time weaning that looks a little like this.  For three nights (we chose to do six), when she woke up, I nurse her for a little bit and then remove her from the breast and then cuddle/hug and reassure her that everything is okay.  She has to fall asleep without nursing.  She is pissed!!  Tonight starts the hard part.  No breast.  Just hugs and reassurance.  I'm scared.  

I have felt like giving up many times and I know Jake has as well, but I know we are making the right decision for our family.  I also know that all this hard work will pay off.  I'll try to update on how this journey is going.

Have you had similar experiences to this or tough mountains to climb to get to the top?