Sunday, April 1, 2012

This too shall pass

As a parent, one of the first things you learn is that your child will go through many different phases. Nursing every two hours, teething, throwing food, whatever you're dealing with, it is most likely a stage.
The problem is, when you are living it, you can get very discouraged and feel like it will never end.
Just a few weeks ago, I was speaking to a new mom whose 7 week old baby was colicky and not sleeping much. When I told her that things pass and get better, I could see that she did not believe me. She wanted to, but she was so caught up in the here and now that she could not imagine another reality.
I am trying to keep this in mind as I am going through a new stage with Baby AY. He is usually a pretty good sleeper but this past week he has been wanting to be nursed and snuggled with for 45 minutes to an hour in order to fall asleep. And he has been having trouble staying asleep, waking more often at night. I am not sure what is behind this stage- teething, growth spurt, no reason at all. It does not matter why, it is just really bad timing with Passover less than a week away (!!) and nights being my prime time to get things done. But truthfully it is never a good time to be sleep deprived.
So while intellectually, I am thinking "It's a phase, he will get over it," emotionally I have kind of had it. I mean I love to snuggle with him, he is very yummy but every night from 8 30 to 9 30 is a bit much. People often say, "enjoy every minute, they grow so fast'. It is true, they are growing super fast, but that does not mean that every second is enjoyable. Honestly, some parts of parenting are just not fun. Toilet-training, tantrums and vomit are just a few things that come to mind. While we cherish some moments, there are other times where we cannot wait for a day/month/stage to be OVER.
 So I just keep repeating to myself- this too shall pass. One day he will sleep six or more hours straight. One day Y and M will be fully trained and there will be no more daily loads of wet pants and underwear. Until then, I will just try to be patient and focus on the good stuff.
Update- I started this post three days ago. It took me awhile to finish it and I am happy to report that I have found a solution to AY's nightly nursing marathons. After lying down with him and feeding him for about fifteen minutes, I transfer him into his crib with a pacifier (which he is finally agreeing to take) and his Aden and Anais swaddle cloth (I found another good use for them). Not sure if he likes holding it because it smells like me, like breastmilk or because it is soft, but this seems to do the trick. This only works if he has nursed enough and he is really ready to sleep but problem solved for now. On to the next stage:)

1 comment:

  1. thanks for that, i think all mums can relate to that!! fahren morgen nach israel, have a good jontew. regards from zurich, michi

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