Enduring Sleep Deprivation

Before getting back to solving my personal problems, I have to address my life with a sleepless baby. In general, I crave predictability in my kids. The fact that my two and a half year old, David, is a great sleeper and will go to bed or stay in his room after 8 pm every night is amazing. 


As a teenager, I used to hate putting kids to bed because of the exhausting effort it took to "make" them stay on their mattresses. I can't say how David was in the first several months of life, because i don't remember, but with Isaac, the first ten weeks were rough. He needed to be held and would not sleep alone for more than ten minutes at a time. Then, once he was thoroughly exhausted he would cry unconsolably for a few hours in the evening. You have no idea what this does to a person who is already tired and hopes to have a bit of space for her other son and to do anything else, like go to the bathroom. 


During Isaac's two month check-up, the nurse said to me, often things are hardest right before a big developmental breakthrough. So just as I thought I was going to lose it, things turned. In the last two days he started sleeping for long chunks of time during the day, partially due to the fact that we put him on his side to sleep. Now he is actually a happy baby while awake and I feel like I could really enjoy this! 


When I was struggling, I felt guilty for my frustration and anger at having to deal with his crying. Now I can sit and make silly noises that receive welcome smiles from the little guy. I am also feeling like I might be able to voice my opinions (i.e. get back to my blogging) about myself and begin looking forward! 


To all the mom's out there who are going through the first few months with a newborn, a few things to note, in order to survive, we have to believe it will get better, you will not remember this later, and if you don't relate to having a hard time, don't brag about it to the rest of us. There is nothing like hearing from a new mother that her baby sleep through the night. 


Enjoy the preciousness of your sleep!