One of the things I find most interesting with becoming a parent is the advice that people are so eager to give... Many times it's very appreciated and useful advice, but some pieces of "advice" that people choose to share can be condescending or make me feel like I'm a bad Mom! It took me a few months to realize that since I am the one raising my sweet baby, what really matters is what I feel is right .
We are "blessed" with one of those stubborn babies who does NOT like to sleep. He is so alert and involved in what's around him, that he doesn't want to miss out so to him, sleeping doesn't seem like fun! I read 4 books on sleep training... Different methods, tips and tricks, etc. Looking for any insight I could to help my baby( and me) get some much needed sleep. I asked so many people "HOW did you get your baby to sleep??" What surprised me the most is that for so many parents out there, sleep never was a problem for their baby! They have little angels that sleep well, and they never really had to do sleep training, or put much effort into coaxing their little one to sleep. This made me so frustrated! I am such a busy Mom... I work ( full time at the moment) and am in my last semester of nursing school. My husband also works full time, which means that we both have been so sleep deprived and emotionally drained that our lives outside our home have pretty much disappeared.
After over a month of severe sleep deprivation , things have FINALLY started to get better. We have finally started to see progress in sleeping habits of Scotty... Not by following any of these "sleep plans", not by strictly letting our baby cry.. But by a unique method which is driven by the instinct of his parents! The books on the subject were very useful, as were many pieces of advice given by multiple friends and family members. However, the most useful insight in this situation was my own instinct and knowledge of my baby's personality! No, things aren't perfect yet, but getting 4-5 straight hours of sleep inbetween waking is a HUGE step for us. And what's even better, Scotty is learning to fall asleep on his own. No more endless rocking, shushing, and pacifiers to get him to sleep( only to have him wake when I try to put him in the crib). As I speak, he is down for a nap that he 1. Didn't take endless rocking to fall asleep. 2. Was put into the crib awake and calmed himself to sleep!
I guess my point is, there are so many different aspects of parenting, and thanks to social media, all we see are these "perfect" babies and parents. It is easy to feel like a bad Mom! But I know that nothing is perfect, raising a child is HARD, and this is just the beginning!! I feel like my baby is healthy, growing physically and mentally, and that makes me the BEST mom I can be!!! I love this little guy so much!
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