Sleep like a Baby?

Sleep like a Baby?
As any new parents can tell you, the ecstatic joy a newborn baby brings is always accompanied by grilling challenges. Mine comes in the form of having a beautiful baby who just wouldn’t sleep from dinner time to 2 am every day, who has to be carried in the arms constantly during this patience-trying period of time.
While I was still pregnant, I had this vision of myself being cool, calm and collected whenever my baby cries, assessing the fact that if she is well fed and healthy, there is no cause for concern. Not so. Whenever my baby cries, my poor husband has to tolerate two crying babies in the house. It is indeed like my heart strings being tugged with her every little tear.
However, as my healthy thriving baby gains more and more weight, it is becoming impractical to nurse her in my arms for a quarter of the day. Something has to be done and fortunately, this country really does offer great health care facilities for new mums.
So yesterday I went to this old cottage where two wonderful child health nurses taught me how to teach my baby to go to sleep in a cot. Who would think babies need to learn how to sleep? But apparently they do. Considering that my baby’s mum used to be an insomniac herself (now in my sleep deprived state I can fall asleep anytime), I guess that is fair enough.
Now that we have this new routine, I have to learn to tolerate a lot more crying from my baby. It is the first time I have to give her something that she doesn’t want, causing her to be upset, but it is something that is actually good for her. She needs the good that comes from sleep, which I can provide best for her by teaching her to sleep in her own bed instead of relying on my weak arms which will not be able to hold her for 6 hours a day soon.
(Plus it will give me time to do other things, like keeping the house clean and sitting down to write this blog, for instance)
It is indeed a tough lesson for me, and it helps me to understand that God knows what’s best for me and how He sometimes has to withhold what I think I want in return for giving me what I really need. I may kick up a fuss when I don’t get what I want, but He loves me and so will not give in to my immature desires. God in His wisdom will give me the best; and He has already shown His deepest love to me, by giving me His best – His only son Jesus.
Pansy

Your Comments:

hi pansy,
we have exactly the same problem with our 6 wk old girl who’s getting heavier each day….
i started trying to teach her to sleep in her cot today but after few hours of sitting next to the cot, patting her, still no success…
how did you teach your baby to sleep?

Helen on 29/09/2009

Hi Helen!

Congratulations on your 6 week old baby girl! I know how it feels to have a baby who just won’t sleep. I’m no expert in teaching babies to sleep myself, but I’ve found the advice given by nurses at the Early Childhood Centre in my suburb most helpful. After listening sympathetically, they referred me onto a service which is dedicated to teaching new parents settling techniques. So assuming that you live in Australia, that would be my first port of call.

Otherwise the Tresillian helpline http://www.tresillian.net/ is also most helpful. They’re available 24 hours.

Mind you, it took me 6 months to teach my baby girl to sleep in her own cot! So I’m no success story at all! I pray that God will help you to rejoice in your baby girl even during the most challenging hours in the middle of the night!

Pansy on 30/09/2009

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful and beneficial to your readers. I’ve recently read a very interesting book concerning this problem (downloaded it by <a > torrent search engine </a> ) but I’m really glad to find your site for a change

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Gene on 22/07/2010

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