In reality, I think the sleeping baby is some sort of urban legend - made up by Hallmark and the P.T.O. - to make you buy more parenting books. Yet people are constantly asking that question... "does your baby sleep through the night yet?" As if sleeping through the night is some sort of developmental goal the baby is bound to reach. It can make a new mom wonder "what's wrong with my kid? Why can't he get a peaceful 12 hours like those rest of the "good" babies?
I've read and I've researched. We've bought every pacifier on the market, a security blanket safe for sleeping, and three different night lights. We've used hand-me-down velcro swaddling blankets and expensive bamboo ones I got as a shower gift. We go to bed with womb sounds pumping loudly. We've rocked, we've swung, we've taken baths and car rides. The boy STILL doesn't sleep for more than three hours at a time... if we're lucky.
One thing we are lucky about is that once Felix wakes, all he really wants is a little booby action. One of the many perks of breastfeeding is that you don't have to get out of bed to feed. When I'm exhausted, I even let Felix nurse laying down next to me so he barely wakes. I know letting him fall asleep latched on is frowned upon in the breastfeeding community... but he really looks so happy all cuddled up, mouth gaping open with breastmilk drooling from its side. I have trouble not falling asleep myself, during these peaceful night time feeds. I will admit, sometimes I just can't keep my eyelids open. I've woken up an hour after his first few sips, Felix snoozing, and thought, "oh, shit - how long did he eat for? It could've been three minutes, it could've been thirty!" Knowing my hefty boy, it was probably thirty - have you seen the size of this kid?
Felix has spunk, and I like it - even if it means a few months (please, God, don't let it be years) of sleepless nights. He's a fire sign, afterall. His energy will make him interesting, funny, witty, smart... atleast that's what I tell myself at 3 a.m.
Yeah, the "Does she sleep through the night" question is frustrating. Especially when my mom likes to say, "you and your sister were SUCH good sleepers!" Which tells me, my kids take after their father... HA! I think they should have a percentage or something out there of good sleepers vs. bad sleepers. Then, it would probably make us feel MUCH better about our babes.
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