The last time we babysat, the poor girl was teething, and frankly we just couldn't handle it. I never felt so bad in my whole life as having to call my friend and say "We just can't take the screaming anymore!" and making her come and pick up Brea.
But this time we were prepared. We debated offering to babysit again because we chickened out the last time, but it really felt like this was something we had to learn how to take. After all it's not like we're going to give birth to a miracle child that never cries or screams.
And let me tell you...Brea SCREAMS!
Don't get me wrong, on the whole she's a sweet kid. Strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes. When she smiles it's this quirky little curve of her lips that makes you laugh when you see it. She babbles and talks to you. She loves mirrors and anything she can bang on. She likes the cats and dog and wants to be held and play. Great kid.
But when she screams it feels like someone it ramming and ice pick into my brain, attaching it to a drill, and turning on the power.
But we were determined to do it this time. We had to figure out how to cope with the not-so-fun parts of being parents. Calling mommy was not an option.
So we covered the basics first. We fed her and changes her diaper. Gave her a dark, quiet room and hummed while rubbing her back. She just kept screaming. I started to wonder if maybe she was at an age that we just needed to let her scream it out for a little while. (She's 8 months BTW) We sat back a little, close enough to be near her but not touching her and she just kept crying and screaming. Finally Laura suggested that I look through the diaper bag and see if her mom had left anything to help.
The minuet I pulled out the bottle she started babbling and reaching for it. Mind you we had already fed her baby food (butternut squash) but it was getting late. So I figured if the kid wants a warm bottle before bedtime let her have it. That was all it took. Once she had that in her mouth with a warm tummy she curled up and napped for a little while. When we started to get tired we moved her to the bedroom with us and made a little triangle with our bodies.
I gotta tell you no matter how many times the book says not to worry about rolling over on your baby I still slept like a board on that bed. Poor Laura ended up on this little sliver of mattress. But it did bring up and interesting topic we hadn't though about before.
What is your opinion on co-sleeping. It's something of a trend in parenting right now and I guess in most countries simply common sense. I honestly feel like it's just plain practical during those first few months when your up every 2 hours anyhow to feed your kid. Plus The Ultimate Guide To Pregnancy for Lesbians By Rachel Pepper, says that co-sleeping can reduce the risk of SIDS, as well as add a little comfort to a concerned first time parent. Laura says (and I'm inclined to agree)that every parent needs their space after a while and sooner or later the kid needs to learn how to sleep on their own and self calm. I would honestly say co-sleeping for the first 4 months, keep the crib in the room till 6 months, and then move the baby into another room so that they can learn to self comfort.
Whats your opinion?
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1 comments:
Don't worry, not only will you get used to your baby's cry (and subsequently -hate- all other babies') they will adjust it to drive you even crazier! Really, they are so manipulative, it's amazing!
I co-slept a ton with Yula, but at first I was terrified. Carl is an absolutely bonkers sleeper. He rolls and kicks and hits me and steals my pillows and ARGH. Enough about him. i slept with her on the edge of the bed, cradled in my arms for a long time. Of course there was her bassinet nearby that we would initially put her in at the start of the night, but since I breastfed and was exhausted, I just let her lay in my arms and cat napped.
There are definitely different schools of thought on co-sleeping. Some medical experts say it actually increases the risk of SIDS immensely, especially if your mattress is soft or if you're a roller. If you do choose to co-sleep, there's a couple of things you can do to prevent SIDS. Have a fan blowing, use a pacifier (which doesn't interfere with breastfeeding that much despite what the hippie experts say), make sure the baby always sleeps on their back etc.
Sorry, i guess I rambled a little bit! It's an exciting thing to learn about, regardless when you're able to have your child! I guess I was met with the challenge of old school parents with new school pediatricians, haha.
Whatever you guys choose to do needs to be right for you and your baby. Take what other people have to say to heart (especially your mothers!) but do what feels good to you!
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