New Baby Blues

A wise woman once gave me excellent advice after I lamented about having to be awakened from a dead sleep to feed my baby one more time. She was wise, because her advice was: if you consider getting up in the night with your baby a privilege instead of a chore, you will actually be able to actually enjoy that time that you have with her.

"A privilege"? Mmmm.

I thought about that statement. Yes, it truly is a privilege to be able to cuddle and snuggle those tiny ears, that tiny neck. It's truly a privilege to smell that heavenly odor that only newborns have. It's truly a privilege to know that you are that babies soul source of life. Truly a privilege.

I was a young mama then. Now I am much older and hopefully wiser. Now my babies are grown and mostly gone. Now I find myself wishing for those times back.

I was able to see that wise woman's perspective from that point on and this was the beginning of my quest to seek a gentler approach to nighttime parenting. I brought my baby to bed with me and was able to actually get more sleep in the long run because I wasn't getting up and waking up fully to walk to her room. This led to, of course, nighttime parenting all my babies from that time forward. They have grown in to healthy well adjusted young ladies and gentlemen.

Of course, it wasn't always easy. I would be the first to admit that. I hope, though, that I imparted some hope to a struggling, tired mama out there.
Blessings.