Great big baby steps
Since the doctor made her offhand comment about night-time feedings, I have noticed that Isabel is consistently feeding to sleep. Gah! The only exception is if I am wearing her in a wrap, in which case she will fall asleep from being walked around. But normally if she is sleepy, she tells me she wants some food, then she just eats for a minute before she falls asleep. She's not really hungry, just sleepy!
So, this afternoon for her first afternoon nap, I lay her down on the couch and patted her back until she fell asleep. It took about half an hour (and putting the pacifier back in her mouth about a hundred times), but she did finally drop off without a fuss. I was so happy I wanted to scoop her up and hug her (which would have defeated the purpose).
This afternoon I went to the library to borrow their copy of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I know, it sounds flakey, which is why I have passed it by up until now. But someone online said to try this book, and man do I need advice. Here is the part of Amazon's review that made me want to read this book right now:
These concepts aren't designed to force your bundle of joy into not following her body's needs, but rather to create a feasible middle ground between total rigidity and on-demand food and sleep (and no time for mom to shower). If it still strikes you as too regimented, keep reading. The author makes room for differences in personal style and includes short quizzes to determine whether you're a "planner" or a "winger", and what level of daily structure you are likely to find helpful. In the same chapter, she identifies five general temperaments of infants, how to get an accurate feel for yours, and what methods of care are likely to be the most effective for his temperament.
This advice seems crucial because it has recently occured to me that I don't know what to do with a wakeful, happy baby. I can quickly and competently fix any cause of fussiness, but when she is sitting there just looking at me I am at a loss. I sometimes flop a toy around in front of her or talk to her, but we both start to get bored with that after about ten minutes. I'm still in favour of on-demand food and sleep, but not having any time to myself is proving to be hard on me. Maybe a little scheduling would be a good thing? I am going to read the book and see what I think.
So, this afternoon for her first afternoon nap, I lay her down on the couch and patted her back until she fell asleep. It took about half an hour (and putting the pacifier back in her mouth about a hundred times), but she did finally drop off without a fuss. I was so happy I wanted to scoop her up and hug her (which would have defeated the purpose).
This afternoon I went to the library to borrow their copy of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I know, it sounds flakey, which is why I have passed it by up until now. But someone online said to try this book, and man do I need advice. Here is the part of Amazon's review that made me want to read this book right now:
These concepts aren't designed to force your bundle of joy into not following her body's needs, but rather to create a feasible middle ground between total rigidity and on-demand food and sleep (and no time for mom to shower). If it still strikes you as too regimented, keep reading. The author makes room for differences in personal style and includes short quizzes to determine whether you're a "planner" or a "winger", and what level of daily structure you are likely to find helpful. In the same chapter, she identifies five general temperaments of infants, how to get an accurate feel for yours, and what methods of care are likely to be the most effective for his temperament.
This advice seems crucial because it has recently occured to me that I don't know what to do with a wakeful, happy baby. I can quickly and competently fix any cause of fussiness, but when she is sitting there just looking at me I am at a loss. I sometimes flop a toy around in front of her or talk to her, but we both start to get bored with that after about ten minutes. I'm still in favour of on-demand food and sleep, but not having any time to myself is proving to be hard on me. Maybe a little scheduling would be a good thing? I am going to read the book and see what I think.