Ok, we’ve had a bad day now! Maybe I’m not as settled to a new routine as I thought! The main problem seems to be sleep. She’s been ok with us for a while now in terms of going down at night and in the day, her first nap; she will take very easily in her cot. After that, we are normally out and she tends to catch her naps in the car between visits, so we’ve never really established a good routine.
Coupled with that she’s at a stage where she can roll and twist in all directions; getting trapped in uncomfortable positions rather than lying nicely on her back like she used to! I think that at nursery they have been struggling to get her to go down quietly for a nap which is disruptive to the other babies so they seem to still be swaddling her even though it’s been very hot and I had mentioned I would rather they didn’t.
The result is that she has stopped going to sleep so well at night and at the weekends it is a napping nightmare! This has been upsetting me so much that I was awake last night from 2-6am getting myself all worked up and stressing about what we could so about it. Also, this morning was the first time she cried when I left her, prompting more tears from me!
After a fruitless day at work where I couldn’t concentrate, I left early to ’surprise’ the nursery and see what was happening. Imogen was in a high chair with her dummy in her mouth (although I have said this is for naps only) and her nappy hanging half off. She hadn’t slept well so was very teary and cried for me as soon as she saw me, all of which did nothing to alleviate me worries!
The manager was on holiday so I asked to speak to some one else and tried to tell them my concerns without getting emotional, but have left feeling even worse!
Imogen has been sleeping through now for a couple of weeks- although I haven’t dared to write this before now or even say it out loud much in case it broke the spell! Since the trip to A&E we have stopped the dream feed as well as we were nervous it would come back, and so far so good! I know it won’t be permanent as she goes through the stages, but am enjoying it very much whilst it lasts! Last night we did have a little awakening, but a quick dummy sorted it – not sure how we’re going to wean those off but will cross that bridge when we get to it!
I’ve been meaning to write down my thoughts and experiences both as a record for myself but also for Imogen since I first found out I was pregnant, not least so I could show it to her when she is a teenager rebelling against her parents but so she can see what we went through & how well we meant!
I have never managed to get round to it though, and so when the Ovaltine team asked me to keep a record of life with a new baby, I leapt at the chance and it’s my New Years resolution to make time to do this – I just hope I keep it longer than the one to eat less cakes / biscuits / crisps / chocolate – anything I kept kidding myself I could get away with when pregnant and regretting now with the realisation that I need to do something to at least get back to my pre-pregnancy weight!
Imogen is nearly 12 weeks old now and the learning curve to becoming a parent is starting to even out slightly now we’re passed the initial steep incline – although still on the increase, just a slightly gentler slope! I have to keep reminding myself when we have a bad day or night how much harder it used to be and how much things have changed – it’s so easy to forget and focus on the current issues but we have made massive progress.
The greatest worry or hang up is about being a good parent – one that I guess is always there, it just manifests itself in different ways and on different topics! Leigh & I have had, and continue to have, endless discussions about what is the right way to get her to bed on time, how to encourage sleeping through the night, to breast feed or use formula, how long to let her cry for – the list goes on and I’m sure will evolve to new topics as she gets older!
The books are great for some of the basic details and top tips, but I’ve learnt to listen to all advice and then we make up our own minds! At the end of the day Imogen is her own person and we together are our own family, so we need to do what works best for all of us. When well-meaning people are telling me how I should be doing it I try to keep reminding myself of that!
Anyway, hopefully getting this all down will help me make decisions and also I would love some feedback and ideas from others on how they have dealt with the numerous challenges and issues faced every day!
