It happen, we didn’t have to force it either.

Posted on Feb 03 in Featured, parenting, personal stories, pregnancyby TalinaPrint

Parenting is a funny thing. When we learn a baby is on the way we begin to plan the details, we read about what is ahead and we build up our expectations. When bundle of joy arrives people tell us about getting baby to sleep through the night, how to control crying, how to structure feeding schedules, when start solids, how or when to wean, when to potty train and so on…

Everyone has advice to share and sooo many things “they know best”, including ourselves. Parents become filled with doubt, uncertainty and sometimes even question their own methods along the way.

I know, I’ve experienced all of the above.

The thing that truly amazes me is how smoothly various stages have gone when we just followed Everly’s cues. I mean, I read and fretted about sleep training. We were desperate to get some sleep at night in the newborn stage. We couldn’t stomach cry-it-out and even had a hard time with the Little Miss sleeping out of our room in the beginning.

Following Everly’s cues lead us to very careful co-sleeping so she could nurse on demand all night, be satisfied, feel safe and guess what. We got sleep too! Also, it made her MORE adjusted to sleep dependence later. The transition from family bed sleeping to swing sleeping, to bassinet sleeping to independent sleeping in her own crib & room wasn’t all that trying. She was crib sleeping in her room at about 7 months.

Now breastfeeding has been another thing that people assume will just go on and on if parents don’t step in and force weaning. I am amazed and happy to report that is also false.

Everly is 19 months old and some time in the last 10 weeks or so I think my milk has dried up as a response to the increased demands my new pregnancy has placed on my body. At about the 1 year mark Everly was down to only comfort nursing on occasion and then nursing before sleep time, about 1-4 times a day and usually sleeping through the night.

Before the pregnancy we were down to nursing only before sleep time, yes… I was still nursing her to sleep. Here is the kicker, she’ll go down for a nap or for the night with her daddy sans nursing if I’m out of the house doing something. This is a very positive sign. And now that my milk is pretty much dried up (I think) she still feels the need to dry nurse when she has the option but the actual act of breastfeeding is no-more… and the world didn’t end.

My point is baby lead stuff works for many things within reason and it paves the way for smoother sailing as we transition away from those once enjoyed baby comforts like co-sleeping and breastfeeding, what is even crazier, it all happens on it’s own.

So trust your baby’s cues and your instincts as parents. Don’t let the propaganda, books and experts sway your choices or cloud your mind. Do what seems to work for your baby, each one is different and has different needs.