November 5th, 2009

Naps

I feel that I am finally developing a parenting style now that Spencer is over three months old.  I am not devoted to a single parenting theory and have taken parts of attachment parenting and the RIE method and mixed it with some advice from random people and the internet.  It is working so far and I have really gained an incredible amount of confidence over the last six weeks.  The only thing I new for sure going in to this whole parenting thing was that I was not planning on using the cry-it-out method unless nothing else worked.

I am getting much closer to establishing enough of a routine to feel comfortable bringing in some childcare a few days a week in order to go back to work part-time.  The new plan is to return to the office by 12/13.    I was concerned about having the authority to explain to someone how to care for my child.  It may sound stupid, but I didn’t want my explanations to sound too willy-nilly.  The major thing left to do is establish some sort of napping routine.  Currently, I either let Spencer fall asleep naturally when nursing or force a nap when he seems overtired.  He still naps in 15-45 minute blocks and the pattern is pretty random.  I would like to move closer to a long nap in the morning and a long nap in the afternoon.  I think I will try Elizabeth Pantley’s No-Cry Nap Solution.   Some of the other mom’s in my breastfeeding group have had good luck with her sleeping through the night book so the napping one seems worth a try.

October 31st, 2009

Good Baby

I paid a visit to work to watch a presentation by my former team.  The visit was great- it was good to see everyone, the baby was admired and I gave my support to the team.  However, I did notice something annoying.  Just about every other person asked me one of two things: is he a good baby or does he sleep through the night.  I am not really sure how to answer either of these questions.

Is he a good baby? Of course he is a good baby.  Well, he is my only baby so I don’t really know any different, but what are they expecting me to say? No, actually he is evil and I regret everything that led to this point.  This may just be a work platitude like when you ask how someone is and she always just answers fine.  I have had cashiers and relatives ask me this question too, but not as often as the next.

Does he sleep through the night? There are several answers to this: sometimes, he sleeps enough and he sleeps in some good blocks.  What I never really answer is that as a breastfeed baby it is unusual for him to sleep through the night.  I’ve noticed that the nurses at work actually ask me if I am getting enough sleep.  This is much better; there is no stigma or expectation attached.  People have this expectation that “sleeping through the night” is an imperative.  It isn’t.  I am more than happy to get up and nurse my baby all night.

September 17th, 2009

Back to work?

I brought the baby in to the office today for a lunchtime visit. This resulted in some mixed feelings. I really miss the people, but the work? Not so much…