It's mummy mummy mummy most of the time. I spend the day with Cave Baby, feed her to sleep and lie beside her all night. But dads have special powers and sometimes they can do things that us mums can't. This morning, CB woke up at 6.15 and decided it was time to get up and crawl. Now some unfortunate souls might be thinking, "6.15, that's not too bad", but in our house nothing exists before 7am. There is just no way I will entertain the possibility of getting up at a time that starts with a 6. If she wakes up too early I try to get her back to sleep and if that doesn't work, I just keep on lying her down and sticking her on the breast until 7am, when I give in. (By the way, don't get jealous about the sleep I get - she never goes to bed before 9pm. But I prefer late nights to early mornings).
So this morning I tried in vain for ten minutes to get her back to sleep. Sometimes the breast just doesn't work - in the morning suckling seems to wake her up rather than put her back to sleep. She was fed up with the whole business and turned away from me to face her daddy. I don't know why, but in these circumstances Cave Father seems to have special baby sleep powers. All he does is put his hand on her and shush, but somehow it works where all my efforts fall short. Perhaps it's the weight and firmness of his hand. Perhaps it's the depth and resonance of his voice. Whatever it is, thank the lord that it works. I got an extra hour's sleep and a warm feeling that perhaps one day, if I keep my fingers and toes crossed, daddy will be able to put her to bed.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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8 comments:
The day daddy puts her to bed will surely come...for me it heralded the end of breastfeeding (baby's choice, not mine) so it was a rather bittersweet milestone.
I am with you on the 7 o'clock issue... Daddy thankfully gets up with her at the weekends and they play and do breakfast whilst I sleep, ah bliss! x
We used to keep our little one up late but then he started to require an earlier bedtime. Now he gets up earlier. I miss the extra sleep and think I may need to go to bed earlier now, too!
Sometimes daddy does have magical powers. I think because babies are so used to mommy giving them the breast, and sometimes they don't need it or want it and so aren't sure what to do with their mama. Thank goodness for daddies who are willing to help out when mama is tired!
I think there's a certain relationship/chemistry with mama (if the baby is accustomed to being with mama a lot and during the night) that can create restlessness.
It's rae in our house when she goes off to dad because she is so high needs, but just yesertday morning, I was so tired and she wouldn't settle back. I took her to dad and she fell asleep almost immediately.
I agree with Lisa as well. It seems a lot of babies understand that dad has no booby to give and so they feel more able to settle. It's a simpler relationship.
It's a great thing when Daddy can take over in that department. It's still not 100% success when Daddy tries to put H down, but at least some nights it works!
I just sent daddy upstairs to put our restless one year old down and neither of 'em have made a peep up there for over an hour!
For sure he'll be able to put her down. She'll learn how to put him down too!
See, I'm not the only one whose baby needs her mum to get her to sleep. But if you read parenting magazines you'd think that in every other family, dads do it all the time. Grrr, they make me mad for making me feel a failure :(
Cave Mother, have you tried Mothering magazine? Not that's an honest parenting magazine, if you ask me. Makes me feel good all the time.
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