So over the last few weeks my 9 month old has taken to not sleeping very well. Truthfully it has been more like 2 months, ever since our move to NC. He may nap but only for an hour (two hours on a good day - yay!) and he rarely sleeps through the night. However to his credit when he wakes at night, after nursing he will go back to sleep (unless he wakes after 5 am, which then he is simply awake).
Now we don't remember this problem with our first son, albeit it was 6 years ago. By this point in his life he was on formula, was in daycare during the day and slept great at night. With our newest addition I was convicted on the need to nurse him as long as possible. Working full-time and being a nursing mom is hard. It takes commitment and consistency. With my first baby, I did not make it a priority and my milk production dwindled after 4 months. This time around I was determined to nurse as long as I could, at least to 12 months. I had friends praying for me and I was committed to make it work. And praise Lord my milk production is fabulous!
I have read countless blogs and articles on how to create a good sleeper. My husband and I have talked at length about the various schools of thoughts on creating a good sleeper. Nurture, cry it out, switch to formula, etc. It seems like everyone I talk to has a different opinion and is very willing to share what I need to do.
After considering all of the different strategies I decided that I need to establish a nap-time / bed-time routine for him, to program his little brain to sleep. So this past week I have worked hard at creating & sticking to a routine. And he slept fairly good. That is until Friday night. The kid must have come with a weekend sensor. The two days I can sleep in without the pressure of a pending workday looming...he was wide awake at 4am (Sat) & 5 am (Sun). Not cool little man.
Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who is willing to get up early if needed to relieve me. Although because he works in the evenings so I try to let him sleep as much as possible.
This afternoon while rocking little man (after 10+ minutes of screaming his little lungs out) I found myself praying and then subsequently in a time of confession. After all of this reading, brainstorming & sleeplessness...I hadn't asked God what was best for Levi. What?!? How could I not have consulted the One who created him? The One who knit Levi together in my womb.
This was a HUGE awakening for me. This longtime child of God and wife of a pastor is a little ashamed to say (type) it out-loud - I had not sought from the Lord what to do. Needless to say, right there while rocking Levi to praise music and praying for guidance, he fell right to sleep. I don't have a magic bed-time solution yet but I know the One who does!
So to all those well meaning advice givers...before speaking what I'm sure is a well meaning piece of advice to a mom of a baby, please stop, remember your baby-season of life and offer a hug before you offer advice. Better yet...offer a big hug (skip the advice) and pray for her right then and there. You may end up with a hot mess of a mom on your shoulder and likely a little drool from her quick power nap during your prayer, but you will be blessing her heart more than any piece of advice you could give.
