It seems every week we're looked at sympathetically by someone telling us how their baby slept for eight hours immediately from birth?
Sure, I bet there are babies that do sleep for longer than average, but I doubt that everyone we know with a baby is in that minority.
I also know that LC was was 5 weeks early and a such doesn't currently eat as much as other 'full term' babies of the same age as her.
But, I just don't care!
When we first got LC home she would go for an hour (hour and a half if we were lucky) between feeds as she just couldn't eat any more than her little tummy would take. Yes, it was hard work but we made it through those couple of weeks by working together and doing shifts.
Now she is 12 weeks we've just for up to four hours between feeds. Heaven to us but we're still sympathised with by the superior baby parents.
One person told V that their daughter slept through from 8 weeks only for her father to tell me that they still get up to her once a night - at 4 months old.
So, why lie about it? I get parents are proud of their kids but they are all babies at one point and they all have their good and bad points.
You don't need to lie about your babies development to impress me. You have to have grown up yourself to do that!
Rant over, sorry folks :)
The competitive parenting is only just getting started!!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand it either. The nicest and most valued mum/dad friends I have are the ones who are honest and tell it like it is. There are no medals for having the best (or the worst) baby and, in my opinion, one of the good things about becoming parents is finding something in common with other parents - so it's daft to pretend about things and make others feel bad in the process.
Anyway, just ignore them, sounds like you are all doing brilliantly (those newborn days are totally crazy - all you need to do is survive!)
Gemma (@Speegetti)
I blame the person who told me (when Arlo was a few days old) that all four of their children were sleeping through from six weeks for my wholly unrealistic expectations of how my newborn should sleep. I'm a little less naive about babies now, and I don't see how that statement could possibly be true.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I must say that I find now (with a 12 month old who is still up 1-3 times a night) that more often than not it's the other way round. People with babies that sleep through keep their mouths shut about it for fear of rubbing it in. I am happy to live in complete ignorance of other babies' sleeping habits!
I havent had a decent nights sleep for 6 years. I was lucky 1 & 2 were OK sleepers. 3 has always woke regularly in the night, easy to settle off again though, 4 has bouts of insomnia and can be up hours through the night. Better now she is 4 years old we can just chuck a book at her and tell her to be quiet. 5 is OK at sleeping, and 6 he is 5 months and can still wake twice for a feed.
ReplyDeleteI embrace the sleeplessness, if I fight it then I feel cack about it.