There Was a Time...
There was a time when every time I put him down, he woke up.
There was a time when the only place he would sleep was on my chest.
There was a time when he would only nap attached to my breast.
There was a time when, if I tried to remove my breast, he would wake up.
There was a time when I would slip away, and he would wake 2 minutes later.
There was a time when I thought perhaps I just wasn’t any good at this whole nap thing.
But those times all passed.
Without tears.
Without training.
Without... anything.
He grew up.
His needs changed.
One more step away from me.
One more step away from needing the comfort of mum.
One day I was able to just lie him down.
One day I was able to just remove my breast from his mouth.
One day I was able to just leave the room and do other things while he continued to sleep.
There is so much advice out there about how to make this happen.
Or how to speed up the process.
Step by step guides.
Rules.
But all you really need is time and patience.
Fostering security rather than forcing independence.
Letting baby lead and trusting that process.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - they all get there eventually.
Some faster than others, but that’s the nature of growing up.
Georgina Dowden is a mother, midwife and lactation consultant (IBCLC).
In her day to day life, she looks after her two beautiful children and also supports other families on their parenting journey.
If you would like to get in touch for breastfeeding or sleep/settling support, please email:
Skype/FaceTime consultations available OR home visits if you live in the Northern Rivers of NSW.
