OK, here’s my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great – I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep through the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I’ve talked to other babies, and it seems like it’s pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.

Here’s the thing: these Mommies don’t really need to sleep. It’s just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep–they just don’t need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle. It goes like this:

Night 1–cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it’s hard. It’s hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it’s for her own good.
Night 2–cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3–every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don’t give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT’S HARD! But she really doesn’t need the sleep, she’s just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.
Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn’t eaten pears since lunch, what’s up with that? The cat said “meow”. I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL. Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, toocold, just right–doesn’t matter! Keep crying!!

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies’ internal clocks.
Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don’t worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy.

Also, be wary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn’t get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn’t really need sleep.

P.S. Don’t let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.
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- Source Unknown (If you know, please tell me!)

Pre-birth appointments provide you with an opportunity to talk about your fears and hopes as you prepare for delivery. Postnatal appointments often include a debrief about how things went for you and address any of the concerns you may have caring for your newborn. For those with previous birth trauma or a pregnancy complication, it can be really beneficial to have a non-medical professional and a non-family member with you during your birth. A doula/PNSW can provide birth support and a listening ear without having to make clinical decisions, and without the emotional difficulties a family member may experience from your previous birth experience. A doula/PNSW will also provide emotional encouragement, explanations and support to your partner and family members if they are there with you. To read more 

A doula/PNSW supports the birthing parents in all the stages of labour. That means for all of those hours of “pre labour” you would have someone continuously with you, explaining things, telling you this is normal, and offering positioning suggestions to help baby move down and offer reassurance that will help keep you calm and focused . A birth doula/PNSW is equally knowledgeable as your doctors and nurses about what’s happening and what you are feeling; and are with you every second during labor and delivery. She keeps the love high and the fear low, so when it is time for your doctor or midwife to arrive you are feeling empowered… not full of fear and exhaustion.
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Childbirth is a very special time in a women’s life. But let’s be honest, it can also be a scary and overwhelming time from both a physical and emotional perspective. Having the right support system during pregnancy, postpartum and throughout your parenting journey can help families thrive through vs. survive through even the most challenging times.
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Thanks to Wonderwear Modern Diaper Service for this guest blog