Hanging In

Allison turned 3 weeks old yesterday. Last night, a miracle ensued: our girl fell asleep around 1:30 and didn't wake up until 6:00 a.m.! I woke around 4:00 to marvel and then frantically tried to fall back asleep as quickly as possible. Nearly 5 hours in a row! Miracle!

As you may imagine, extra sleep goes a long way in helping a person to feel better. And I am feeling better than when I last wrote. A combination of less pain while nursing, more sleep, encouragement from loved ones, and a rapidly-growing girl are all conspiring to help me over this hill. I’m still not close to feeling like a normal, functioning member of society, but I’m trying to trust that that will come in time.

A big turning point for me has been deciding to give myself permission to relax a little and to rely on my own instincts rather than trying to follow all the rules and ideals that I’ve been struggling with for the past three weeks. I feel like I’ve accumulated a lot of advice, wisdom, knowledge, suggestions, etc., and it was finally time to sift through it all and start doing what made sense to me. That includes things like not following such a rigid feeding schedule and not waking Allie from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to try and feed her when she’s too sleepy to eat. The results after a few days of doing it “my way”: she’s sleeping in 3-5 hour stretches at night and is gaining weight like gang busters. Oh, and her mom is starting to feel more sane.

Thanks to all of you who have prayed and sent words of encouragement. It’s been especially touching to hear from other moms who have struggled with nursing and this newborn period; thanks to all of you who’ve opened up and shared with me. It’s good to remember that people experience things differently: one person’s favorite time of parenthood is another person’s darkest hour. Comparing ourselves to others is rarely helpful and often destructive. But being honest about our struggles helps take away some of the pressure to try and live up to unattainable ideals. I’m thankful to God for giving me this daughter and my unique experience and the grace I need to take it one hour at a time.

Comments

  1. Rachel EAugust 11, 2009 at 2:10 PM

    Yahoo! You are totally in the clear until she's 16 now! ;) Love you sbros!

    ReplyDelete
  2. tiffanieAugust 11, 2009 at 4:30 PM

    yay for a good report!

    ReplyDelete
  3. MacFadyen ClanAugust 11, 2009 at 5:20 PM

    soooo glad to hear ya'll are on an upswing! and way to go baby girl on giving mama some rest! please call anytime! love ya'll!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The EyesAugust 11, 2009 at 6:12 PM

    yay! Glad this is working!

    ReplyDelete
  5. stephanieAugust 13, 2009 at 8:48 AM

    Thanks for the update. Here's hoping this girl takes after her mom in the sleep department. =-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. heather m wahlAugust 13, 2009 at 2:33 PM

    Sarah I am so proud of you for following your heart!
    Heather

    ReplyDelete

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