Feeding to sleep a rod I love

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Three years ago I made a rod for my own back and I love that rod.



As a first time mum I was under the impression that babies feed, sleep, poop repeat... It sounded simple and it sounded easy but then it wasn't. My milk took 7 days to come in, my baby would not follow the swaddle, shush and pat routine and pooping was a once a fortnight poop manoeuvre. And on two of these occasions the advice was to just keep feeding and it would sort itself out which was fine. BUT at no time did anyone recommend to just keep feeding to sleep. I knew it worked as it was what I did 5 times a day but the advice was to put baby down sleepy, on her back, in her cot and pat or shush and then leave.

This unfortunately was not what this baby wanted. This baby wanted to lie curled up in my body with a nipple half in her mouth for the half hour trip to sleepyland. I don't have much resolve so after a few weeks I gave up, resigned to the fact that I was going to be a failure and guiltily fed her to sleep every nap time, every night and every 1, 3 and 5am.

Again and again I heard the same expression - you're creating a rod for your own back. And one by one the other mums babies started sleeping through the night. They started sleeping in their own rooms. They were successfully sleep trained using xyz no cry method. I used the cheaters method. The one that was eventually going to cause my demise as really it was too easy to be true. Too enjoyable not to cause long term damage.

Somewhere between failing to wean, failing to settle my child into daycare and failing to get my child to sleep anywhere but with me in my bed... I realised that my child an I had obviously been given the wrong test! I was apperently doing the attachment parenting course! and man was I succeeding! As it turned out I was an A awesome crunchy mumma! Yey for me!

This meant I no longer had to feel guilty for feeding my child to sleep. I started to see the positive aspects - In fact I realised that in nearly 3 years we have never had a bed time battle. I decided that I really loved that rod. I loved sneaking off after dinner to my dark quiet room with the excuse of putting my LO to sleep. I noticed how it so quickly makes me feel calm, giving and nurturing. So as I watch my child fall asleep with her beloved boobie for the 1095th time I would like any new mums out there to know that it is a legitimate sleep method. While it still may cause us some long term effects it may not be any worse that early nights and lots and lots of lovey snuggles.

I am so glad that I was able to come to terms with this parenting choice as it has allowed me to fully enjoy my new little one and the second rod that he is making.

Mx

#Parenting
#Natural_Parenting

%matterhatter