With Ava’s first night at home, we had her bassinet setup, nice new sheets and blankets, and right by the bed… Andrea and I had envisioned that Ava would happily sleep in the bassinet next to her parent’s bed peacefully… Ava had other idea’s, and who could blame her?!?! She has just spent the last 40 weeks inside her mother, why would she then want to spend anytime away from her mother.Andrea knew from the nights in hospital that Ava liked to sleep next to her, so this is what’s so at the moment… I’m not thinking it spells trouble just yet; she is just too little to be manipulative.

I’m afraid I’m no good, I can sleep through a Rock Concert, and do not hear when Andrea gets up, during the night and morning to sooth a screaming Ava. I would be willing too, I just need to be poked awake.

I hope we get some use out the bassinet…

In our little breastfeeding community we recently realized that somehow we ended up with the short straw when it comes to our babies sleeping through the night. Our bottle feeding friends seem to have very few sleepless nights or even any disruptions at night. How unfair to follow nature's way and then get nocturnal stress as a pay back.

Perhaps it's a developmental stage thing – most of our babies in the group are now between 7 and 10 months old. Even the ones who used to sleep through the night have started waking up frequently. It's the age of pain and gain for babies. On the one hand they have to put up with a lot of pains (teething, digestion, bruises) and on the other hand there are exciting new ways to explore their environment now (crawling, walking, rolling). Maybe that's why they just can't sleep at night – or not as long as they used to. On top of that there is the attachment to the breast and closeness to mum for comfort and nourishment. So what to do to get a peaceful night? ... read more >>