I’ve been informed by my sister, who is my constant source of baby-wisdom, that 5 continuous hours of sleep at 2 months is incredible. I agree. It’s funny how 5 hours of sleep is suddenly a lot. Before having Mads, I would sometimes sleep around the clock and then a few more hours, just for fun. (I don’t really miss this, but it’s mind-boggling to remember.)
Sure, I’ve heard about those babies who sleep through the first night home from the hospital. I’ve decided these are mythological beasts, or else that their parents were so sleep-deprived that they think 20 minutes of sleep is 8 hours.
But 5 hours is pretty great, especially for the past two nights because he’s stayed up until 9, so I don’t have to get up until 2. Per my Mom’s suggestion I’ve started changing him after he eats, instead of before. He used to wake up and demand playtime when I did this, but now he’s got enough in his tummy to keep him pretty content through the changing and re-swaddling. This is also great because he doesn’t scream his head off for food and wake up Dad.
The other day, when Mads was crazier than usual and didn’t nap, it made me realize what a difference 2 months has made. The first month, I was constantly exhausted because I just held him all the time and never had a break. I wasn’t sure if his crying meant hunger or needing to be changed or something else. (It’s still a guessing game sometimes, but it’s considerably easier.) And, he woke up every 2 hours at night, so there was no rest then as well.
On fussy weekends, Jon will praise me for my patience with Mads, and it’s funny because while it can be difficult, this requires so much less patience than a month ago. Maddox naps for at least an hour during the day, even on fussy days. On good days, he’ll nap for 3 or 4 hours, spread out throughout the day. And 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep makes all the difference.
It’s going to be tough when I go back to work. There’s a lot to coordinate, but when I think of people who do parenting solo, I just feel lucky that Jon will be around to help. Also, I think it’s a good thing that Jon will be with me when we drop Maddox off at Jeanne’s – I think I would just keep driving and hope no one at work noticed that the baby was outside instead of still inside. I mean, if I wore the Bjorn under my shirt, who could tell, right? =P
