As a new parent, I am totally learning on the job. I neglected to read parenting books while I was pregnant. In fact, I didn't even read any breastfeeding books. (Bianca, I did read some of the Newman book before the baby came, but it really didn't make any sense to me until the baby came. I brought it to the hospital with me and after he was born, that book became a great resource). So the last seven weeks have consisted of a lot of googling and second guessing myself.
When I was pregnant, we signed up for Bradley Birthing Classes but missed quite a few classes and so I told people that I would need to cram the week before the birth when I figured I would have tine to read more and practice my relaxation exercises without a full time job getting in my way. Even now, I feel like I am cramming. I have one more month at home as a full time mommy and its killing me to know that I will only be a part time parent. To me that means that I have alot to do before I go back to work in terms of setting a routine up for my son. Up until now, I have basically let him set the schedule for the day if he was fussy. Other days, we went according to my schedule, but that is not what a child needs. A child needs a consistent routine.
I just ordered three baby books that will hopefully help me navigate my new world. One of my biggest goals before going back to work is to get the baby on a sleep routine and sleeping longer at night. Right now, he nurses every three hours at night and has gone as long as four hours. I don't expect this to change much, but I still need a solution that will allow both of us to sleep more. The mistake that I continue to make is that I don't put him to bed until after 10 pm most nights and so we end up sleeping until 9 in the morning. I need to put him to bed at 8am. The reason I have trouble with this is because I feel like I need to be laying next to him while he sleeps and I don't want to go to bed at 8am. One of the books I ordered is the No Cry Sleep Solution book. I'm counting on this to give me insight in a gentle approach to setting a sleep routine. The other book I order is the Vaccine Book by Sears which I borrowed from the library and liked. However, I want it a permanent resource for each time he gets a vaccine. I really like the way the book is laid out and I like Sears philosophy. The third book I ordered is What to Expect the First Year. I was not going to order this since I hate the what to expect when your pregnant book, but after reading some of the reviews, I decided to take a chance.
Okay, so now I have some of my "required reading" for learning on the job. Like I said, I wish I would have read some parenting books ahead of time while I was pregnant. I read alot of natural childbirth books, but that did not do me any good considering I ended up having a c-section.
Lori - I didn't read much of the parenting book i bought before cole was born either and i read one breastfeeding book. with my pregnant brain, i knew i'd forget everything. i have the no cry sleep solution. i have a number of other sleep books as well. I've taken a little bit from each book and tried to incorporate that. Mostly, I listen to the baby. I used to make his bedtime at 7:30 because I thought that was a good bed time. then i realized he was getting tired and cranky around 6 p.m. although it sucks to start his bedtime routine so early, it's when he is tired. look for the signals: yawning, rubbing eyes, looking away from you. these will clue you in as to when he gets tired at night.
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