I got into bed last night and said jokingly to my husband “maybe we will actually sleep in the same bed the whole night together”. For the last 2 weeks I have had either one of my boys in bed with me with coughs, colds, temperatures, nausea. My poor husband has been banished to Tom’s top bunk. He is 6ft 3in, trying to sleep in a 6ft bed. Finally last night I got both boys down in their own beds and all seemed to be going right. I switched off my light at 11pm and at 11:20 was woken by Daniel crying. Went to check on him and he was sweltering hot. Needless to say, husband was kicked out of bed and I spent most of the night battling with a sick toddler. Just when you think it is going right, something happens and you have to adjust and make a new plan. Maybe tonight I shall have a peaceful night. I thought that sleepless nights had finally ended… but no!
Megan Faure and I attended and exhibited at the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) Conference in Swansea on the weekend. I was so pleased to see that so many of the NCT workers were recommending Swaddling and Baby Wearing in their classes as well as doing this with their own children. Megan presented a workshop to over 40 NCT workers on “Womb to World”, describing how senses develop in utero and exploring ways to sooth newborns using techniques that mimic the womb world. The feedback from the talk has been amazing with comments like “Best talk at the conference” and “incredibly informative and enlightening presentation full of information that will be essential when working with parents in the early days of parenting”. Our best sellers at the conference were Baby sense, Sleep sense, Baby Sense Slings and our Cuddlewraps.
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My son Daniel will turn 2 in September. He has never slept through the night … until now! Daniel had a pretty tough start to his life and has been on medication since birth. It turns his medication is a stimulant so this may have been the reason he continued to wake up every night. With the lovely dryer summer weather now in the UK Daniel has been so well and has come off all of his medication. Result…within a week he was sleeping though. A few nights of disruption, but for the past 2 weeks he has only woken at the humane time of 5am.
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I have been a bit scarce lately. The office hardly recognise me, my family are feeling a little neglected and of course I have not been great with responding to your questions. So where have I been? I am deeply entrenched in my next book. It will come out next June (2010) and is being published in the UK. I am excited as it is a colourful book full of images! I have got a new section on your baby’s personality that I hope you will love.
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Did anyone else in the UK see the program “My Child Wont Sleep” on ITV last night? It was a really interesting program about 3 families whose children suffer with severe sleep disorders. The 3 children featured were a sleep walker, a boy with Narcolepsy and a 6 year old who was sleeping for only 3 hours each night. In each case the parents and the child was terribly sleep deprived and you could see the strain that this was placing on each family as a whole.
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It’s the simple solutions that sometimes make the difference. How many times have you started to search for a solution to a problem and it is right there under your nose? You peruse the books, call the doctor and are tearing your hair out and then discover that the answer was the simplest solution on earth.
Today, a mom called me to say her baby’s sleep had been a disaster for a week. The weather had changed in Cape Town and we are faced with chilly winter nights. Since her baby kicks his blanket s off and doesn’t like a sleeping bag, she was pumping up the heat in his room to keep him warm. At her wits end, she bought a room thermometer to determine just what the temperature in his room was. She reduced the temperature in his room back to 21 degree – and guess what? He slept through again! He had been over heating all along and she was making his room warmer and warmer.
I am busy potty training Em from her night time nappies and we were really battling. After three kids, I know that every baby is different so I have simply been very relaxed – certain that she will stop wetting her nappies when she is ready. Last week I went away and Dad looked after the kids and guess what? She no longer needs night nappies! I could not believe the rapid progress my husband made in this area. Asking him the secret, he just said “I stopped giving her a drink of tea at bedtime” Obvious? Yip I thought so too!
So the next time you can’t solve a problem, stop trying – the simple solution will probably present itself in no time. Do you have a ridiculously obvious solution to something? I will post this letter on the blog and you can respond with your simple solution – it may save another mum a lot of time and worry!
I recently heard about the Million Mums campaign. When my first son was born I almost died in Childbrith. I was lucky enough to have had the doctors and the facilities needed to save my life available to me. I know that not every woman has this and still today in Africa and Asia, pregnancy and birth complications are the number 1 cause of death in women because they cannot get the healthcare. Million Mums is aiming to raise 1 million pounds by having 1 Million people sign up. The money will go towards buying much needed basic medical equipment in hospitals in third world countries. The initiative is headed up by Sarah Brown. For more information go to
http://www.millionmums.org/index.cfm.
This weekend made me realise how much the Baby Sense book meant to me, and I just have to say thank you!!!
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Hi Baby Sense mums and dads
I am going to be on Great Expectations tomorrow morning at 11:30 speaking about baby wearing. As you know I am a big fan of baby wearing. Please join me at 11:30 on Tuesday 5th May and phone in to have your say.
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One of my favourite times when I had newborns was the part of the day that I would massage them before bed. At around 8 or 9 months they would no longer lie still and so massage in our household hasnt happened for a long time. After a bath every night, both Tom (4) and Dan (19 months) jump on the bed and and scream excitedly. Both my boys have skin conditions that require cream frequently, but most nights it is a bit hit and miss as I try to get cream on them whilst they jump on the bed, run away or hide under the blankets. It certainly is not a calm time of day. This week I decided to change things. I told Tom he needed a massage and how relaxing it could be. I did get him to lie down and started at his toes and worked my way up. Within seconds he had calmed down and was actually enjoying it. When I did his back I noticed that he even began falling asleep. Drool started to flow and he was lost in the moment. Dan ofcourse wanting to copy his brother also calmed down enough for a massage, although he liked to stand for his and we cuddle and whisper in each others ears. Each night since Tom has asked for his massage and truely it has calmed our evenings down. Taking the time for a massage, even just a few minutes is both calming for them and for me. I am once again loving it.
