When Babies Don’t Sleep
My name is Kate and my beautiful baby doesn’t sleep through the night and there is nothing wrong with him.
I feel a relief just saying that out loud!
There is this weird stigma around babies who sleep. Or don’t sleep.
Like some moms get good babies and some get bad babies.
Or babies who don’t sleep through the night have something wrong with them.
Or the parents are doing something wrong because their baby wakes up to eat or snuggle or have a dance party at 3 am.
It’s exhausting.
In a way I feel like I should lie so no one judges him or me!
I was recently in a group of mamas and I mentioned that my baby started waking up to eat again around 10 months. After previously sleeping through the night.
I was looking to vent in a safe space. These moms had kids of similar ages.
The reactions were polarizing.
One mom said…’I wouldn’t know anything about that…my kids all slept through the night from day one.’
Another mom said…’Eek. I would never allow my baby to wake up at that age.’
The topper on the cake…’Didn’t Cooper wake up at night like that? EEK. Hopefully he’s not on the spectrum.’
I just stared at them.
I felt shamed. I felt like something was wrong with my baby. I felt like crying.
I was already exhausted and at my wits end from the lack of sleep. And then I had an epiphany.
Babies wake up at night. Not all babies. But some babies. And it’s fine.
They aren’t bad babies. Or broken babies.
Let’s stop doing this to moms. All moms.
First time moms, new moms, older moms, exhausted moms, moms who breastfeed, moms who feed with formula.
Let’s offer support, a smile, a hug, and brainstorm ideas to get that baby sleeping.
Interested in writing for Finding Cooper’s Voice? LEARN MORE
Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.
