It's three a.m. and you're up for the fourth time tonight.
The rustling noises coming from the baby monitor sparks instant rage as you prepare to feed your seemingly always hungry baby in your current "mombie" like state.
After putting baby back to sleep and finally returning to bed, you begin to question how you are ever going to survive the day that is quickly approaching, all while your husband sleeps soundly next to you.
Sound familiar?
Night waking is the bane of parental existence and has a way of morphing parents from patient, gentle caretakers to unrecognizable, desperate human beings barely able to hold it together. And sometimes we don't hold it together- we lose it.
The seemingly endless exhaustion can lead to depression, detachment, and some serious tension with your spouse. But it doesn't have to.
The ONE thing you need to survive these sleepless nights is not a quick fix or something you can buy online (because let's be honest- you were hoping it was one of the two). Nope- the ONE thing you need is something you already have.
Mindset. Right now, your current mindset is fairly negative and rightfully so.
As night approaches, you feel the anxiety building inside you and attempt to prepare yourself for yet another sleepless night. You handle the first night waking okay but get increasingly frustrated with each waking after that and it's a downhill slide from there.
A simple change in your mindset about night wakings can make all the difference in how you survive the night.
Instead of dreading the inevitable, think of nights as one more opportunity to raise that little human. One more chance for snuggles, one more chance to sing that quiet song, one more chance to TEACH your baby what is normal.
Easier said than done, I know. But here's the thing- that baby WILL wake up and need something from you, whether that's to be fed, to be snuggled, or simply reassured.
You then have two choices- to respond in love or to respond in anger. It is my hope that despite how utterly exhausted you are, you choose love. Every time.
Need more tips for sleep? Stay tuned for "Mastering the Bedtime Routine," "Top Mistakes Parents Make During Night Wakings," and "Baby Sleep Troubleshooting."