"You know it gets better, right?"

I was browsing the internet and came across another blog and they were discussing the growing pains of a newborn.  It made me remember similar words coming from my sorority sister and friend, Taneah.  She is the mother of two precious girls, one of whom I helped name, Taylor and Cayden.

Taneah called me from Kuwait one early morning. Her husband took a position with an oil company and the family relocated and their youngest, Cayden was actually born there. The time difference meant she could call me at anytime and I was probably up with my newborn son.

I was telling her of the long nights and early mornings and all the “wake ups” in between.   Hunter’s dad and I would often fight for sleep and say, “let me have one more wake up,” which meant the other had to get up with the baby. During our call, about 7 a.m. she said, “you know it gets better, right?”

(Taneah and family below)

I knew eventually my son would sleep through the night, stop crying and I might be able to get 7 hours again.  However, it seemed so far off that I couldn’t comprehend her message.  Hunter didn’t have colic or any problems with digestion.  He liked to be held and well, he just liked to cry.  He could be consoled which meant walking around, bouncing and singing songs, none of which I could remember all the words.

Fast forward three months. Hunter is 5 months, I am back to work and getting eight hours or more if I please.  Guess what? It got better! However, he is growing so fast that I miss my newborn and would push rewind but I am so excited for his upcoming milestones.

So if I could give a new mom advice it would be, “it gets better but enjoy these moments, you will never get them back.”

                                                                    

Mommy tip: During my son’s four month check up, our new pediatrician gave us advice on getting Hunter to sleep through the night.  For four straight days, put him to sleep at 9 p.m. wake him up at 11 p.m. to give him a bottle.  Put him in his crib and don’t bother him until about 8a.m. and don’t pick him up when he cries. She explained he had not learned to go to sleep without a bottle.  Hunter was waking up every 3 hours at four months!   I tried this tip and after three days he slept from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m.  Now, at five months he sleeps from 9p.m. to 9a.m. and mommy and daddy get their sleep.