Right now as I write I am sitting outside the bedroom with the baby monitor (hardly necessary as I can hear the little whimpers and calls through the door), wanting and willing and waiting for Miss Bibsey to go to sleep. Hang on…
*returns from visit to the bedroom*
This is her morning nap time and I have decided that today is the day. Today I am going to start to gently move her on from… hold on… *returns*… being reliant on the breast to get to sleep. Ok, wait there… *much bouncing and rocking and shushing and bum slapping ensuing*
… I’m back. Bugger… ‘once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more’ I thought that we had it nailed, but no…
I am back again. I think that we have it, shut-eye after 50 minutes of trying, although I can’t shut the bedroom door because it squeaks. Bingo. She’s off. Must go and report this (relative) success to Mr B.
Seriously, this is the first time, apart from when she has napped in the car or in her buggy that she has gone down for a sleep without the boob. She had her bottle, but no top-up from the breast. Boobs are massive of course (must go and show Mr B), but that will sort itself out.
What prompted this new resolve was an old episode of SuperNanny that we watched last night. This poor mother of four had a four year old who was ruling the roost and still reliant on dummies and bottles of milk to get to sleep. Predictably the problem was with the mother who did not want her baby to grow up and stop loving her. SuperNanny of course helped them to move on. And everyone, including the children, was much happier.
So that’s it, there is no turning back. I am making a promise to myself that I am going to put the work in and persevere. I will start with day-time naps and then graduate to the nighttime. Er, good luck with that then.
Advice, empathy and encouragement all welcome.
NB. The photo for this post was not taken this morning. I am not so nuts that I would harass with a camera after such an achievement.
