We’ve all heard someone say they “slept like a baby,” but those of us who have taken care of a newborn during their first few months of life probably laugh at the idea – because as we know, sleeping like a newborn baby is definitely not something you should brag about.
My restlessness began long before my baby was born, though. My pregnancy had me constantly clinging to what some may refer to as the “porcelain God.” Subtle smells and even thoughts would send me running for the restroom, even in the middle of the night. My theory: I was being conditioned for taking care of my sweet bundle-to-be. Oh boy, was I ever wrong– nothing could prepare me for what was to come.
Trying to breastfeed in the hospital before my milk supply 
“came in” proved to be quite difficult, so I had to attempt to feed him every 2 hours. For those who aren’t familiar with an infant’s feeding schedule, the 2 hours go from start time to start time. So if your little angel is fighting for 30 minutes to latch on, and you offer 30 minutes on each breast, you’re really only getting a 30-minute break. My hungry little guy ate every 2 hours (3 at most) up until he was 3 months old.
On a very routine evening, I fed him at 9:30 p.m. and laid down for my first “nighttime nap,” (you can’t really call it sleep when you’re only down for 2 hours at a time) fully expecting to be awoken by a small cry shortly thereafter. I woke up to a very, very strange phenomenon. Silence. I sat straight up in the bed, squinting to see the tiny red numbers across the room and couldn’t believe what I saw: 3:30. I shook my head in disbelief and leaned over to check my baby and make sure he was breathing. Sound asleep is how I found him, so I carefully laid back down and thought to myself, “could this be it?” We awoke at 7 a.m. and carried on as usual, with me feeling like I’d won the lottery.
My sweet baby has slept through the night ever since!
To keep little Jacob’s tummy satisfied on his new all-night sleep schedule, new mom Catherine adds Gerber Cereal to his bedtime bottles and takes full advantage of her Earth Therapeutics sleep mask for more Zzzzs in the mornings!