Back then when my husband and I were not yet married, a couple we are very good friends with shared to us their experiences as new parents using Babywise method. I thought maybe I could adapt the same method when we have our own baby. When I became pregnant, I bought myself a copy online and in few weeks I had the book in my hands. I read it and tried to understand everything. But I realized that it’s easier to follow the guidelines in actual situations. I took down the first things I should do when the baby arrives. I was excited. I can’t wait to apply the things I’ve learned and see if the method really works.
Being a first time mom with this kind of parenting takes a lot of discipline and dedication. One must go as the book teaches in order to achieve the goal.I did some compromising within the first 10 days, putting her on a demand feeding at times. You see, it is so disturbing to wake your baby when she seems to be sleeping soundly. So I allowed Yohan to sleep up to 5 hours and she would wake up to feed then back to sleep again. I know I was not going by the book, but my milk production was not stable, and I was still recovering. But I resolved to really do it right and face the ordeal. I was left alone in the house to care for Yohan during the time I was closely implementing the method which was more convenient for me because I won’t be mindful of the opinions of others. Of course, my husband was very supportive.
CIO is certainly a tough one: I let my baby cry for 10-15 minutes in her crib to let her soothe herself to sleep. But if the time lapses and she’s still crying, I check on her to look for reasons why she is still not sleeping. In the beginning it was a huge struggle bearing with my baby’s cry when I put her to bed for her nap. My lack of sleep and certain adjustments made her cries a bit hard for me to bear. It’s like pounding your heart into pieces. Many called it tough love. I kept telling myself that it’s for the best. Back then, I can hardly wait for my husband to get home from work so I can be comforted by his presence after my baby’s crying session. I got used to her cries as I continue to be consistent with the routine and eventually as the weeks progressed, her crying time shortened. Today, when placed in her crib she can easily put herself to sleep without even crying! I now understand what she is trying to tell me through a cry and respond to it appropriately if necessary. I got away with the traditional props like “dancing” her to sleep, pacifiers, etc. I got a lot of tips on understanding CIO and more about the book from this blogsite.
Yohan began sleeping throughout the night by around 8 weeks and is now consistent with it. At almost 5 months she sleeps for 9-10 hour. We’re in a dreamland every night . We’ve got a cooing happy baby every morning. Oh, she smiles a lot and it’s priceless! She behaves herself very well too. I can just put her down in her stroller and she sits there happily. She hardly cries a lot now. Not only that we can rest well at night but also the routine schedule conveniently allows me to do my daily household chores. I can’t imagine myself as a mom have I not known Babywise. The hard work paid off. We are a happy couple with a happy, healthy baby. 🙂
Tonette, -Philippines