Tuesday, January 11, 2011

For The Zombie Moms Out There!!!

This post is dedicated to all of the 'Zombie Moms' in my life. My sister Melissa and my college friend Teresa especially.

Teresa and Melissa both have babies. They both happen to have babies that don't particularly feel that their mommies need to sleep through the night!

Several facebook statuses of mixed frustration, exhaustion and discouragement have been posted lately, and my heart aches with sympathy. My Audrey was one of these babies. I'm sure that her determination will make her a strong woman one day, but it was NOT a character trait I appreciated for the first 365 days of her life!

That's right! My darling baby girl refused to sleep through the night until she turned a year old. Not only that, she wouldn't just wake up once or twice a night, but sometimes 12 or 14 times! In less than 12 hours! She was horrible.

I tried sleep training. I tried letting her cry. She couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. I did it with Easton, and it worked for both of us. But there was something about Audrey's cry that I just couldn't put either of us through it!

Not only did Audrey not sleep (even during the day, her naps were irratic and unpredictable), but she would NOT take a bottle. A drop of formula on her tongue would result in a reaction that you would think it was poison to her.

Needless to say, I was a Zombie Mom. Completely Zombie. I'm not even sure that my heart was beating by that point -- it was just simply too tired!

Through that time, I've come to realize that yes, every baby is different. Yes, we're all just trying to cope. Yes, we're all just trying to do what's best for our baby, and try not to kill ourselves off in the meantime. Yes, it's frustrating. It's exhausting. It's discouraging.

BUT ........

IT'S TEMPORARY!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK GOD we don't have 25 year old kids who still wake up at night, crying until they get a drink of milk. Just as kids will eventually be ready to potty train, eventually be ready to walk, talk, jump and smile ... eventually they will sleep.

AND NOT ONLY THAT .........

You're not the only one who has gone through this! Learn to rely on those who have gone on before you. Ask them to remind you that it's okay to cry. Rant. Rave. Ask them to remind you that it DOES all come to an end.

So, my Zombie Moms, don't despair! The end of these sleepless nights WILL come to you.

It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a good friend to raise a zombie from the dead!!

XOXO and Sweet Dreams to you, my Zombie Moms!! Call or e-mail me anytime you need a pep talk. I've been there, done that, and am willing to talk you off the ledge I was on.

1 comment:

  1. Oh my god, Pam! Your blog is fantastic! I loved this post and it makes me feel SO much better to hear your story. 12 or 14 times - good lord! Being a Zombie Mom is a deep, dark secret that no one ever talks about so I'm glad you've spilled the beans for the rest of us. Yes!

    ReplyDelete