Last night with baby boy was one of those nights where you go “this is one of the worst nights.”
As if he isn’t challenging enough already, throw in some teething/development/regression/I don’t know what, and the nights become even more tricky. From the hours of 12:30 to 4:30am, Hubbie and I took turns holding him, putting him down, going to bed… before he woke up again. Sometimes an hour later. Sometimes 10 minutes later. Sometimes half an hour later.
I try and reason with myself during the day ‘it’s all a stage,’ but when it’s the middle of the night and you’re in the throes of it, you quite literally wanna pull your hair out.
Today there was a last minute Mother’s Group catch-up for one of the Mums who is moving with her family interstate for her Hubbie’s work… she will be back, in 2 years approximately, but for now most of us gathered for baby storytime at the library, then for coffee at the cafe there too, before she headed off.
It was both surprising and satisfying to hear that not one, but two of the other mums had shocking nights last night too! They knew theirs was due to teething, but still, other people had hell!
And it made me feel so much better. Even the Mums with the sweet, well-behaved girls had a tough night. I often think it’s a boy thing, or it’s just a baby boy thing 🤦♀️, when really, it’s just a baby/toddler thing.
All of us will go through really challenging baby/toddler moments as they get older… some like me, more than others. But still, we are united and stronger because we are all going through shit during the same stage, albeit at different times, but still, whether we get it here or we get it there… we still get it.
That knowledge, that I’m not alone, and it’s not just me having a hard time at the moment, helped me so much.
It helps having someone to talk to. As soon as you start talking, whether it be to your Mother’s Group, Mum, sister, friends, cousins, or neighbours, you realise that you both have a lot more in common that you ever realised.
I think next time I’m holding baby boy to sleep overnight, I won’t question why it’s only me… I’ll question, how many others are up at night, also like me. 🙏💙
carcrashgratitude 