In a message dated 10/27/2002 7:43:40 AM Eastern Standard Time, Valerie
writes:


> As someone who has parented two teens and one getting close to pre-teen, I
> must say I get a heck of alot of less sleep than I ever did when they were
> babies.

Yep, and function well nevertheless.

> ...where uninterrupted sleep seems to be the domain of people who write
> parenting books.

 :-D well, too many of those writers anyway, .....surely Sears has adapted to
less uninterrupted sleep.

<<I believe that my babies actually prepared me very gently for life as I
have gotten older;>>

I have tried in new moms groups to convey this, and the reality of life with
less sleep in total, and less uninterrupted sleep, very occasionally giving
examples of life with night-owl teenagers, or just 'busy with kids/family
life' that results in doing laundry at midnight.

This effort at enlightenment does not seem to ease the new moms' angst
concerning early postpartum sleep deprivation which can often be greatly
improved if they rearrange their routines to include rest and sleep as a
priority.

To get them thinking about it around day two or three pp, after they provide
a response that indicates that Bf is a priority, one of my questions to them
may be "In these early weeks, can you do *everything* you always ever did AND
feed a newborn 12 times a day?", ....get them to think about the priorities,
...asking them questions that elicit answers about what kinds of things are
and might soon be sabotaging these priorities, how their sig other can be
supportive......

Debbie Tobin
RN BSN IBCLC LCCE
Springfield, Virginia USA
lately Sleeping much better In the Fairfax County suburbs outside the
Washington DC beltway
<A HREF="www.BestBreastfeeding.Info">Planning For Breastfeeding Success Outline</A>
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/dltobin/index.html">Planning For Breastfeeding Success Quiz</A>



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