“So, what are the quiet truths of infant (and toddler) sleep?
“That it is normal for babies to wake through the night, as often as every two hours for many, many months… and need their parents to help them fall back to sleep.
“That it is normal for a child’s sleep to take five steps forward and three steps back and one step sideways and then turn inside out….sleep progress is anything but linear.
“That it is normal for babies and toddlers to breastfeed to sleep (and through the night).
“That it is normal for a baby to crave constant contact, to nap on her mother and to cry when she leaves the room to bring her back into proximity. This is not a sign that she is “spoilt”, this is a sign that she knows how to ensure her own survival.
“That it is normal for toddlers to wake through the night and need mum or dad’s reassurance…to make them feel safe enough to surrender to sleep again.
“That it is normal for babies to sleep like babies, and not like adults.
“That it is normal for families to cosleep in the way they choose – bedsharing, room sharing, sidecar cot, musical beds – and it is normal for families to enjoy it…and not want to change a thing.
“That it is normal for mothers to cry and to need help – that is NOT a sign she is failing or in need of a “solution”.
“Because the truth is that human infants are the most immature, contact-dependent social mammal on the planet, which, by definition means that human mothers are among the most needed, hardworking and exhausted mothers on the planet.”
from Agape Birth Doula Services https://ift.tt/2nu0pAz