Finding Sleep and Sanity

Evangeline has been, dare I say, following something of a schedule since the day she was born. It sounds a little crazy to say, and I’m even crazier to put it out there because we all know that Murphy’s Law sits and waits for these opportunities, but she has been doing really well with sleep. Our first two nights in the hospital were actually quite serene: Not only was she content swaddled with me, but I had to call the nurses to come in periodically rather than them coming into our room incessantly like my previous three experiences with hospital childbirth. Evvie’s first three weeks in our lives have been calm and even somewhat predictable, and it’s made this newborn phase really so enjoyable for me especially.

I’ve started Evvie on a schedule from day one. It’s a very loose schedule obviously, but I’ve found that even a little bit of routine helps everyone. So, while she’s off and on with sleep thoughout the day, especially depending on what our activities are like, I always give her a warm bath in the evening before swaddling her in the Ergobaby Swaddler and nursing her for her first long nighttime sleep stretch.

Knowing full well that sleep is crucial to my own well being, I’ve been going to bed with her around 8pm every night for the past three weeks. Perhaps she senses that I’m there with her, but we both get a solid three (sometimes four!) hour stretch between 8 and 11 or 12am. I keep the lights super low while I change, nurse and swaddle again for another three hour stretch. The Swaddler is super easy to use, much easier than trying to get a tight-but-not-too-tight wrap with a regular blanket (which is really helpful in the middle of the night, trust me). By 6am, she’s ready to be awake for about an hour and then goes back to sleep in the Ergobaby Wrap while I make breakfast and lunches before the kids go to school.

I’ve relied heavily on swaddling and the wrap carriers with three of my babies (I hadn’t figured out much with Jack, we learned together); They have been such an integral part of my parenting that I honestly think I’d be lost without both. They are both incredibly soft, and while the Ergobaby Wrap takes a few times to really get “down”, it’s absolutely worth it to keep trying. It keeps her secured directly to my chest, right where she always wants to be, and the swaddle mimics her space in the womb. She sleeps better when she’s with me, and I’m much more sane when there’s sleep in the equation.

I need sleep and sanity amen.

The days are always different, and lately she’s been much more interested in being awake. It is just the absolute coolest thing to watch her observing her surroundings, and responding to her brother and sister’s voices. She really loves lying in a sunbeam shining though the sliding glass doors in my bedroom, it’s peaceful and warm and lovely.. and helps her bilirubin levels to boot.

This time with her is so precious, and I’m grateful for whatever has brought the calm and peace into our daily routine. I got lucky with this one for sure, but I have to credit the wrapping and swaddling as two of my tried and true rituals for the first several months of a baby’s life.

Thank you to Ergobaby for sponsoring, and thank you for reading.