My first child, Ysabel, was quite easy. She slept well after feedings and was hardly ever fussy except for when she was teething and the occasional tummy ache. Before giving birth to my second child, Luciana, I imagined having the same experience, but I was in for a huge surprise. According to the General Society Survey it has been discovered that the second child can be harder on mothers than on fathers. Luciana, indeed, is the exact opposite from her big sister in every single way.
When Ysabel was a baby, I was able to sleep after feeding her and she would continue to sleep for about 3 or 4 hours and even longer as she became older. My dear Luciana, didn’t enjoy sleeping unless I was fully awake. She prefered that I gaze into her eyes before she fell asleep and if I made one move she became pissed off to the point that she would scream bloody murder. When I first heard her cry in anger, I thought that I might have caused her pain, but no, her scream just expresses her disapproval to what transpired. Luciana is a very temperamental baby, she likes things a certain way and considering she is just a little over 3 months the only way for her to tell me that she favors a certain position or if I am irritating her by putting her down is by screaming and crying.
It came to the point that I hardly had two hours of sleep each night because she would just cry and after she cried she would sleep for 15 minutes and then want to feed again because it took me almost 3 hours to calm her down. I tirelessly searched Google to find out what could be the problem and the best solution for her. I discovered that she needed a probiotic because it improves mood, I quickly ordered it and hoped for the best. Fortunately, the probiotic served its purpose and it improved her mood. However, it seems to not last or become effective for long periods of time.
My second child is literally hot and cold. She can be content and 30 seconds later, cries like she is an abandoned child. I partly blame this on her teething before turning 3 months. As I am writing, she is taking a nap, but before she went to sleep she required her pacifier, to be rocked in her bassinet and me singing her favorite song Ilusion by Julieta Venegas. She sleeps about 3 or 4 hours at a time, currently, through the night but that is only because she sleeps right next to my chest for her comfort. I am praying that she will be able to sleep on her own soon so I can sleep comfortably at night as well. Only time will tell how she will act as she becomes older ( stay tuned for updates).
I am sleep deprived but at the same time, I am enjoying every moment with her because I know that this phase doesn’t last forever because children quickly grow. If you are a mama that is having the same experience as me, do not be dismayed because we are boss mamas, we got this! Be encouraged, the lack of sleep will not last forever, this too, will pass!
The Restless Boss Beast 