Thank you to everyone who has left a comment with advice and/or tips! Every single comment is much appreciated and one of the reasons I really enjoy blogging. :) It’s a good resource to have because I am one person with one child and when I post about this or that asking for advice, it is so nice to get a variety of comments concerning the topic.

So, THANK YOU for your 2 cents!

Every Tuesday morning I attend a Bible Study with four other women who are also stay-at-home moms. All five of us have an infant Little Bug’s age or younger or are about to have a baby within the month!

While we spend a lot of time talking about the Bible Study we are all doing, we also always tend to talk about parenting and the adventures that come with that role! Just today we were all talking about how there are so many ways to do things concerning the care of your baby and at times it can get very overwhelming choosing the right way to do something.

We boiled our frustrations down to this: There is no right way or wrong way to care for an infant. One way is not better than another way. Sure, one way may be better for your baby, but that is not necessarily the case for all infants.

God gave mothers a maternal instinct for a reason. Because every baby is different from the next, even in a sibling group, what works for one may not work for the other. What works for one family may not work for the family next door.

And that is where maternal instinct comes in to play. God has equip mothers to just know what needs to happen or what doesn’t need to happen. Or what baby needs and what baby doesn’t need at that time.

And guess what? Even a mother who has adopted their child has that maternal instinct from the very start.

I think, based on the discussion about parenting methods at Bible Study today, mothers get too caught up in trying to figure out what is right when they just need to stop, assess the situation with their own baby and act on what their maternal instinct is telling them to do. (I am telling myself that too as I type!)

It is time I stand up in confidence and just do what my motherly instincts tell me to do with Little Bug. I need to stop analyzing everything, reading books, and just do what my instincts tell me to do!

The best thing I’ve ever done for Little Bug so far in her (almost) four months of life, is to let her cry it out for naps.

I did not wake up that morning of Sept. 9th with “Cry it Out” on the schedule for the day. It just happened because I knew it had to be done - that day. Little Bug had fallen asleep for her morning nap but soon was awakened. I saw my daughter struggling to keep herself asleep when she transitioned from light to deep sleep. And I knew. I had two choices: I could keep popping the paci in her mouth every time she squirmed (which would only create a vicious cycle that would not allow her the uninterrupted rest her body needs). Or I could start sleep training her by letting her cry it out and learn how to put herself back to sleep.

I knew it was time to start sleep training her so that she could get the rest that she needed.

And here we are not even 2 weeks into napping in the crib with no paci and I can lay Little Bug in her crib when I see her signs of being tired, turn on her Soothing Sounds CD, walk out of her nursery and in no time at all, Little Bug is sound asleep.

My motherly instincts told me that was the right thing to do with Little Bug. And it was. However, for another mother and another baby, she might have gotten her baby to sleep in a completely different way.

Who’s way is right? Hers or mine?

Both!

<div align="center">*****</div><div align="left">Little Bug slept in her crib for the first time last night! We put her to bed at 10pm. She awoke at 2:30am and ate 3.5 oz. Then, she awoke again at 6:30am for another 3.5 oz. I am not 100% sure she is really hungry at these times because she acts like she is eager for a bottle, but then by two ounces, she is falling asleep and I have to encourage her to keep eating. The most I’ve gotten her to eat is 3.5 oz. in the middle of night. She typically eats anywhere from 4 to 5 ounces per feeding during the day. I am also not 100% sure she isn’t hungry so I am not comfortable with letting her cry it out. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Time will tell, I suppose, what the issues are here. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">My motherly instincts :) are telling me two things at this point. Little Bug may be ready for some rice cereal before bedtime and/or she really is ready to go to bed at around 8pm, instead of 10pm. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">I really appreciate the comment about maybe putting Little Bug to bed earlier and then getting her up at 10 or 11pm for a dreamfeed before she goes back to bed until (hopefully!) morning! </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Little Bug has her 4 month check up next Monday. I plan to ask the pediatrician about starting some solids. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Thanks again for all your helpful hints/tips/advice!</div>

- Elaine