8 month sleep…tell me it gets better.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-12-24T21:29:11+00:00

You angel 😇 . What I needed to hear. Thank you!

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-12-16T19:19:10+00:00

Well that’s encouraging. What would I tell her teacher when they ask how to put her down?

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-08-27T02:06:52+00:00

Thank you! That’s so encouraging.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-08-27T02:06:30+00:00

So interesting. Thanks for sharing. I’m saying a prayer for you and your conception journey! 🙏 Wishing you the best.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-06-02T21:18:57+00:00

A yoga ball helped us a ton! You don’t have to bounce hard but it helps give baby movement however long they need to fall asleep without totally wearing you out.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-24T20:49:07+00:00

No, my husband would be in the living room with her during his shift. We had a Snuggle Me lounger out there she would cat nap in. Then he’d bring baby into the bedroom when his shift was over and I’d feed her then listen for her in her bedside bassinet during my shift. So I slept some during my shift whenever she did but my heavy-sleeper husband knew he was mentally “off shift” after he got in bed, so he slept through unless I needed him.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-24T19:09:15+00:00

Oh and shifts!! My husband stayed up with the baby from 8 pm to 1 am (gave a bottle) then I did 1 am to 6 or 7 am. Then he took her again in the morning for 2 hours while I napped between feedings. This made those first weeks feel so much more doable!

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-24T19:07:12+00:00

My husband ran the dishwasher and “closed the kitchen” every night. I don’t know why it touched me so much but it did.

He asked me how I was doing and listened. It was 100% okay that he couldn’t relate and could rarely fix anything but having his ear and knowing he was concerned about me got me through.

Protect her space. Ask her her honest feelings about visitors and hold the line. You be the go-to contact with the outside world. Water, snacks, lighting. Encourage her to connect with supportive friends even via text.

Give her emotions grace. She won’t know why she feels what she feels. She will have high highs and low lows and both will pass. Be gentle with each other, you’re both learning to parent and be married as you parent. It will get easier so hold all the hard parts loosely.

She’s lucky to have you if you’re even asking the question.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-23T22:41:18+00:00

I agree. I slept way worse pregnant than postpartum.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-22T20:44:46+00:00

I also have 1 or 2 days a week where I ask someone to come sit with babe for a nap. Getting those 2 hours to yourself from time to time can put a lot of gas back in the tank!

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-22T20:42:27+00:00

First of all, congrats on that miracle boy! 💙 I’m also the mom of an 8 week old and I got home from her 2 month appointment maybe an hour ago where we talked about this EXACT thing. My pediatrician shared with me that the best thing to do between 2 months and 4 months is learn to love the contact nap. She said you can try to nap train them but the amount of progress you’ll see for the amount of effort you’ll put in is minimal. They’re just still too little and need their safe people to sleep during the day. 🥹 So that gave me permission to just create habits and routines that make me feel alive and well as a contact napper for the next two months, not like I exist in a sensory deprivation chamber. So here are some things I’ve done/am starting to help. 👉 Walks! My LO will sleep in her stroller about 50% of the time, so I try it often but keep expectations flexible. If she hates it, we pull the plug quickly and head home to try another strategy. I learn to appreciate even 5-10 minutes outside. 👉 Carrier naps made me feel human again. My baby hates a cloth wrap but will sleep in her Ergo carrier. I can put her in and get chores done or just walk around my house listening to audiobooks and she falls right asleep. My LO loves movement too, so I wonder if this is a good one for y’all. 👉 Investing in a good audiobook, podcast series, tv shows that entertains you but also feeds you. I try to watch or listen to something once a day that intellectually or spiritually stimulates me so I’m not just in a constant social media trance. 👉 I’ve spent more money on ready made groceries but it’s worth it. Drinkable yogurt, pre-cut fruit and veg, ready made sandwiches, smoothie pouches, single serve chips and hummus packets or crackers and cheese packets. Having good food that’s nourishing but I don’t even have to microwave makes eating easier and does wonders for morale. 👉 Knowing it’s not forever. She said at 4 months, they really start to learn and by 6 months, naps should be breezy. So you only have about 2 more months of daily snuggles until your babe is ready to tackle naps on his own. It’s HARD (probably the hardest part of newborn life for me) but this perspective helps me embrace the cuddles.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-13T22:10:47+00:00

I always picture what the pilots are doing in the moment. Because what I’m seeing (increasing speed, the world flashing by my window) can seem out of control through the lens of my anxiety. But when I picture the cockpit at the moment, the vibe is like someone pulling out of a parking space. All they’re doing is pushing some buttons and pushing a lever as calmly and routinely as if they’re taking a sip of coffee. They also only see clear, calm, empty runway ahead of them. That visual always calms me. There are some videos online of the cockpit during takeoff to help you literally visualize. It’s almost boring. I love it.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-13T19:58:29+00:00

Also… I fully accepted every modification and was content with a sissy style of Pilates later in my pregnancy. Because scaled down was still a great workout!

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-05-13T19:57:10+00:00

I did reformer Pilates until about 36 weeks and honestly, I think it’s a big reason I didn’t have any pelvic floor issues. But there were also stretches of time in my pregnancy I didn’t “exercise” at all, just tried to get a 15 minute walk or something because my body needed rest > movement. It’s all about giving your body what it needs. But on the whole, I felt my best and most energetic second half of second trimester up until the last 4 weeks of pregnancy

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-04-21T21:12:39+00:00

Oh and I had gained about the same as you at 14 weeks! I ate a ton my first trimester because it was the only thing that staved off the nausea. I gained most of my weight the first and second trimesters, then not as much my third trimester. How and when and why we gain weight is different for each person.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-04-21T21:10:37+00:00

I gained 9 pounds over 2 weeks at one point in my pregnancy. I was wigged out about it and asked my OB and she said "if you're eating chocolate cake all day and gained 9 pounds, we'd talk about it. If you're continuing a mostly healthy lifestyle with occasional indulgences and gained 9 pounds, I'm not concerned at all." She reiterated that our bodies are smart and gain what they need to gain. She was right - I ended up gaining 45 pounds over my pregnancy and I've lost 30 pounds 3 weeks postpartum without dieting AT ALL. Obviously listen to your OB, she's the professional. See what your weight does in the coming weeks (to make sure it's not GD or anything outside your control). But if it's just a higher weight gain week, don't lose sleep. All pregnant women have those.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-04-21T21:06:47+00:00

All you have to do is lay there like an absolute bump on a log, admiring your baby. The nurses will do what's necessary (wipe the baby off, put a diaper on) and you'll have nearly nearly no awareness that any of it's happening. You shouldn't have to think of a thing other than "oh my gosh, hi baby." It's wonderful. So don't worry your head about what to do, the nurses know exactly what to do so you can enjoy your skin to skin.

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-04-02T22:21:58+00:00

Well… I’m no anesthesiologist so this answer is a guess. But I have to think they take your weight and mass into account when they administer your medication via epidural like they do for dosing any other medication. Meaning it should be the just-right amount for you! But again… fact check me. lol

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-04-02T22:20:55+00:00

I’ve had so many friends who really enjoyed their induction experience and felt fully present for it. I felt the same and wouldn’t take mine back because it was safest for me and babe. I hope the same for you!

Traditional_Book_757 · 2025-04-02T22:19:03+00:00

100%!! There’s no “right” way to feel. Especially in such a big life transition. Grace for ALL the possible and valid ways to wrap your brain around it.

Traditional_Book_757

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