A Parent’s Perspective: Memoirs from the Mattress
We went through fire and water almost in trying to
procure for him a natural sleep. We swung him in
blankets, wheeled him in little carts, walked the room with
him by the hour, etc., etc., but it was wonderful how little
sleep he obtained after all. He always looked wide awake
and as if he did not need sleep.
G. L. Prentiss, The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss,
1822
Poor Elizabeth Prentiss could have learned a thing or two from the
parents whose stories below reveal how they transformed their nighttime
experience with their babies from getting “nickel and dimed” to money
in the bank:
Debra and Andrew swaddled their twins, Audrey and
Sophia, from the very first days in their lives. Swaddling
prolonged their children’s nighttime sleep. Even at four
months old, the twins still preferred being swaddled. It
helped them sleep a full eight hours every night.
Debra, Andrew, Audrey, and Sophia
As she reached the four-week mark, our daughter Eve
became more wakeful and more distressed with the world
around her. When she wasn’t eating or sleeping, she was
fussing—and at times she screamed inconsolably. One
night she yelled so much her nose got stuffed and she
began to snort. I called Dr. Karp’s office for advice. As I
spoke with his nurse, Louise, I cradled Eve in my arms
and rested them on top of the dryer. The noise, vibration,
and warmth of the dryer calmed her, allowing me to talk
for a few minutes.
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