When a new baby comes in to your family, the sudden impact on your usual sleep habits can come as a huge shock. It is not uncommon for parents to feel totally exhausted and too fatigued to continue on in their regular routines.
Many experience feeling burned out and are surprised at how much of a struggle parenting this tiny little person can be.
To my darling Son. In just a few short months you will be two, and I just cant believe how the time has flown by. It seems only yesterday that you were a tiny newborn, scrunched up in my arms, with eyes only for Mama. A belly full of milk and a capacity to sleep for hours on end, (Wow was I in for a shock when that all changed!) I knew from the moment I saw you, life would never be the same again – and I was right! You have changed me so deeply, in ways I could never have imagined. The love I have for you is unwavering, unconditional, all consuming. I would fight panthers, climb mountains, even brave mother and baby groups just to see you smile… ; )
It could be argued that all babies are “high needs.” They all need to have their needs met and be cared for and especially if this is your first time, learning to be a parent requires a lot of adapting and growing, no matter how laid back your particular child is.
But for some parents, you will be aware of a difference in your own child’s nature. Early signs that they are that little bit more feisty, more challenging. They will not let their unmet needs go unnoticed, they will communicate it to you in the one way they know how. Loudly. Sounding familiar at all?
Sometimes in parenting we fall off track. Other times we fall so far from the track, we can barely find our way back to the parent we aspired to be. Seemingly small triggers pile up and left unresolved cause stress and tension. Often we step back and look at ourselves in the mirror, and are faced with a worn out, snappy parent, who is out of patience.
I first knew I would wear my baby long before becoming a parent. Travelling through Ethiopia, watching the women walking through the villages with their babies wrapped snugly on their backs, was quite different from anything I had seen back home. One morning around 4am, long before sunrise, I stood shivering, waiting for a bus out on the dusty street. A crowd started to gather and I watched a mother with a little baby on her back. She was layering thick blankets over him, shielding him from the cold, and her actions were so loving and gentle, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
