Miles Jackson wrote:
>
>
> I add my congratulations to everyone else's and throw in a bit more
> unsolicited advice. (You knew all of us parents would pipe up with
> advice about childrearing, right? We're like the stereotype of the nosy
> inlaws--but we're legion!) I slept with my kids until they were two or
> three. Especially if mom is breast feeding, this is just so much more
> convenient than putting an infant in a crib or a hammock (nobody has to
> get out of bed!). Also, cuddling with a baby is one of life's greatest
> joys. Newborns sleep a lot, so you still need some type of hammock or
> crib, but cuddle up at night (or during naps; you'll need them!). Best
> of luck.
>From the beginning? How did you avoid the risk of smothering the infant?
Or do you sleep _very_ lightly. I can paralyze my right hand (broken
wrist side) by rolling over it at night and not wake up. I suspect I
could do the same with an infant???
On the real joys for 20% of parents:
*****Colic is uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and well-fed. Every baby cries, but babies who cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, may have colic.
About 20% of babies get colic, and it equally affects boys and girls, first-born children and those born later. In general, it appears at around two to four weeks of age and can last for three months, or longer in some cases.
The cause of colic isn't known. . . . *** <http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/Mosby_factsheets/infant_colic.html>
My second daughter had colic. It disappeared overnight when she was about 9 months. For over two weeks my wife and I counted the days: one day with no continuous extreme fussing; two days with no continuous extreme fussing; three days with no continuous extreme fussing...... The shift was that dramatic, which illustrates how powerful colic is, for its disappearance to be so impressive.
Myself, I thoroughly enjoy my adult children, preferring them now to
their earlier selves. When Jan attended Orientation for parents of
entering freshmen at Northern Illinois U, she found that the other
parents split almost equally between those who were worrying about
losing their children and those who were celebrating Freedom At Last!
:-)
Carrol