A crying baby is a tremendous challenge and anyone who has experienced this knows it to be true.

The crying starts and you shift the baby from one position to another.

The crying continues. If you are sitting, you stand. If you are standing, you walk. But the crying continues.

The crying baby won’t settle. It breaks your heart. You want them to find peace and you’ll do anything to help them find it. But the crying continues.

You shhhhhh….

You offer the breast or a bottle….

You sing….

You hum….

You offer a pacifier….

You swing….

You bounce….

You jiggle….

You rock….

But the crying baby continues to cry. You feel frustrated. You’ve done everything you can think of and then before you can even blink an eye, you feel rage beginning to boil. It comes out of nowhere and it consumes you like a swarm of bees. The buzzing is loud and furious and there seems to be nowhere to turn.

S T O P.

Stop whatever you are doing. That’s right, stop holding that crying baby. You are in a danger zone and YOU. MUST. STOP.

First, get that crying baby to a safe place where they can cry in peace and not fall or hurt themselves.

Next, take care of YOU! You must immediately go in the bathroom, splash cold water on your face, look in the mirror and recognize that the person looking back at you has reached their max. That person needs a break!

Looking in the mirror gives you an opportunity to see yourself as others see you. It gives you a moment to step out of the scenario and take a look inside. By doing so, you can easily see that you have become overwhelmed and just need to press pause.

Pause, is good.

Breathing happens when we pause. Thinking happens when we pause. A drink of water happens when we pause. And reality becomes clearer when we pause.

Phone a friend, ask for help, call a doula, and start again. You do not have to walk this new path alone. You shouldn’t be expected to and so many people can relate to exactly where you are. You love your baby. But you also are in the midst of the most enormous life transition that exists…

Welcome to Motherhood. We’re here to help!

 

Authored By: Randy Patterson