One of the first things I learned as a first time mother is all of sudden everyone you know is an expert on babies. I guess I never realized this before hence I wasn't a mother, and I didn't really have any opinions on the subject. The most annoying question you will get time and time again is, "Is he sleeping through the night yet?" I find this to be the most bizarre question especially when it comes from people that do not even have a baby. I wonder why do these people even care? First, the definition of sleeping through the night varies from person to person and book to book. Some say it is when a baby sleeps 5-6 hours, and I guess the normal public would think 8 hours. However, a baby sleep cycle is so much lighter than an adult. They sleep in more of a light sleep for most of the time and this continues to cycle throughout the night. It is much harder for them to get to a deep sleep than us hence why babies wake up. Maybe it is a natural survival method because if they did sleep too deep they wouldn't be able to let us know something was wrong. All I know is I can't count how many times people ask me this question. I just want to say well it depends on what day you ask me. A baby can sleep through the night for weeks and then go through a new phase such as teething, solid foods, crawling, and walking which can now cause them to wake up. Thankfully, Nolan has been a pretty good sleeper from the beginning but it is always changing. It never fails I will get this question on a day after a long and sleepless night.
I know this question might just be small talk and that people feel that is the question to ask a new mother, but I for one can vouch for those mothers and say please don't ask! We don't need to be reminded of our lack of sleep...are minds and bodies are well aware of it.
On a lighter note, here is how I found Nolan and his wild hair after naptime the other day.
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