The Bliss of Baby Sleeping--All Night Long
The first year with my babies was a litany of sleep-deprived nights, up every two hours to feed. Though I had a co-sleeper next to my bed, baby ended up by my side, my nursing breast accessible whenever baby whimpered. In the morning I’d wake up, pajama draped around my neck but baby snuggled close. I barely remember that first year. Sleep deprivation stymied my sentences and short-term memory. With my third child I vowed not to repeat this saga again.
The other night I lay my 2-month-old baby down on her mattress. She was awake and protested slightly. But she looked at herself in the mirror–a montessori-style sleeping arrangement set-up for the infant. After several minutes she drifted off to sleep. She stayed asleep for 5 hours. My heart danced with joy.
How did I manage this shift? Whether it’s sleeping habits, colic, bedwetting, or sibling rivalry, using the Law of Attraction can help shift the challenging behavior.
1. Set the intention. Journal what you would like to create. I like to write a letter to my angels. Write it in present tense as if it has already happened. Express gratitude. For example, “I am so happy and grateful my baby goes to sleep peacefully on her own and sleeps through the night. etc.”
2. Use energy work such as Emotional Freedom Technique EFT or Calyco Healing to find the emotional block and clear it. EFT is a free technique that uses tapping on acupressure points while repeating a release statement, followed by repeating the affirmation of what you want to create. For example, when I first attempted to put my baby on her crib mattress, she cried. While she cried, I comforted her and tapped lightly between the eyebrows, on her sternum, underneath her armpit, and on the crown of her head. I could see her distress lessen.
3. Use muscle-testing to pinpoint the root cause of the challenge. One method is to make an “O” with your thumb and finger on one hand. Use your other finger to try to break the O. Practice by testing the difference when you say Yes versus No. For example, the second night when my baby cried, I thought she was still resistant to sleeping on her mattress. Muscle-testing revealed that she was fine with her mattress, but was not comfortable with sleeping apart from me. We were able to clear that through Calyco Healing.
If you are not comfortable with EFT or Calyco Healing, you can always seek help from an energy work practitioner. Calyco Healing has been an amazing tool I use with my own clients because it can release emotional blocks about multiple issues in one session.
Know that when we face a challenge, this is simply the in-between space before overcoming the struggle. Keep on moving forward and the storm will pass. Remembering this will help shift the vibration faster in your favor.
Now, my breastmilk-fed baby sleeps until the morning.
Happy Parenting!
Somewhere between night-wakings, diaper-changing, and car-pooling, thriving became a conscious choice for this suburban mom, writer, and energy coach.
