Best Childhood Hacker – Have an Easy Child
New research published in Academic Pediatrics confirms that mothers of fussy babies are more likely to experience symptoms of depression than mothers of “light” babies. Researchers collected data from more than 8,200 children and their parents and found that “the less the infant soothes, the more upset the mother is,” the press release said . In fact, caring for difficult babies requires emotional losses.
If you, dear parent, are reading this at 3 a.m. because your child still does not stop crying after you rocked, swaddled and sang lullabies in an increasingly threatening tone, you are probably shouting, “THANKS, CAPTAIN OBVIOUS “on your screen. I understand. But perhaps there is some consolation in scientific discoveries, and it’s not you .
My first child was a difficult child. She hated gravity, and whenever I stopped bouncing on the exercise ball, she screamed. (Come to think of it, I now have a bad association with exercise balls and exercise in general.) I spent so many days browsing Facebook and feeling like all the other young parents had it together – they traveled, got promoted … starting a fuss and announcing new children. Crying and lack of sleep, I kept asking myself: “What’s wrong with me?”
Now, six years later, I have a baby and it is “light” (for now). He smiles a lot, has fun looking at his fingers, and from seven weeks slept for seven to nine hours at night. I was overwhelmed. Over the past months, even though we still had typical baby problems, I was able to schedule birthdays, join a book club, and start renovating my bathroom. It’s a completely different parenting experience for me, and yet I had nothing to do with it. The child came here. Have an easy baby. This is a hack.
Of course, there are things you can do to make life with your baby more manageable – like making a plan , getting support , freezing a whole bunch of dinners, and going outside . But also know that you may just have a difficult baby. While this awareness will not help you much with 24/7 awakenings or raging cramps (I’m sorry), it can help you let go of any thought that you are not doing enough or that you are not doing enough, or that your life must be like someone else’s. (Note: Regardless of your child’s temperament, if you experience symptoms of postpartum depression , you should talk to your doctor immediately.)
Basically, if your child is not easy, blame the prank on luck, not yourself. And then hold on tight – I’ll tell you that even the most fussy child can become a kind, loving and in most cases pleasant child to talk to. When that happens, you should definitely give it credit.