June 6, 2019
The most common question I get asked about Caroline is, “Is she sleeping?” Even complete strangers at the grocery store ask me that. I proudly say yes! I’ve said this a million times, but I will say it again…I’m not going to sit here and act like I wrote the book on babies, but I am reading a really darn good one.
Moms On Call is not just about sleep, though. It is about feeding, playing, and so much more…which all leads to great sleep (for us, at least). This book/program was first suggested to me by a childhood friend that is now a nurse and mother. I added the book to my registry and ended up buying it for myself before anyone had the chance to gift it to me. Oops. I was excited to start reading and learning. At my first baby shower I talked to some college girlfriends that used the book as well. They raved about the schedule and how well it worked for them. Ok, sold.
The Moms On Call schedule starts at two weeks of age, so that’s when I started implementing the schedule and techniques with Caroline. At two weeks, Caroline was sleeping longer stretches during the day than at night, and that was not working well for mom. Caroline started to adjust to the schedule within a few days (exactly like the books mentions). We soon were getting two to four hour stretches from her at night. By 5 weeks old we were getting 7 hour stretches, and by 8 weeks she was sleeping for 10+ hours. If that’s not reason enough to check out this book then I don’t know what is. I WANT TO SHARE THIS BOOK WITH ALL MOMS! We recently dropped the swaddle and it only took 3 nights for her to adjust…exactly like the book mentions.
The schedule is everything. You cannot deny that we (people in general) thrive on structure. I understand that not every day is going to be the exact same (and Moms On Call is aware of that, too), but keeping some structure makes the days predictable.
Let me stop and be honest. There were times that I got a little obsessed with the schedule and would get anxiety if the bedtime routine didn’t start right on time. As Caroline has grown, and as I have become a more seasoned mom, I have gained a lot of confidence and have been able to find a lot of flexibility in the schedule.
Moms on Call has also been a great guide for general illness. The book has a list of items that you should have in your home at all times to be prepared (which was useful when I was making my registry). Caroline got a little cold around 4 weeks old and I was able to relieve her of her congestion through the tips they provide. It has also been a good guide when it comes to feeding. We are exclusively pumping and giving bottles (read more about it here), and Moms on Call goes through how much babies typically take in at each age.
I understand that this might not be ideal for each mom and baby, but this is what has worked wonders for us. It is just too good not to share.
Here are some sweet pics of Caroline that I got with my camera the other day.
