It’s 2.46am. You’ve been asleep for three blissful hours (or maybe it was two). Then, you hear some movement through the monitor.
"That’s just the baby turning over," you say to yourself, hopeful that maybe, just maybe tonight you’ll get four blissful hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Hopeful indeed. Next thing you know, a wail wakes the household.
Then the internal monologue begins:
"Is she hungry? When did she last eat?"
"Did I dress her in the right TOG sleeping bag?"
"Where did I put that temperature guide thing that came with my cocoon swaddle bag?"
"Do I need to put the fan on again?"
"Teeth? Again?"
"Wait, is it a leap? Should I check the app?"
"Is the white noise not loud enough? Is it too loud?"
"Or is she just awake now?"
Baby sleep is a lot. And chances are, once you have a child, you’ll be consumed by it for a very long time. But it’s okay, it’s all normal. If a little overwhelming.
Before I became a parent 10 months ago, I had no idea how many things could impact my child's sleep. I also had no idea what a TOG was or what the helpful apps were. Because when you’re a brand new parent, there is so much to learn, and chances are, unless you're a baby expert, you're going to go through a lot of trial and error.