Is it really PDF?

O.K. so Molly is sleeping 8 hours at night now pretty frequently. She sleeps from about 8:30-9:00 until 5:00 am (give or take 30 minutes on either side). She eats about six times a day and takes about 3 naps, sometimes with a 4th cat nap in the late evening. So all of this sounds pretty darn good!!!! Some people think it is something I have done. Some think I am a super scheduler. Others think that I just have good babies. Others think it runs in the genes. I seriously do not know. It is all just a crap shoot in my opinion sometimes (excuse the phrase). I do not lay her down yet and let her go to sleep all on her own and she does have a sleep prop as the books would call it (a pacifier). John is actually better at lying her down and getting her to go to sleep without being held.

When I was pregnant with Emily I took a class at church called Baby Wise or preparation for parenting. Boy am I glad I did. If anything it made me AWARE. I learned that babies can be taught and that they know if they are the center of the family real quick. Not that they are manipulators but they learn from what is being taught. It taught me not to let the really important things go down the tube when you are trying to care for this baby. It made me aware that every time a baby cries it does not mean that they are hungry. It made me aware that babies can be on a predictable schedule. It made me aware of the signs of hunger versus just wanting to snuggle. I think and know I am blessed to have never had a problem nursing so I know when my babies eat, they are getting a full feeding that should make them full. So when they cry after that, it is most likely something else. I learned that babies fight sleep.

I don't know if I use PDF (parent directed feeding) principles to the letter but I do know that being aware of the amount of time in between feedings and how many times a baby should eat a day etc has been so helpful. Molly and I are on the right track and if anything she is predictable and I pretty much know what she wants and when she needs it give or take 30 or so minutes. It makes for easy planning and actually lets you enjoy the baby and be able to do things. I am so glad that I was AWARE and not clueless going into this baby thing.