My Experience as an anxious new mom-

I am a first-time mother, and for me, everything that my little one does (or doesn’t) seems scary. Should she be eating this much? Why is she crying right now? Did I do something? She’s not waking up to eat, should I let her sleep or wake her up? Why is she sneezing so much? Is that normal?

I love this baby so much but being responsible for a tiny human can be overwhelming. Being a first-time parent is wonderful, but scary too. If you look at my call records, 90% of my calls are to my baby’s paediatrician or my own mother asking if something is normal or not normal.

Combine the constant worries of being a new mom with the lack of sleep. I was feeling like a zombie. When my baby was one month old, she was not sleeping for 1 to 1.5 hours at a time every night. She would fall asleep in my arms, but the moment I put her down, she would wake up fussy and crying. It became seemingly impossible to keep up with. While I should have been enjoying this time with her, bonding and playing, all I could think about was getting some rest.

My experience which changed my life –

Fast forward to now (a month later). I was starting to feel like I might never sleep again and also I must be doing something wrong. My baby was approaching two months old and still wouldn’t sleep for more than an hour or two at a stretch. I met my friend from my Prenatal Yoga Classes for a coffee and we started swapping stories about our little ones.

I thought about sharing my struggles with sleep, but from how my friend was talking, I got the impression that she wasn’t having any trouble with sleep. Finally, I couldn’t help but tell her how envious I felt. Also that, I felt like I am not a good mom because I couldn’t even get my baby to sleep.

What helped an anxious new mom?

What a relief it was to hear that she has been having a similar issue, but she’d found a solution She told me how it was a swaddling blanket from Nested Bean that was helping her little one get a good night’s sleep, to up to 5-hour stretches, sometimes even more! I was bewildered with joy to know there was a solution to my issue. But, my friend couldn’t say enough about how it had helped her. I figured it was worth a shot and at this point, I would try anything to get some more sleep, so I placed an order.

Just a couple days later, the Zen Swaddle Blanket was on my doorstep. Now the kind of mother I am, I HAD to check and feel the material, and then read about it again. Okay, so 70% bamboo, 30% cotton – wow, this thing is so soft. (By this time, I have already fallen head over heels for the oh-so-cute Deep Sea Diver Print). I had been a little worried about the “weighted” portion of the swaddle and that is something which helps soothe your baby to sleep. But as soon as I held it, I realized it was just a gentle pressure. It wouldn’t feel any heavier than my hand resting on my daughter’s chest. And yes, as the brand says, it is toxin free and hip healthy. As a matter of fact, this blanket also exceeds US and International safety standards.

A happy and well rested mom-

The look and feel passed with flying colors, it was now time to put the swaddle to the real test – I was still feeling a little skeptical that this would really help my baby sleep After I fed her at around 8 in the evening, I went through our usual bedtime routine to settle her. After she started feeling somewhat drowsy, I laid her down and swaddled her as per the instructions that came along. (For those of you wondering, I was MUCH easier than a regular swaddle blanket – and the how-to video guided me right through it!)

And then, I waited for some magic. She was definitely calmer than usual in the swaddle, and she still needed me to help her fall asleep but once she did, she slept soundly for 2 hours. Not a huge improvement, but I still had hope.

The following night, I tried it again. She did not protest being swaddled at all and fell asleep within 10-15 minutes and slept again for 2 hours. The next night, she fell asleep quickly and slept for 3 hours. The night after that, she slept for 3.5 and I couldn’t believe it. It was working!!

By the end of the week, I was a full-on believer in this magic. She was sleeping like a baby (literally!) for upwards of 4 hours. Going from sleeping 2 hours or less to sleeping more than double was a miracle.  I am sure the light pressure on the chest and sides was the reason.

The longer I used the Zen Swaddle, the more she slept better. She would wake up once or twice, but wouldn’t stay up for long. She would usually look around for a bit and would soothe herself to sleep.

I was on cloud nine, like never before. I just can’t emphasize enough on what this meant for me, and still does. Finally, I was well-rested, and cheerful like before and no more an anxious new mom!

 

*Disclaimer – It is a sponsored post but the thoughts are real as shared by one of my relative who is a new mom and used the product mentioned. 

 

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