The Wonder Weeks (aka the baby brain bible)

Months ago, a little birdie on my Babycenter board told me about this book called the Wonder Weeks by Dutch scientists, Hetty van de Rijt and Frans X. Plooij. Basically, babies go through mental leaps of cognitive development, which cause the three C's: Cranky, Clingy, & Crying. As I have done with every other baby "how-to" book, I shrugged it off, and just assumed it was bull.. Then, another friend had mentioned the book to me, so I gave in and decided to googs it. I was fascinated by what I was reading. As I charted out Maddie's "wonder weeks," I saw a definite pattern in her sleeping habits and fussy periods. For the last month or more, Maddie has been sleeping like shit. Some nights are better than others, but on average, she won't sleep more than three to four hours before she starts waking up every two hours after that. Several people said, "well she's obviously not sleeping through the night because you're breastfeeding. Try giving formula (cheeseburgers in a bottle) before bed." Well, thanks, but I'd rather run off of three hours of sleep a day. The Wonder Weeks gave me an actual explanation as to why she was suddenly a terrible sleeper.

Picture this: You've had a long day at work. Your boss gives you a deadline for a project, due in two days. On top of that, you have a history test that you still need to study for. You go to bed that night, and all you can think about is that project and history. You can't fall asleep, because you have so much on your mind. The sleep you do get sucks, because your brain won't shut off.

Now, babies, do the same thing. For example, Maddie has been trying to master the skill of rolling over from back to front for weeks now. She would get to her side, but couldn't figure out how that she needed to move her arm and lift her head in order to do so. For weeks, all her little brain could think about was rolling over. Sometimes, she would even wake up, fully, wanting to play at 4 am. Just one day before her 5 month birthday, she rolled over... And didn't stop. We were blessed with three nights of fantastic sleep, no night wakings. Her brain is thinking, "Ahhhh, I can finally rest. My project is finished."


Mid-roll over

My favorite thing about this book is that it's not way of "training" your baby to sleep. There's no, "if you do ________, then your baby WILL sleep through the night." Instead, it offers ways to help your baby with each leap. For example, this last leap suggested letting baby play naked. The first time we tried it, Maddie rolled to her side for the first time ever. It could be a coincidence, but I like to believe that helped her get in tune with her body.. Or something. =]


Nakey rolling baby

I type this as I'm nursing my little girl at 1:30 am.. I'm assuming that in a few days, she'll be mastering a new skill, because she's back to waking up in the middle of the night again. At least I can take comfort in knowing that there is a reason (and an amazing one at that..) for why she does this. It makes it a lot less frustrating for the both of us, because I spent a lot of time wondering what I was doing wrong as a first time parent.

Now, I've talked to many people who have never had any problems with this (as with everything, there are varying degrees of intensity to which babies deal with this), and believe that it is a totally ridiculous concept. I also believe leaving an infant in her crib to cry it out is a totally ridiculous concept as well, which is usually the advice we get when it comes to her sleeping "problems." I'll stick with what makes sense for me & my family. I just wanted to sing my praises of this book, because it really has been a lifesaver for me!

www.thewonderweeks.com



Photo taken from: http://www.kidlantis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/the-wonder-weeks.jpg