Last night Ben flipped from his back to his stomach, while swaddled, in his crib. Noah and I had read online that as soon as they flip, all swaddles must come off. If babies are on their tummies, they need their hands and arms free so they can push themselves up. Last night, after he startled himself awake around midnight, I had no energy left and brought Ben into bed with us. I couldn't bear to go through the full process of soothing him and then helping him soothe himself to sleep in his crib. It takes a while.
So, tonight we started early. When Ben fell asleep nursing after our dinner, I zipped him into his ducky sleep sack (it has "quack quack quack" embroidered on the chest). He cried. I nursed him some more. He paused frequently to flirt with me, giving me a big smile, a few coos, googly eyes. He lurched away only to laugh and talk to me more when I held him upright.
When he started rubbing his eyes again, I took him back to bed. I did my usual routine of turning off lights along the way and singing Rock A Bye Baby over and over as I rocked him. Eventually he started to yawn. But, once down in the crib, he was crying again. He eventually flipped to his side, then back. The next time I came in, he was across the crib horizontally, feet pushing against the crib rails nearest the wall. But, the next time I came in, I got a sight that shot oxytocin right through my veins: little Ben on his back, arms splayed out, one hand tenderly gripping and massaging a crib rail. Because, like his mama, my baby likes to clutch things in his hands.
