• The baby did not sleep much that day, but he was really good for dad
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As primary caregivers, most mums dream of a day off. But this is merely a dream because when we are presented with such opportunities, we hyperventilate at the thought of being away from our babies for so long! Moreover, we feel that the person we leave in charge is not possibly capable of handling the situation as well as we would.
Last week, I wrote about my husband’s increasing role as caregiver as our son is growing up. I can leave them for a couple of hours together without it being an issue. However, this past weekend was different; I had to take a course on Sunday for the whole day until 6.30pm.
I used the whole week to prepare. My son is still breastfeeding and his demands vary from day to day. Although I have tried several times to wean him off it without much success.
Weaning my child off the breast is the biggest struggle of my motherhood journey. I have battled with it so many times that it caused me physical and emotional distress. Everyone came in with their ideas and two cents, but nothing worked for my boy. I must reiterate that the kid completely refused the bottle by the time he was four months old.
This last week, however, I had a goal, which was to make my husband’s day of caregiving as smooth as possible. For that to happen, I had to stick to my guns and really wean the kid off the breast until sleep or nap times. By Friday, we were successfully down to one feed during daytime nap and one feed before bed. This is a big win for me personally. I’m keeping my fingers crossed to continue down this road and have him completely weaned off in the next month.
I also introduced a few new foods and drinks into the baby’s diet to supplement the need for breastfeeding during the course of the week. I also encouraged a lot of playtime and independent play so that he doesn’t require too much attention and can easily occupy himself.
Sunday morning came around to a fussy baby. Deep down, I panicked as I knew teething was upon us once more. I chose not to inform the dad as I hoped they would have a smooth day. Instead, I breastfed him before I left, hoping it would pacify him and improve his mood.
Other than a short nap during a stroll through the neighbourhood, the baby did not sleep much that day, but he was really good for dad. In fact, they seemed to have such a great time, he hardly missed me at all! At this rate, I wouldn't mind it at all if we could have regular daddy daycare days!