Tamara Moshman, Maryland

Originally published in the May-June 1979 issue of La Leche League News.

Editor’s Note: The first issue of La Leche League News, the bimonthly publication for members, was published in 1958. The name changed to New Beginnings in 1985. New Beginnings continued to be published by La Leche League International until it was transferred to LLL USA in 2010. In 2014, it transitioned to its current blog format at www.lllusa.org/blog/.

It is 10 p.m. and our seventeen-month-old toddling nurser is gleefully walking backwards, clapping his hands, and squealing “mama, mama.”

Before Jesse’s arrival, if someone had told us that a baby would not be tucked away in his own darkened room at 8 p.m. to sleep the night quietly away (until 8 the next morning), we would have been shocked.

After Jesse was born, we soon saw he followed no predictable schedule. Anyone who heard he nursed every hour and was up six times a night told us emphatically to let him cry it out. This went against our parenting instincts, so we let Jesse tell us what he needed. We felt a little bit insecure about our decision because everyone seemed to be telling us we were wrong.

But, through a friend of ours who is very active in LLL, we finally got the support and understanding we needed. Her words were 100% backed up by her baby, Jason, who is a beautiful child. We learned what wonderful experiences we would soon be having as our baby’s personality began to develop richly.

He still gets up frequently at night, but I gladly go to him and meet his needs, and Jesse is a happy and loving baby.

Here are just a few of the resources that La Leche League offers regarding nighttime parenting:

• Sleep Training…Or Not: llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-training-or-not/
• Learning To Love Nighttime Parenting: lllusa.org/learning-to-love-nighttime-parenting/
• Why Breastfed Babies Wake During The Night: lllusa.org/why-breastfed-babies-wake-during-the-night/
• Sweet Sleep: llli.org/resources/sweet-sleep/