The End of the Fourth Trimester?

"No, I do not want the baby to sleep in our bed."  Yep.  That's what I said.  I was decided.  No way, no how were we going to have a baby in our bed.  We had a crib.  We had a cosleeper.  And then, there we were, home from the hospital with our first baby.  Every time we tried to put her down, she woke up.  What else could we do?  I conceded.  She slept with us.  She slept great as long as she was touching me.  I was her alarm and she was my alarm.  For naps, she slept in the bjorn or in the jogging stroller. Then, as if by magic, at three months, she started sleeping in her crib.  Dr. Harvey Karp calls this the fourth trimester, a time when babies are outside the womb but happiest if we can simulate the conditions inside the womb for them.  They want to feel the warmth of our bodies, the rhythmic beating of our hearts and gentle rocking and swaying motions.

This fourth trimester business was extremely difficult with twins. For naps, I would carry one twin in the bjorn, while the other would sleep in the swing.  At night, my husband held one twin and I held the other.  This worked for us.  We kept our sanity.  I have to say, though, I craved my space.  I really longed for some time when I could be free from the touch of another.  At night when my twin was asleep, I would lay him down beside my husband and get up just to have some time when I was not touching a baby.  Moments later, my twin was summoning me back! 

Sure enough, as if by magic, at just over four months, here they are sleeping on their own in their cribs.  I have mixed feelings about this.  Part of me is delighted with the freedom.  The other part of me is realizing how fast they are growing.  They have taken their first step towards independence.  I wanted this day to come and yet part of me wants it not to have come.  Yes, they still need me lots and I mean LOTS.  They need me to eat.  They need me to get from Point A to Point B.  They need me to wash their faces.  And, boy, do they need me to change their diapers.  Yet, I know that all these things will one day come to an end, too.  I pray that as they become increasingly aware of their independence from me, they will also become increasingly aware of their total dependence upon God.