One of my biggest struggles since becoming a mother has been getting this beautiful baby girl to sleep. We tried the bassinet, crib, swing, swaddle, blankets, paci, lovey, mama smellin' t-shirts, bottles--you name it we tried it and she's hated it. I cannot tell you how many times I've been pressured by either myself or my well-meaning loved ones to just let her cry it out (CIO) so I could rest and actually get stuff done around the house.

Crying it out was never an option because it didn't sit well in our hearts. With that said I totally get why people use the CIO method and I don't judge. We tried a gentle method of crying it once for an hour and everyone ended up in tears and traumatized for weeks...I'm not even joking. Ever since that day I vowed to myself that no matter what I would be patient and help her though this difficult phase while keeping my sanity in tact.

After noticing some significant changes in her behavior over the past few weeks I thought she just might be ready to try napping without me and her beloved "milksies".  I wasn't gonna hold my breath, but I had to try.

Today marks the first nap that she didn't nurse to sleep or have me lay snuggled up close the entire time! During the 2 hour and 13 minutes I used the bathroom (it's really a big deal), worked, took/edited this photo and put together this blog.

What were your biggest struggles with becoming a new mom?