The Journey of Parenthood…

How I Discovered Babywise

Today is Babywise Friendly Blog Network Day and we’re all talking on the topic of “How I Discovered Babywise.”

I have been blogging since I found out I was pregnant with my first child…back in 2008! This blog has truly covered my entire parenting journey. From before I became a parent to now a parent of three (almost 4!). If you have followed from the start (which is probably like 3 people haha!) then you have seen me grow and change in my personal life but also in my parenting.

I know many people say that parenting comes naturally. I just had someone ask for parenting book recommendations on Facebook. I commented my two favorites (Babywise and Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems) and then noticed the other comments that said things like “you don’t need a book on parenting, it will come naturally!”

I know people are just trying to be encouraging when they say things like that. And I’m sure that some women DO feel like parenting “just comes naturally” to them. But that wasn’t me. I didn’t give birth and then suddenly KNOW what to do. KNOW how to best care for my child. I also didn’t have an example that I really wanted to follow. Many times women who say it comes “naturally” for them have a close relationship with their mother and lean on her for advice and wisdom. When you’re parenting with the mindset of breaking cycles from the parenting you received, you don’t want to base your parenting style on that of your parents or that in which you “know naturally.”

Those first few weeks of parenting were hard for me. I struggled with breastfeeding. I felt very overwhelmed. I had very little confidence. I let anyone and everyone give me advice and I was more likely to follow whatever others told me to do rather than make decisions on my own on what was best for my baby. NOTHING felt natural to me. Not one single part of parenting seemed “to just come easily.” It caused my self esteem to plummet. I felt like failure of a mother because I didn’t “just know” what to do. I felt lost and like this role I’d always dreamed of wasn’t what I thought it’d always be.

I am a rule follower. I like a recipe when I cook. In school I preferred to be given a topic for discussion over being asked open ended questions. I like instructions. I follow directions. I am a total school nerd teachers pet type-a person.

Parenting was too open-ended for me. I didn’t have a recipe. A rule book. Instructions or directions.  I function best in structure and routine and just felt LOST without some sort of guidance.

Thankfully a friend of mine recommended that I read Babywise. I read the whole thing cover to cover in one sitting the day it arrived on my doorstep. Not that it was a holy experience in anyway but I do compare my finding of Babywise to my finding the Bible. When I was 19 I read the Bible for the first time (like really read it) and it just all CLICKED for me. It’s a guidebook for life and I was probably the “easiest convert” ever because I read it and was like “yup, this makes sense” and boom I got baptized and became a Christian and haven’t ever looked back.

Same with Babywise. The Bible is my guidebook for life, and Babywise is my guidebook for parenting. I felt this huge weight lift from my shoulders when I read it. Finally I had something to follow. A PLAN of action I could put into place!

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Even though I knew it was “my thing” as soon as I read it, it still took me a good while to really put the plan fully into motion. The book alone just isn’t enough info. Once I found Chronicles of a Babywise Mom though? It was a GAME CHANGER. Newer mamas are so blessed with even more Babywise resources now (my blog included… which I always find to be a HUGE compliment to hear moms say my blog has helped them!). But between Val’s blog and the book itself I was able to undo a lot of the bad habits I’d already started with Kye and slowly became the “Hardcore Babywise Mom” I am today.

Not only did I see the benefits of Babywise very quickly for my baby (he slept through the night at 8 weeks old!) but I saw them in MYSELF. I truly give Babywise all the credit for the mother I am today. I am PROUD of the mother I am. I have confidence in my parenting abilities. I’m passionate about parenting and am just so, so thankful that I discovered Babywise. It’s given me a confidence and a purpose I feared I’d never find during those early days of parenting. I simply cannot imagine my life without it!

I know it’s not for everyone. I know some people are less hardcore. Some take bits and pieces from the books and that’s it. And that’s ok! We are all different people and different parents and have to find what works best for US. However I will continue to recommend Babywise as a must-read for every mother or mother-to-be. You can’t know if something is right for you if you don’t read it 😉 I know I’m so thankful I did!

How did you discover Babywise?

Be sure to check in with all the Babywise Friendly Blog Network Bloggers today to learn their “how I discovered Babywise” stories:

Emily Parker
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