Leap 2: a lot of commotion

Wednesday November 22nd until Wednesday December 6th, the fussy phase from leap 2 will last 14 days, says The Wonder Weeks app. I quickly grab my agenda and see what’s in it for these days. Damn.. especially during those days I am alone with Juna. I think I have to get a baby carrier. A baby carrier, a sling and a pouch shirt. Everything to ensure that I can provide security during the leap and have my hands free when I am alone.

Restless naps

And yes, there it is, on the night of Tuesday 21st to Wednesday 22nd of November, Juna gets restless. No day is the same with a baby, but this night was different than usual with a baby. Juna slept restlessly, tossed and turned a lot, didn’t seem to be able to find a comfortable position in bed and only found peace with her pacifier in her mouth and my hand on her hand. When I looked on my phone in the morning, it all became clear to me: leap 2 has begun. 

From day 1 until day 14 Juna was clearly upset. The fussy phase of the leap lasted exactly 14 days, no day longer, but certainly no day shorter either. Throughout this leap, the main focus was on Juna and having trouble with her daytime naps. Where she previously took naps of 1,5 hour to 2 hours, they were now significantly shorter. With some luck she completed a 45 minute sleep cycle, but more often it was 20-30 minutes that resulted in a lot of sadness. Also with mom ;). 

The great thing about the information from The Wonder Weeks app I think that as a parent I can put into perspective that the fussy phase is only temporary. That I can try to understand why my child is so upset. That I can tell her that the world becomes a bit more beautiful every day. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Not even close.

Crying, fussy and… hungry!

During the leap I also noticed that Juna needed (comfort) feeding much more. Where in the week before the leap she would ask for another feeding after 4 hours, now she struggles to make it until 2.5 hours. We decided to go back to more, but smaller portions during the day. This way we could comfort Juna more often when she seemed to need it. At first this seemed like a good solution, but eventually she didn’t have enough with the small portions and got frustrated because the bottle was already empty. We listened to our feelings and decided to increase her portions. Sometimes I had a lot of trouble with the thought that we were giving her too much milk. But eventually it turned out to be the best decision because it made the rest of the leap a little more manageable. 

To provide enough rest for the night, we would bathe Juna every other day before she went to bed. Before the last feeding so she could relax. Before the bath, daddy gives her a nice massage and it relaxes her even more. Juna loves it! With the light dimmed and the heating nicely high, no tears and no agitation, but pure relaxation!

The peace has returned 

After day 14 of the fussy phase, the world suddenly looked a lot brighter again. Juna became familiar with her new skills, she became calmer and slept much better again. Great! This also allowed my hormones to settle down a bit and made some room to be a partner in addition to only being a mom. 

I find it very special to see that my child is developing so quickly and is always discovering and learning something new. Since leap 2, Juna is clearly more interested in moving objects. She watches attentively when you talk to her and responds with small sounds. She is sensitive to compliments and always tries to get your attention.

I found leap 2 quite tough, especially because I noticed Juna was really upset. She was harder to comfort and clearly wanted constant contact. The baby carrier was really a godsend. I carried her for hours and hours during the leap, but I did it with infinite love!

It all works out in the end. Follow your baby and keep calm. You as a mother really know what is best for your baby. ♥️

Annique Telders, mother of Juna.