...and now for real advise....

Warning: This post contains graphic suggestions concerning child raising.

When my wife and I had our first child (now she is 13) we were staying in a hotel where we met a Mexican woman. She was very kind but made the comment that she thought it very odd that Americans are so quick to put their kids in separate cribs.

She explained that nursing was critical and that they were in the custom of sleeping with the child for the first 6 months or so.

She reminded us that the child has spent the last 9 months of it's life in intimate contact with it's parent and was in no way eager to end the relationship. We tried it and found that it made life considerably easier. All 5 of our kids were, from then on, given the same treatment with favorable results. They soon got to the point that they were ready to sleep on their own.

I can't encourage you enough to consider nursing. The first 2 weeks will kill you, but after that, the convenience and health benefits will last a long time. You also get a lot more sleep. One or two squeeks and you plug them in and go back to sleep. No getting up, no mixing formula and waiting for it to heat in the Microwave while you are getting more awake by the moment, no sterilizing bottles, and no EXPENSIVE formula. Plus, you always have it handy, where ever you are! The kids seem more secure, healthy and you get to enjoy them more closely.

We also found great books from family.org that made us realize that weren't the first to go through this journey.

Bo
( I'm not a mother, but I've played one from time to time in real life) (Oh, and I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express once)