When did you find it easier

[silverlinings91]

My little boy is seven months old tomorrow, he's still breast fed, is weaning mixture of blw and spoon feeding, is up several times a night - bad around 7-8pm up at 6:30/7am, awake at least three times. We're co-sleeping as I am ridiculously tired if he's in cot due to getting up. He's super clingy, recently and groans until I pick him up, if I don't pick him up he cries, and I can't bare him crying.
Some days are ok but generally finding things tiring. I'm a first time mum and everything is really new to me, I didn't have a clue in the beginning. I feel overwhelmingly in love with him pretty much straight away but feel guilty that I'm needing more time to myself in recent weeks even just to have a cup of tea. Some mums said they found it easier 6month +, I'm not really finding that? Did it get easier when your baby started crawling or? I'm dreading how hard I might find it as mums keep telling me "watch out"

Babbling post but would appreciate any advice.

You have my sympathy. I found the whole first 8 months or so really, really hard. What made it better was DS gradually getting up less and less (at 7 months still up every couple of hours, down to 1 or 2 wake ups by 8/9 months). My DS didn’t crawl til 11 months so later than others but it felt easier by that point because I was getting more sleep and he wasn’t crazy destructive so it’s been fine. It doesn’t suddenly get better but you realise one day you’d say you’re enjoying this stage overall (there are always tough moments!) rather than finding it a slog.

I found it got easier in stages . But the biggest stage was 10-12 months ! My DS started sleeping through the night consistently, he learnt to self settle so I didn’t have to rock him/nurse him to sleep every night and he started walking ( which I found easier as it meant more things to do with him like soft play and playgrounds .

Then at 14 months he went on a nursing strike and never returned to the boob. It devastated me at the time but within a few weeks I started to see the benefits . It meant my husband could put him to bed or get up with him in the mornings . Suddenly I had opportunities to sleep in/ evenings off .

He’s now 20 months and I’m still finding things are getting easier . He is starting to talk and communicate, he is learning to independently play ( I can cook dinner while he happily draws or “reads” books) and he even cleans up his toys when I ask 😝! He is also past his separation anxiety and will happily run into nursery himself waving me goodbye with a big smile .

Of course he now throws temper tantrums 🙄 and it takes forever to do anything because he wants to do it himself BUT I still find it overall easier ( for now )! Ask me again when he hits the terrible twos and I might have a different answer 😂

Do not worry, I am sure that everyone felt the same way. No matter how much advice I was given, there was always something else.
Over time, the truth becomes easier. The first time I saw the child, I cried, I was afraid to do something wrong. Of course, it is natural. We are always scared because we are responsible and our children.
With time, the truth becomes easier.