Refuting "Sleep Training at 8 Weeks: ‘Do You Have the Guts?’"

A terrifying drawing of a white woman, wearing a sleep mask
(alluding to the blindfold of justice) with only one eye covered.
She holds up a scale, with a crying, red-faced baby in the higher cup
and a white, bald, male doctor in the lower cup. The background is a
blue sky-- dark with stars on the baby's side, and light with clouds on the doctor's.

If this was from a less reputably source than NYT, I wouldn't repost it just to refute it, but, in my professional opinion, these pediatricians are awful.

"Sleep Training at 8 Weeks: ‘Do You Have the Guts?’"

Let's talk about basic development: newborns are learning whether or not the world is a good place: are they safe? are their needs being met? are they loved?

This is a quote from the author of the article, paraphrasing her family pediatrician's words:

She would cry — for hours, possibly — but in about three nights she’d get the picture that nobody was coming to her rescue and would begin to sleep through the night.

A preverbal baby who is crying is trying to communicate:

• "I am scared."
• "I am hungry."
• "My diaper is wet."
• "Why is it so dark?"
• "Where is everybody?"

Ignoring attempts to communicate doesn't tell a newborn that they are loved or safe, that their needs will be met. It simply is not developmentally appropriate.

But, Sasha, what alternatives are there? Co-sleeping safely. Checking on a baby who cries-- and getting help from a pro if the crying seems out of the ordinary. Asking friends or family for assistance in the "fourth trimester" so that everyone can still get enough sleep.

Hiring a post-partum doula (like myself) is also an option. It would be an honor to help your family.

In cahoots,

~Sasha