I have a one month old! Since I just posted a week ago, I don't need to post about the things he is doing..the answer is still "not too much". However, we have had a turn-around with his sleeping. He went from being VERY fussy and only sleeping well if we held him, to sleeping really well.
The truth is, we have started letting him sleep on his stomach for naps during the day. He still sleeps swaddled on his back at night but since he is sleeping well during the day, he is getting good sleep at night. You would think if they have rough days with little to no sleep then they would sleep good at night but that is NOT the case. I am aware of SIDS and why they say not to let them sleep on their tummies, but at some point you have to use common sense and since I can monitor him well during the daytime naps, I'm going to let him sleep on his tummy! Plus, he already raises his head well and can turn it if he chooses.
I also think we were overstimulating him during "waketime" and not putting him in his crib while he slept. Trial and error I guess. I think it was just too noisy for him in our house to sleep in his swing during the day.
If you are a new mom or a mom that remembers, how many ounces does your baby eat or did they eat at 4 weeks? How much time did they spend awake after each feeding? How long would they sleep? I'm just trying to get an idea if we are about average. I hear so many different answers on this.
7 comments:
Oh Baker!!!! I cannot believe you are one month and I have not come to see you yet! Shame on me. Time sure does fly. I will be setting up a time to come and visit soon!! Noah was eating five ounces. Staying awake anywhere from three seconds to an hour. It was right about this time when I started Babywise and tried to keep him up longer after feeding and adjust naps and stuff. I did all sorts of things to keep him from falling right back to sleep.
Thanks Carrie! I appreciate the input. Wow, 5 ounces. We are feeding him about 3.5 and I have had people tell me that was alot. Sometimes I think we are feeding him too much and sometimes not enough. Its so hard to figure all of this out. As for sleep, he is basically doing the same. Sometimes immediately and sometimes its an hour. I have read Babywise also and still feel like I dont know what to do.
I tried to keep Thomas up for at least thirty to 45 minutes after he ate and for the most part he was able to stay awake that long. I was trying to stick to the babywise schedule for the most part. I feel like Thomas ate 2oz for the longest time, but I think by 4 weeks he was up to 3oz.
I think five ounces was a lot! The NICU sent him home already downing four ounces. Noah was always a big eater. I wasn't sure if you were doing Babywise so I didn't want to say too much. Because some people are really opposed to it. But I used to stick wash cloths under Noah's shirt (not cold ones) to keep him awake! Isn't that terrible. I think it sounds like everything is going well with Baker. It took me two really hard weeks of working on the schedule before it really clicked with Noah but when it did it was great! I used to write out the Babywise schedule adapted to Noah every few days because it would change some , I found a copy of it the other day. I think the big thing for me was setting a start time in the morning, waking him up from naps if need be, and a consistent bedtime routine. Those made a big difference. Noah was sleeping 8-9 hours by six weeks and a couple of months later 11-12 which he still does. Hang in there with te Babywise, I think when youll continue to find things that will work for you and Baker!
Baker man we can't wait for you to get here on Wednesday-your 1st trip of MANY to Dothan in your lifetime! Hope the tummy sleeping is still helping. Also he'll be changing and going longer in the next few weeks any way b/c he's getting older! 1 month has flown by! And the rest do too :( but it's all so fun-every little stage!!!
Kay Bostic says that we all slept on our tummies from the beginning, so dont worry. We turned out okay (well, most of us...) :)
Love to Baker Man!
Congratulations Lindsey! I just stumbled upon your blog from Besty's page, but I've been seeing Baker pics on FB-he's adorable, congrats!
Isn't blogging fun? I just started mine a few months ago, and I always love getting feedback from other moms-it's so helpful for me!
I'm trying to think back to when I'd pump Jack's nighttime bottle for Jason to give him so I could catch up on sleep-at one month, it was around 3-4 ounces, but through learning trials with now two kiddos, I'm a huge fan of putting down the parenting books (something that was very hard for me with my first! but sometimes trying to follow all the book suggestions did more harm than good for me...) and trusting yourself and your instincts. If Baker is still going at it for more food at the end of 3.5 ounces, feel free to give him more, but if he seems "fat and happy" as I call it, 3.5 is probably enough for him. Jack nursed so much more ferociously than Lucy- and now at one year old, he eats twice the amount of food lucy does (and she's over two years old...)
Before we had Lucy, I read Babywise also, and there are definitely some helpful strategies in the book, but just be careful not to be too concerned about molding your routine to fit exactly what the book suggests-try things out to see what works best for you and baker.
In "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" I did fall in love with one strategy, and used it religiously with both of mine (maybe you've heard of it?) EASY. Eat. Activity. Sleep. You.
Follow that routine from wakeup to bedtime with the baby. Have them eat, then conduct appropriate "activity"/play time (for baker at this young age, it might just be singing to him, going on a walk outside and telling him about things, whatever), then putting him down for sleep/naps, and then taking time for you while he sleeps.
There will be parts of the day where his "activity/awake" time will be much longer than others, but the general gist of the days just goes, E.A.S.Y. repeat as needed.
Like Katie mentioned, keeping them awake after eating is good. It will help them learn several good habits like being able to fall asleep on their own (something you definitely want Baker to be able to do) as well as making sure they take a full meal. If he's falling asleep a few ounces into a feeding and doesn't finish that meal, he might learn the habits of a "snacker" (less than ideal ;-)
Oh yeah, and don't stress one second about the tummy sleeping! Jack has ALWAYS been a tummy sleeper-he simply WOULDN'T sleep on his back. Turn him over, though, and he slept like a rock :-)
Geez, sorry for going on and on...I got carried away! Good luck! What a blessing motherhood and these sweet babies are, huh?!
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