When I read The Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford it all seemed so simple. Get the baby on a routine of being awake during the day and asleep at night by structuring their feeds and sleeps. Easy peasy right?
WRONG!
What I did not anticipate was that keeping a baby awake is near impossible when said kid wants to sleep. Mr A and I even resorted to torturing our precious baby with an ice pack this afternoon! All to no avail, as these words are being written Ikaika and his father are taking a nap together. Sigh...there goes my schedule.
Him being asleep during the day is only one half of the issue though. The other part is feeding. If he cant stay awake and alert with ice down the back of his shirt you can only imagine how difficult it is to keep him awake during breastfeeding. Come 2 o'clock when I want him 20 min on the left and 10 on the right, he just nuzzles right up there and takes a snooze! So cute, yet so frustrating!
Maybe Im just crabby today because I was up last night with a screaming, fussy baby. I am sorry to report that I have learned the hard way - chocolate, red wine, and breastmilk dont mix. My baby had a sore stomach last night and I felt really guilty! But who could blame me? He was supposed to be asleep for 3 hours while I watched Dancing With The Stars and spent quality celebration time with Mr A!
This schedule stuff seemed a whole lot easier in the book...
OK, torturing your newborn is one thing but what is with the N'Sync reference?!
ReplyDeleteI found this on the St. Vincent's website. It's very interesting and maybe you will feel better to know that it's normal.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stvincents.org/healthservices/familybirthing/feednewborn.cfm
Generally, newborns need to nurse at least 8 to 12 times every 24 hours. They will usually feed every one to three hours in the first weeks of life and may sleep longer at night. Daily feeding patterns will vary and may change as baby grows. The first few days of life, your newborn may be sleepy and only nurse for short periods lasting 10 to 15 minutes. This is very normal and will change as baby becomes more alert. A healthy full term newborn will establish a nursing pattern suitable for himself. It is best to look for infant cues, when the eyes are open and baby has his hand near his mouth and makes sucking motions with mouth. Crying is really a late feeding cue, so recognizing early cues will make for a more relaxed breastfeeding for mom and baby. To meet the nutritional needs of your newborn we encourage you to watch your baby and his feeding cues instead of watching the clock.
Love,
Steph
I think he needs auntie love :) and a lil lovin is on the way via the mail *unforunately not via an airplane :(*
ReplyDeleteOh, so do I remember those nights and days. You are a nursing machine from now until whenever. I remember both girls wanting to sleep instead of nursing. I remember countless nights sitting up in bed at 2, 3, 4, or 5 in the morning feeding and they would fall asleep and next thing you know I am asleep with a baby half on my boob and half not. Such memories. Love Ya!! Camille
ReplyDeleteGetting your baby on a schedule is really hard, but super important. I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and Babywise. Both focus on the importance of a schedule, but they also point out that trying to put your baby on a schedule before they are six weeks old is almost impossible. So don't worry, he's only a few days old. All you need to worry about right now is keeping him alive. The schedule stuff will happen, but the books totally make it seem easier than it is.
ReplyDelete-Erin