Ellie is about 3 weeks now and I am beginning to think of trying to get her on a schedule. I have been given a lot of advice about putting babies on schedules - both pro and con. Honestly, since I have been bombarded with both types of advice and I know that newborns are so unpredictable, I have decided to let Ellie teach me her schedule. Well, kind of... I realized that up until now, I haven't really paid attention to any type of sleeping schedule for her. I have made sure she eats often and is up more during the day, but there has been no nap schedule. However, after getting up 3 times last night (UGH!!), I have decided to track her schedule and see how I can conform it to fit mine. I actually think I am pretty close, but I haven't paid attention to it...until now. You know that little phrase "I wish they came with an instruction manuel" - Wow, that is true right now! Things I would LOVE to know: 1. how long are naps "supposed" to be? 2. is my baby normal for making a lot of crazy sounds during the night? 3. newborns aren't able to manipulate, right? 4. how long are "normal" alert times for newborns?
It seems like Ellie doesn't like to sleep very much. She is alert a lot during the day. For awhile I was thinking that would mean she would sleep more during the night...and for awhile that was true...until now. Perhaps it is a growth spurt, but wow - I am tired! She is also making a lot of little sounds in the night that freak me out and/or just wake me up. Some sound like she is choking (yeah, that's great!) and others sound like she is just really working on something in her diaper...yet there is nothing ever there. Other times she will let out a scream, but then stop. She is sleeping in our room with us (in her cradle) and I have thought I would keep her in there until she weighs a little more and actually can sleep longer during the night. But now I am beginning to wonder if I need to move the cradle out. The only thing is, I am afraid I would then really ignore all the sounds just to sleep (I have already become fairly successful at that with her 2 feet away)! We'll see... Some positives are that I make her put herself back to sleep (which is successful) and I don't pick her up with every sound. I just wish she were sleeping in longer stretches.
So my plan of attack? Track her sleeping schedule and make sure she is eating every 3 hours or so during the day. We will play after she eats and then she will probably go back to sleep. I am really not wanting to read another book right now. I know every author out there thinks they have figured it out, but I am burnt out with reading "how to" books with babies. If I could have the reader digest version, that would be one thing... I am also going to try a technique that seemed to work beautifully for my mom. So, we'll see.
Thanks for "listening" to my rant. I know that this is a desire that every new mom has and I know that every mom out there will now be willing to give me advice. :) I guess the bottom line is that every baby is different and I just need to figure out what will work for Ellie and me.
Ellie is about 3 weeks now and I am beginning to think of trying to get her on a schedule. I have been given a lot of advice about putting babies on schedules - both pro and con. Honestly, since I have been bombarded with both types of advice and I know that newborns are so unpredictable, I have decided to let Ellie teach me her schedule. Well, kind of... I realized that up until now, I haven't really paid attention to any type of sleeping schedule for her. I have made sure she eats often and is up more during the day, but there has been no nap schedule. However, after getting up 3 times last night (UGH!!), I have decided to track her schedule and see how I can conform it to fit mine. I actually think I am pretty close, but I haven't paid attention to it...until now. You know that little phrase "I wish they came with an instruction manuel" - Wow, that is true right now! Things I would LOVE to know: 1. how long are naps "supposed" to be? 2. is my baby normal for making a lot of crazy sounds during the night? 3. newborns aren't able to manipulate, right? 4. how long are "normal" alert times for newborns?
8 comments:
I just made sure Jameson was asleep within two hours of waking up. That worked well. As a NB he always slept in long stretches so I can't complain. But now he is waking up two and three times a night and won't go back to bed. I have a hard time letting him "cry it out." Yes, many sounds are normal in the night. You just gotta follow the baby's signals. Remember, she is ONLY 3 weeks old. Waking up two or three times a night is perfectly normal. They are growing SO much and their tummies are tiny, so they gotta eat.
Your plan for her sounds great so far! Feed, play, then sleep. And that's awesome she can fall asleep on her own! You're almost there! I know it's hard not knowing what they're wanting or what we do with them, but it sounds like you're doing everything just fine! And it's totally normal for those sounds. I swear Lily is the loudest sleeper and I never had her in our room. From day 1 from the hospital she went in her crib in her room because she was so loud in the hospital! You are a mom and your ears are trained to hear her. I was worried to, but I figure if she really needs you, she'll scream at some point that's sure to wake you up! :) Don't beat yourself up over this, she's just 3 weeks! Keep up the good work mama!
I love your rants! It helps me feel not so far away from you, Justin, and Ellie. I love you!
I'm not going to give you any advice on sleeping schedules. Every baby is different; but hang in there, you'll figure it out. We moved Becca to the nursery when she was about 2 weeks because she made so many noises in her sleep. We adjusted the volume on the baby monitor so that we could hear her cry, but not hear all of the little noises. I sleep much deeper with her out of the room.
Ellie is so adorable. I get such a kick out of that red hair. What side of the family did that come from?
You will figure it out, hang in there.
Hang in there...you'll get a schedule down soon. It's hard to really know sometimes exactly what do to...especially being a first time mom! You sound like your so relaxed though! She's so cute! :)
I know, before Emersyn was born I read all the books on scheduling but quickly came to the conclusion that each baby is unique and they will totally develop their own schedule. Your plan sounds good. Waking up two to three times a night at her age is really normal. If you are sleep deprived, you should sleep in as long as you can. Emersyn and I don't usually get up until 10, there is no reason to get up earlier unless we have plans. I could get up with her at her 7-8am feeding but then I would be exhausted during the day. Don't feel pressured to get her on a schedule that is rigid, it will slowly work itself out. Like I noticed that Emersyn gets tired after her first feeding of the morning, which is techincally around 10am for us since we sleep in so I feed Emersyn, give her a bath, then put her down in her crib for a nap. She sleeps a good 2-3 hours. Then she gets up, eats, has awake time, and then naps again, usually in her crib. Then she does that all over and then dozes off, usually in her swing. She gets such good quality sleep in her crib where there are no distractions, yet she is able to sleep amidst noise because of her nap in her swing where I don't tip toe around her at all, do dishes, vacuum, etc. I am still trying to figure her out though, she changes like every week but that is what I have learned for the most part! Hope that is helpful. :)
Best sleep book I have ever read? Healthy sleep Habits, Happy Child. Seriously..go get this book. Although, it's not really applicable until she's 4 months old. :)
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