If baby comes on time, I'm going to be giving birth in 2 months. I know that a lot of my friends have recommended getting the baby on a schedule, and I am in agreement, (within reason and using parental instincts of course). I know that when a baby is first born he is not schedulable, and will need to be cared for according to his needs at the moment. However, at what point is it possible to start a routine? Additionally, when we first bring him home, what do we do with him? I know that sounds like a dumb question, but since I'm bottle feeding do I just make sure he's fed every four hours and changed at least as frequently and let him tell me what he wants the rest of the time? What type of routine have you used with your baby, assuming he's of age to begin a "schedule"?
Re: Help for a newbie...
I wouldn't start a schedule at all, just follow your LO's. DD set her own schedule and follows it to a T. She is FF and eats every 3 hours except at night as she is STTN. That schedule didn't start till 5 weeks or so though...just feed and let them sleep on demand until he or she lets you know they are ready for a routine.
Oh and your LO will probably want to eat every 2 hours at first and gradually go to 3-4 hours between feedings.
As a fellow first time mom, I had all of the same questions you have. I felt so much better after taking a child birthing/parenting class at my hospital.
As far as a schedule goes, it is recommended to start it around 6 weeks, though many start around 3 or 4. Keep in mind that just because you are trying to establish a routine of such, LO may not adjust to it for a very long time. We just do a bedtime routine and DD is still not on a regular schedule and does not sleep through the night. We breastfeed, so we feed on demand, so there isn't a true feeding schedule and I am not sure what is recommended for formula fed babies. I can say that at 8 weeks old, I can almost count on DD getting up between 1 and 2, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8. BF babies tend to get hungrier faster, but I am very happy with my decision to do it.
I'm not as lucky about the STTN, but I agree, LO will set their own schedule. Ours is very loose. We wake at 8 or 9 eat, play, sleep... all day long! Our nighttime routine is bath, feed (BF), cuddle, sleep! Then we're usually up twice a night. This schedule just became predictable around 6 weeks. He takes 1 to 2 good naps throughout the day, but otherwise it's catnaps.
J+MS, your little one is sooo beautiful! Congrats on STTN! I read your posts often and hadn't heard yet.
Thanks everyone. I'm just a nervous new mom! I'm going out and buying some books tonight that will hopefully make me feel more prepared.
Basically what everyone else said. The first few weeks, you'll really just go with what your LO wants/needs. As far as what you do with them when you get home? Snuggle, hold, and love on him/her as much as possible! Newborns like to be held A LOT and that's ok. You can't spoil a newborn. They need to feel that closeness and security. It makes it hard to get things done around the house, but that's life! It goes so fast...everything else can wait. You'll also want to feed LO every 2-3hours the first few weeks (even if you have to wake LO up) until they reach birth weight (ideally by 2 weeks). After that, just feed as often as they want and letting them go 4-5hours at times (some with STTN early). SOme babies will eat every 2-3hrs round the clock and not do longer stretches, and that is fine too.
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