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Hawaii Babies
SanHawaii08
member
newborn-related questions. and mastitis
SanHawaii08
member
another set of random questions...
1. when did your newborn get on more of a schedule? i thought we shouldn't expect anything for about 6 weeks (or more?) but i'm reading on the nov board about others who say there LO's are already eating, playing, sleeping regularly, going down for the night at say 9pm, with 1 or 2 night feedings - and these babies are only 3-4 weeks old...? E has no discernable pattern to his eating, waking, and sleep times. once or twice a day, he'll stay up between feeds. but most of the time, it's eat, diaper change, sleep. ...i'm going to start reading some sleep books - the baby whisperer and healthy sleep habits, happy child.
2. for those of you who bottle-feed, how do you know how much to give your LO? I feel like we're feeding him a TON. but any less, and he gets really angry, or he wakes up screaming a short while later. we're giving him 80mL every 2-3 hours. i've read that bottle-fed babies aren't as good at knowing when to stop eating - i don't want to overfeed him, but i don't want to starve him either!
3. how often, and when, do you change LO's diaper at this age? when he was on a regular schedule at the hospital, we would change, then feed. but he often poops again not long after eating, and then would just sit in the poopy diaper for 3 hours 
at home, we've started changing after eating, b/c he's wakes up too hungry to do anything else. so we feed, wait a bit for him to poop, then change. but i feel like we should be changing him more frequently? even though we're using sposies right now. we've had 5 leaks in fewer than 40 diapers 
might just be the brand - we're using huggies b/c i couldn't find pampers w/o dry max at the store. we're going to switch over the pampers sensitive today. I really want to switch to cloth (which i've used once - and it was sopping and poopy, but didn't leak!), but i'm worried about not changing him often enough to do so.
4. so, if you use cloth, how often did you change your LO (again, at this age)?
5. anyone else had mastitis? i seriously thought i was going to die, until i started popping advils to help keep the fever and general achiness under control. did you notice any effects on your supply? did your supply bounce back after you completed the antibiotics, or should i be working to increase it now?
eta 6: LO loves to be held. he goes to sleep more easily if he's held, and has some sort of sixth sense where he'll wake up w/in 10 min of being put down. he's happy again once you pick him up. as a result, he's been sleeping a lot on our chests or in our arms. are we developing a bad habit? (will the books i'm planning to read address this?) or is it okay, since he's so little, needs to feel secure, and needs the sleep?
sorry this is soo long (again) 
i wish babies came with personalized manuals!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: newborn-related questions. and mastitis
I certainly can't help with everything, but (for what they're worth!) here are my thoughts....
1. when did your newborn get on more of a schedule? I'd say somewhere around 5-6 weeks, though both then and now, every few weeks I feel the "schedule" changes. For us, it was around 6 weeks that he started only waking once in the middle of the night, then again in the early morning around 5:30-6:00. Then, he'd go back to sleep until about 8:00, but now he still gets up once in the middle of the night, then wakes up for the day around 6:00am.
2. for those of you who bottle-feed, how do you know how much to give your LO? I feel like we're feeding him a TON. Oh my gosh! Henry eats like a pig! I always feel like I'm feeding him too much, but his doctor disagrees....she's says it's perfect. AT that stage I'd say he probably fed about 7 times a day. AT that time we were trying to breastfeed first for as long as he stood for it, then gave a bottle....probably about 3 ounces then. When he would consistently finish what we gave him for about a week we'd try upping it by an ounce to see what he needed. Now he's up to between 6-7 ounces a feeding (except for the first once of that day he only eat about 4 ounces), and that's 6 times a day, though we might be dropping one day feed soon (why, oh why can't it be the middle of the night one that he seems to want to drop!?)
3. how often, and when, do you change LO's diaper at this age? We, too, started doing it before feeding, but then switched to after. He consistently pooped during or right after feeding at that age, so it had to be after. Plus, he always woke up starving and wouldn't tolerate a changing first. It was usually just the 7 times a day that he fed, though sometimes I could tell (by feeling or hearing it) that he needed to other times. So, maybe 7-8 times a day? This is pretty much still what we do now, even though now he poops only once or twice a day. Now we change either before or after feeding, depending.
4. so, if you use cloth, how often did you change your LO (again, at this age)? We CD on weekends, and it's exactly the same for us. By the way....with 'sposies we have only had luck with Pampers Sensitive or BabyDry. Everything else leaked multiple times for us, though, of course, every baby's different.
5. anyone else had mastitis? Sorry, can't help here.
eta 6: LO loves to be held. he goes to sleep more easily if he's held, and has some sort of sixth sense where he'll wake up w/in 10 min of being put down. he's happy again once you pick him up. as a result, he's been sleeping a lot on our chests or in our arms.
Our pedi told us this is normal at this age. He'll outgrow it after a few months. She said it's a developmental thing....they are suddenly aware that you and he are separate beings (before he thought you were one), so therefore he is aware when you're not there, and unhappy about it. After a few months he'll learn that sure....you're separate, but that mommy will come back. This object permanence take a while to develop, though. Still now, Henry would definitely prefer to sleep in my arms, but he will go down for a nap on his own better now.
HTH!!! Hang in there, mama!
here are my thoughts:
1. when did your newborn get on more of a schedule? i thought we shouldn't expect anything for about 6 weeks (or more?) but i'm reading on the nov board about others who say there LO's are already eating, playing, sleeping regularly, going down for the night at say 9pm, with 1 or 2 night feedings - and these babies are only 3-4 weeks old...? E has no discernable pattern to his eating, waking, and sleep times. once or twice a day, he'll stay up between feeds. but most of the time, it's eat, diaper change, sleep. ...i'm going to start reading some sleep books - the baby whisperer and healthy sleep habits, happy child.
If you're not keeping track of when he does these things (on paper), you should start. I still keep a log, but mainly now to see other things lol. I don't remember when a pattern became evident, but at least it will keep you from having to remember everything in your head.
2. for those of you who bottle-feed, how do you know how much to give your LO? I feel like we're feeding him a TON. but any less, and he gets really angry, or he wakes up screaming a short while later. we're giving him 80mL every 2-3 hours. i've read that bottle-fed babies aren't as good at knowing when to stop eating - i don't want to overfeed him, but i don't want to starve him either!
That's about 2-3 oz, right? That sounds ok. I'd ask your pedi if what he's eating per day is in the right range for his age.
3. how often, and when, do you change LO's diaper at this age? when he was on a regular schedule at the hospital, we would change, then feed. but he often poops again not long after eating, and then would just sit in the poopy diaper for 3 hours
at home, we've started changing after eating, b/c he's wakes up too hungry to do anything else. so we feed, wait a bit for him to poop, then change. but i feel like we should be changing him more frequently? even though we're using sposies right now. we've had 5 leaks in fewer than 40 diapers 
might just be the brand - we're using huggies b/c i couldn't find pampers w/o dry max at the store. we're going to switch over the pampers sensitive today. I really want to switch to cloth (which i've used once - and it was sopping and poopy, but didn't leak!), but i'm worried about not changing him often enough to do so.
When he didn't poop, we would probably change him every 1-2 hours if he was awake. When we noticed he pooped, we'd change him right away (and sometimes he would go again while changing him - so at times we'd go through 3 diapers at one changing at least once/day!
4. so, if you use cloth, how often did you change your LO (again, at this age)? We still use disposables
5. anyone else had mastitis? i seriously thought i was going to die, until i started popping advils to help keep the fever and general achiness under control. did you notice any effects on your supply? did your supply bounce back after you completed the antibiotics, or should i be working to increase it now? I only pumped for a week, but I was glad I didn't have any of these problems
eta 6: LO loves to be held. he goes to sleep more easily if he's held, and has some sort of sixth sense where he'll wake up w/in 10 min of being put down. he's happy again once you pick him up. as a result, he's been sleeping a lot on our chests or in our arms. are we developing a bad habit? (will the books i'm planning to read address this?) or is it okay, since he's so little, needs to feel secure, and needs the sleep? I think it's fine - LO still sleeps with us at night, but in the beginning it was really the only way he'd stay asleep - at some point if you want to break that, you can, but we haven't tried all that hard, to tell you the truth. I think for the first 2 months or so, you just have to do whatever you can to get through it - whatever keeps you sane.
I love Hawaii!
Tara & Ian . 4/24/2008 . The Kahala Planning . Married
Sandra!
I could've written the exact same questions but was too busy to post! :-P.
another set of random questions...
1. when did your newborn get on more of a schedule? i thought we shouldn't expect anything for about 6 weeks (or more?) but i'm reading on the nov board about others who say there LO's are already eating, playing, sleeping regularly, going down for the night at say 9pm, with 1 or 2 night feedings - and these babies are only 3-4 weeks old...? E has no discernable pattern to his eating, waking, and sleep times. once or twice a day, he'll stay up between feeds. but most of the time, it's eat, diaper change, sleep. ...i'm going to start reading some sleep books - the baby whisperer and healthy sleep habits, happy child.
DD turned 4 weeks yday. No, we do not have her on a schedule yet although DH and I plan to. I read that at this age they are too small to be put on a schedule. Especially during the 1st couple of weeks, they are still adjusting to their new environment. Earlier as I was trying to put her down a nap, I realized that I am starting to see a pattern. For the past few of days, she had more awake times and can be left in the swing or vibrating seat to "play". We'll slowly start getting her into a pattern.
2. for those of you who bottle-feed, how do you know how much to give your LO? I feel like we're feeding him a TON. but any less, and he gets really angry, or he wakes up screaming a short while later. we're giving him 80mL every 2-3 hours. i've read that bottle-fed babies aren't as good at knowing when to stop eating - i don't want to overfeed him, but i don't want to starve him either!
I pump exclusively (long story!). We pretty much feed on demand especially the first couple of weeks when we were trying to get her back up to her birth weight. She went through a growth spurt on week 2 when she would eat 4 ounces in one feeding! I thought that's a lot especially for her age. Now, she eats about 3 ounces 2-3 hrs. Our pedi said to give her about 3-3.5 ozs. We keep a log of when she ate and how much BM she took so we have an idea whether she didn't eat much prior and would want more during the next feeding.
3. how often, and when, do you change LO's diaper at this age? when he was on a regular schedule at the hospital, we would change, then feed. but he often poops again not long after eating, and then would just sit in the poopy diaper for 3 hours
at home, we've started changing after eating, b/c he's wakes up too hungry to do anything else. so we feed, wait a bit for him to poop, then change. but i feel like we should be changing him more frequently? even though we're using sposies right now. we've had 5 leaks in fewer than 40 diapers 
might just be the brand - we're using huggies b/c i couldn't find pampers w/o dry max at the store. we're going to switch over the pampers sensitive today. I really want to switch to cloth (which i've used once - and it was sopping and poopy, but didn't leak!), but i'm worried about not changing him often enough to do so.
we also used sposies during the first couple of weeks and yes, we had leaks. we switched to cloth after that. the prefolds do not work for us. DD hates them and i personally find it a pain to put on :-P. DD cries the moment she feels the wetness. we LOVE BGs 4.0. DH loves them too. i bought a whole bunch during the TG sale to add to our stash. we never had any leaks with the BGs and i love the absorbency especially at night.
4. so, if you use cloth, how often did you change your LO (again, at this age)? we try to change after each feeding or after we hear that she's poop (yep, we hear it most of the time! lol).
5. anyone else had mastitis? i seriously thought i was going to die, until i started popping advils to help keep the fever and general achiness under control. did you notice any effects on your supply? did your supply bounce back after you completed the antibiotics, or should i be working to increase it now?
sorry to hear but i haven't had mastitis. i pump every couple of hours so i pretty much empty my breasts each time. there were days when my supply has tanked and it freaked me out. i had DH buy me fenugreek supplement at Whole Foods.
eta 6: LO loves to be held. he goes to sleep more easily if he's held, and has some sort of sixth sense where he'll wake up w/in 10 min of being put down. he's happy again once you pick him up. as a result, he's been sleeping a lot on our chests or in our arms. are we developing a bad habit? (will the books i'm planning to read address this?) or is it okay, since he's so little, needs to feel secure, and needs the sleep?
i have the same issue with DD! she's good during the day and i can leave her for a couple of hours napping in the swing or in the crib but it's a different story at night! lol. during the day, it has helped that i have her in the ergo or moby so i can do stuff. at night, DH puts her down in the bassinet before he goes to sleep (as I am waking up from my nap. i have night time baby duty!). once she wakes up, i feed her, change and then put her back to sleep (hair dryer works! lol). once she's asleep, i try to put her back down. most of the time she wakes up so i pick her up and have her sleep on my chest. i know this is bad but it's the only way i can get some sleep! however, we have discovered that she loves sleeping on her side. she sleeps longer that way. last night was the first time i had her sleep on her side (she has very good head control already) and she seemed to sleep a little longer than usual.
i am no expert and everyday is a learning experience for us. i am optimistic that things will get better as she gets older. i always tell DH (especially during the early weeks) that she's just a newborn so we cant put too much pressure on having her on a schedule just yet. she's just getting used to the world around her. i also read that you can never spoil a newborn. they need to feel secure! i just keep thinking, one day i'll miss having her fall asleep on my chest so i am loving every minute of it now. i think it's very sweet :-).
since our LO's are too close in age, we're going through the same experiences. you are not alone :-). PM if you wanna chat more or if you just wanna vent away! btw, i saw E's pictures on FB. he looks great! such a cutie pie :-).
Ditto to this.
I was beginning to drive myself crazy worrying about if H should be on a schedule and getting frustrated everytime he seemed to change things up. I guess it's because I am such a planner. I still catch myself doing this sometimes, but I find it's best for me to have no expectations (Lori also told me this) and just to follow Hank's lead. He knows what he needs (hungry, tired, dirty diaper, etc.). I just need to be there to take care of him.
I still write everything down. What time he feeds, how much (ounces if he gets a bottle, how many minutes on each breast if we BF), and what time he sleeps and wakes.
Re: diapering...I love the Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive. Hank is in the size 1 now and after 6+ weeks of using this brand, we have not had one leak or blowout. And Hank is a heavy wetter. I tried using the CDs (prefolds) this week and got overwhelmed after one day. Because he's such a heavy wetter, I felt like I was changing him at least once an hour. I would hate not to make use of the stash I worked so hard to build so I haven't given up yet. I feel like I need to use them before Hank outgrows the PFs. He can already use the Size 1 Duo wraps totally unsnapped, though it's slightly big. CDs just seem like a heck of a lot more work right now!
Re: bottle-feeding...At one point a couple of weeks ago, H was taking 3-4 ounces. Now he'll only take about 1.5-2 ounces by bottle (we usually only give him a bottle during late night/early morning feedings). If I was unsure if he'd had enough, I'd just give him additional EBM in 0.5 ounce increments until he seemed satisfied and stopped his hunger cues.
Re: sleeping...Hank tends to do the same thing. I know there are experts who say it's a bad habit, but I don't care. Since H is so young, I've decided to give him what he wants/needs. If that means making sure he's limp before setting him down or letting him nap on our chests or giving him a paci, so be it. At least he's happy and rested.
this totally makes sense - thanks!
okay, i feel better, thanks ladies. I do log everything (well, i try. MH and my mom, who is here to help, don't log anything, so if I'm sleeping and missed something, it doesn't get written down
. ...even though MH agreed it was important, but that's a different rant), but there
really is no discernible pattern yet. but yeah, he's eating 3-3.5 oz
per feed, glad to hear it's normal. I'm just concerned b/c he literally
sucks down the bottle in less than 10 min, sometimes wants even more (crying hard, rooting), and then when we give
him more, he vomits. not just a little spit up, but a ton - basically
there was too much food in his tummy. he doesn't seem to know when to
stop. i was wondering whether there was a growth spurt around this time. i wish there was a good week by week resource, but maybe babies are just too different so you never know...
i want to switch to CD's b/c I am committed to CD'ing (eventually!), and also b/c we're using cloth wipes, so it feels so incredibly wasteful to run a load of laundry for a few wipes and burp cloths (ie, prefolds)! but yes, it does seem like a lot of work right now. sigh. a box of pampers swaddlers sensitive showed up on our doorstep today, so we'll give those a try for a few days and see how it goes.
i'm just so unsure of myself. like, when is he supposed to sleep v be awake? we try to get him to sleep after every feed, though I know it's normal for him not to at times. but how do i know he doesn't need to sleep, v he's just getting overly tired?
etc. i am too much of a planner, i need to know what to expect and whether i'm doing things "right", and I just need to figure out how to let go. and bf'ing/pumping is *hard*. (Ericka - i didn't realize you EP! i hate it 
how do you manage? I'm sure I will be messaging you at some point - thanks!) i pump every 3 hours (except for the times I turn off my alarm and go back to sleep w/o realizing it, only to wake up an hour later in pain) and always empty my breasts, so it's frustrating to have all these problems. First, it was clogged ducts almost every other day. then i've been in so much pain due to the thrush, and then i feel like i've been run over by a mack truck b/c of the mastitis. and to see my supply take such a hit makes me cry. literally. there have been many, many tears this week. and my mom just says brusquely - don't cry. so i feel like I can't even have a good cry in my own house. well, i can't help it! and anyway, i think it's healthy to let it out. MH is great, but it's really hard during the day when he's at work. I think i have a bit of the blues, which I was afraid of once we got home. it's only been a week at home, i know things will get better, but it's been a really rough week...sigh. ...i feel like an awful mother sometimes when he's wailing, and my heart feels like a stone - i just sit there a bit and will him to stop, or for someone else to pick him up 
...sorry for the pity party.
Nicole, I'm really glad things are going better for you and H
okay, time to pull myself together, i have a date with the pump.
FWIW, the first week we took LO home was the toughest and most challenging. I had a couple of breakdowns that time. I was overwhelmed. Things get better though so keep that in mind :-).
EP is hardwork but TG I've been managing ok. I feel like a cow lol. However, I'll do anything for DD. I had to do it since DD wasn't getting much milk through BFing. I have a good milk supply so I don't want to put it to waste. It does get stressful at times when my supply is tanking. One month down so we'll see until how long I can manage. I do want to try getting DD back to nursing. I talked to a LC and she said it's not too late. We'll see.
Yes, feel free to PM me so we can share experiences.
Do you burp E during his feedings? Maybe after each ounce? This could help slow down how quickly he's eating. He might be gulping so quickly that it's too late by the time he realizes he's full = spitting up. Or he might have air bubbles in his tummy that push all the milk out once he's stopped eating. Hank's started spitting up a lot lately so we've been experimenting with a few things.
We've had episodes when H was hungry, but would only nurse for 5 minutes because he?d fall asleep from being so tired. Then he?d wake up again because he was hungry. Our pedi said being really hungry, but also really sleepy probably meant H was having a growth spurt. What a vicious cycle!
I still feel unsure of myself. I sometimes wonder if I'm interacting enough with H. Some days I feel like I'm just feeding him and trying to get him to sleep vs. interacting with him and stimulating him. H is slowly becoming more aware of things so I think we are naturally going to ease into more stimulation and interaction. I think.
You're right. It's only been one week and you are doing a great job. It will slowly get better once you get to know E and his cues. I can tell when H is tired but fighting falling asleep vs him just not needing to sleep at the moment. It takes practice. I can't even count how many times I thought I was being an awful mother and that I was somehow ruining H and setting him up for a lifetime of failure.
Oh, and I can relate to waiting for someone else to pick LO up. My mom took 3 weeks off from work to help us out. She was really hands-on, which I appreciated as I felt like I was having panic attacks everytime Hank cried. I hate to say it, but while I still appreciate her help, I sometimes feel like she's getting in the way and disrupting our groove (she's been inviting herself to stay with us every Friday and Saturday night). 
Not until around 2 months for us...
2. for those of you who bottle-feed, how do you know how much to give your LO?
When we were on the bottle for a while, we just gave him as much as he would take. Basically, we kept feeding him until he stopped, then noted how much it was to better gauge how much to take out/make for the next time. I don't think you have to worry about overfeeding him! Babies don't overeat
so no worries!
3. how often, and when, do you change LO's diaper at this age?
A lot!! Up to a dozen diapers a day. We'd change him and then he'd poop right away so we'd change him again. He'd cry whenever it was wet too, so we'd change him. I remember my parents commenting that we were gonna blow our money on diapers at this rate, but then when he stopped pooping so often, he ended up getting a diaper rash from less frequent changings. It took A LONG time for that to go away and we started to change him more and it helped a lot. IMO, I think changing him often is worth not having the rash.
4. so, if you use cloth, how often did you change your LO (again, at this age)?
n/a
5. anyone else had mastitis?
No, but i heard it's painful! I'm sorry to hear that you have it =( I did have some painful lumps for a while and dr said to massage it and try to get all the milk out to relieve it but I don't think I ever actually got mastitis. I hope you heal soon!
ETA: I forgot to add that I also did the warm compress. I actually tried to do it as warm (hot) as I could handle...anything to get the clogged duct clear! I think it lasted several weeks for me and it gradually got better and finally went away.
eta 6: LO loves to be held. he goes to sleep more easily if he's held, and has some sort of sixth sense where he'll wake up w/in 10 min of being put down. he's happy again once you pick him up. as a result, he's been sleeping a lot on our chests or in our arms. are we developing a bad habit? (will the books i'm planning to read address this?) or is it okay, since he's so little, needs to feel secure, and needs the sleep?
Nope, I don't think you're developing a bad habit. LO co-slept with us for 5 months because he loves being held/cuddled by me to sleep (and honestly, I loved it too =P) but he transitioned to his crib pretty well so I don't think it's something you can't gradually transition out of later...esp since he's so super young right now--I wouldn't worry too much about it.
lol, this reminds me of a onesie I saw on cafepress the other day =P they have one for different names. here's one for E =P haha
First and foremost, congrats on getting E home...I am so happy for you...now...for your questions. For the record, I am an "AP" mom so some of my replies might be a little "crunchy" but their you have it! At the end of the day, you need to trust your instincts and go with what feels right for you and your family! Every baby is different! And books/websites are just guidelines for "average" and well, what baby is average anyway?
1. By 6 weeks old she had a predictable "pattern" but I wouldn't say it was a schedule. It was basically, eat for an hour and sleep for 2-3 and repeat. I'd feed her and then change her diaper and get her to sleep. She'd wake, change her diaper and feed, etc. all over again. Also, at 3 and 6 weeks there are growth spurts that come with MORE feedings (aka cluster feedings) and for us that meant feeding every hour on the hour for 5-6 hours!
2. We introduced the bottle at 4 weeks and started with 3 oz. she really never took more than that...sometimes only 1 or 2 oz. Even now, with a cup, she'll only take 2-3 oz. MAX. Your baby's stomach is the size of his fist, so 3 oz. is A LOT! Check out Kellymom.com for more info. including a visual illustration and milk calculator: https://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html
3/4. We used sposies for the first 6 days and then switch to cloth. We;d change her every 1-2 hours...sometimes 3, but usually 2. She'd cry when she was wet or dirty, so we always knew that she needed to be changed. If it had been a while or she had slept 3 hours we automatically checked her diaper and sure enough, it was usually wet. I had 36 prefolds and sometimes went through 24 in a day...which meant we were changing her every hour! Again she cried as soon as she was wet and when she was cluster feeding she was wet a lot!
5. I didn't have mastitis, but I had a few plugged ducts and I found that nursing or pumping on that side helped a lot. I had oversupply issues until about 6-7 months so I cannot speak about whether or not your supply will dip or come back since mine never did in the beginning.
6. Not only is it "okay" to hold LO, it's a must at this age (and for me, really throughout the first 12 months I don't think you can create "bad habits" with a LO...they are pure NEEDS at this point and if you can imagine they were being held 24/7 in utero so even holding 18 hours a day is less than they had before and that's a HUGE transition). Also since E was in NICU I'd think even more skin2skin and holding would be beneficial for him and for you. Do you have a moby/sleepywrap carrier? If not, I highly suggest getting one. I wore Libby in our DIY for 12-18 hours a day until she was about 4-5 weeks old. I kid you not. She was content and I could get some stuff done. J also wore her a couple of hours each day, which I think really help him to feel bonded with her. I'd also highly recommend swaddling him when you do put him down for sleep, especially if he likes the feeling of being held...and use a swing or a bouncy if holding him isn't an option just then.
Hang in there mama...sounds like you all are on the right path. Again, I want to say TRUST YOURSELF....you are his mama and in your gut you'll know what the right thing to do is...even if "the book" says not to do it! I encourage you to go by his cues at this point and not worry about a schedule until 6-8 weeks (or later, if you can). Routine and predictability are one thing, but actually trying to schedule him will make you frustrated, I think. At this age it's basically eat-sleep-pee/poop on a 2-3 hour basis. And it'll go SO fast...I know everyone says that, but it's really true! Before you know it you'll be chasing after a 6 month old crawler! So try to enjoy this time when he's all snuggles, snorts and grunts...even at 3 a.m....it'll be over soon enough. And if you haven't already, I highly recommend watching Dr. Harvey Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD...you can find clips for free on YouTube. We watched it twice and it literally changed things for the better in our household...especially the swaddle-shush-swing/jiggle routine...it pretty much guaranteed a sleeping baby in 15-20 minutes.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
Ericka, how big is your LO? I ask because I plan on doing the BG 4.0s for when we take LO to daycare, however I've heard they don't fit newborns very well? What's been your experience? Also, which PF and covers were you using? I'm starting to fill out my stash, and I'm doing mostly a mixed lot with mostly AIOs.
1. Our guys were pretty scheduled from the start, which I know not everyone agrees with - but it's really important to parents' sanity to get multiples on the same schedule from the start (on the Multiples board, we get the occasional post from someone who didn't do it until their kids were a few months old and then it's invariably, "OMG why didn't I do this from the beginning?!?"). They were already wanting to eat about every 3 hours, but if one was sleeping and the other wanted to be fed, we'd wake up the sleeper to keep them on the same track. Anyway, I guess the real answer to your question is: they wanted to be fed every 3 hours almost exactly, with one slightly longer period (they went 4 hours between feeds) at night at that age.
2. There are calculators out there you can use, but talk to your doctor if you're concerned. However, in my experience, if you overfeed your baby they'll spit up all the extra anyway. (Or maybe that was just my kids lol.)
3. We changed the way you did - after a feed. Sometimes they'd get an extra change between feeds as well, but at a minimum it was always right after a meal. Poops get changed ASAP no matter when they last got a fresh diaper - I figure if I wouldn't want to sit in it, then they shouldn't have to either. We've only ever had 2 leaks (both of which I suspect were user error on Ben's part lol) so no advice there.
4. N/A
5. N/A
6. I wouldn't worry about it for now. Dash went through a period of refusing to go to sleep unless he was held, but he grew out of it. I wouldn't worry about it until he's at least 3-4 months old, and even then I wouldn't worrry worry about it for a while longer.
Keep trying, but don't stress about it if it doesn't work out right away. I don't know if you're swaddling, but that often helps - give the Miracle Blanket or a Woombie a try.