Back to work..Schedule?

Fozzy629

How did you go about getting your LO on a schedule? I'm going back to work soon and our schedule right now is PJ's and quiet time starts at 9pm. We get her in her pj's and I feed her and we snuggle. Sometimes she'll fall asleep around 10:30 and sometimes she'll snooze but wake up off and on and eat till around 3am. Then she'll sleep till around 6:30 and wake up to eat and I'll change her and she'll sleep from 7:30-11:30-noon ish. This is all a good night though. Mostly her bad nights we're up all night.

I have to be at work at 8am so thing are going to need to change. I won't be able to function on 3-4 hours of sleep. I'm not sure how to get her on a schedule that will fit our needs. Any suggestions?

Superchicy

DD didn't have a schedule until maybe 4 months, and even then it changed every month or so as she matured.  You do learn to function on 3-4 hr of sleep, I unfortunately got to for 18 months since DD won't sleep.  It sucks, but you learn to deal with the sleep deprivation.  Especially the first few months we pretty much had to just go with the flow of what LO did, and they will settle themselves into a routine eventually.  

Klmorgan83

We don't make DS follow a certain schedule really, but we started with doing a bedtime routine and that helped him to fall into a somewhat predictable daytime routine.  But honestly we did have to get by on a few hours of sleep, you just find a way to get through...I think my first day back to work I got 3 hours of sleep!

Both boys get a bath at 8 every night.  Noah has always had a bath at that time, so it was easier to just start doing both of them then.  I get Noah into bed and then feed Levi his last bottle, and he's usually asleep in bed by 9.  Other than us trying to get him to sleep at about the same time everynight, there wasn't much we were able to do other than to wait until he STTN on his own. 

shaw

I went back to work at 8 weeks!  I started a bed time routine early on.  The routine lasted bout one hour.  Naked play time (low lights in the nursery), bath time, lotion and jammies, lights off and bottle and rock to sleep.  It took a while to set in but now I am so glad I started early.  If I had to do it over....I would have used a later bedtime until about 4 months.  The first chunk of sleep was the longest.  Just keep the nursery dark in the night, if LO wakes up, feed and lay right back down.  Don't make it too fun in the middle of the night.  Night time if for sleeping.  Around 4 months I did sleep training.  I think your best best is a very tight, consistent routine.  GL

segerama

Like a previous poster said, with young infants, sleep is constantly changing.  You just learn to make do with less sleep.  My daughter is 2 and still is not a consistent sleeper.  I went back to work when she was 12 weeks.  I gave her a bath at 7, fed her, and swaddled her.  She was asleep by 8 in her swing.  When she woke up at a 11ish, I fed her and took her to bed with me.  This way, I just nursed her in bed without having to fully wake up.  I know bedsharing isn't for everyone, but it helped tremendously.  When she was a year, I night-weaned her and she transitioned back to her crib without too much trouble.

riabiron

I know that it isn't for everyone but the only way I survived the first few months back at work was to cosleep and nurse in bed.

Ttimes3

This.

edwardo:

Like a previous poster said, with young infants, sleep is constantly changing.  You just learn to make do with less sleep....When she woke up at a 11ish, I fed her and took her to bed with me.  This way, I just nursed her in bed without having to fully wake up.  I know bedsharing isn't for everyone, but it helped tremendously. 

And this.

riabiron:I know that it isn't for everyone but the only way I survived the first few months back at work was to cosleep and nurse in bed.

 

Also, is your DH sharing the overnight parenting duties?

segerama

My husband helped, but with nursing, I had to feed her.  She also reversed cycled and ate through the night.  She never did well with bottle feeding.  She would only take a 6-8 ounces during the work day. 

Ttimes3

edwardo:

My husband helped, but with nursing, I had to feed her.  She also reversed cycled and ate through the night.  She never did well with bottle feeding.  She would only take a 6-8 ounces during the work day. 

Sorry, I realize that my response (quoting your response as well as someone else's) might have been confusing. I blame my head cold. Anyway, I was agreeing with you, and we co-slept, exclusively, until my DC were 6 months old for the exact same reasons.

My question regarding whether or not DH is helping out with overnight responsibilities (when and how it makes sense, obviously) was directed more at the OP.

kyfirewife

YGPM

Fozzy629

she is sleeping in our room in a bassinett but since i am nursing i am taking the majority of night responsibilities.