new here and a question

livnluv2010 · January 2011

I am usually a lurker but I think its time to introduce myself. My son was born at 31 weeks due to PPROM. He has been home from the NICU for almost a month now and we are settling in. He has been on an every 4 hour feeding schedule and is usually up for maybe a half hour after a feeding before falling back to sleep. I usually just let him sleep thinking this is what he needs to do and he will be more awake as he continues to develop.

I went to the ped for his 2 month appointment last week and he really encouraged me to try to put him on more of a strict schedule instead of letting him sleep when he wants to nap. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if he should be on more of a 2 month old nap routine, I always thought this went more by his adjusted age but I don't know! I'm probably thinking about it too much but I'm just afraid that I'm not giving him enough stimulation and he should be up more.

Any advice or experience with this? Thanks so much!

Wally3 · January 2011

Was there a reason the pedi wanted you to put a baby on a strict schedule? Most have what I read for even full term babies at that ages is to let them make their own schedule. My DS was a sleepy baby and there was no way to "keep him up" when he wanted to go back to sleep. The only schedule advise I heard of getting for premies is to wake them to feed them if they are not gaining waight or pedi wants to make sure they gain. My pedi enourged my to wake DS at that age every 3 hours to eat during the day. If you do more research and still think that it is odd for a strict schedule I would talk to pedi again and see what he means by "strict schedule" or get another opinion.

At1stsight · January 2011

I don't know his medical history, but I would strongly disagree with putting him on a strict schedule. I didn't schedule DS at all until 6 mo. actual, except that I would wake him if he tried to sleep longer than 3 hrs during the day b/c he wasn't even sleeping more than 3 hrs during the night (had some day/night confusion). The only thing I'm thinking is that your DS should NOT be on a 4 hr feeding schedule but rather a 3 hr feeding schedule (I'm assuming you're using formula?) to help him gain weight. How's his weight doing? Is he on the growth chart for actual already? If not, I'd be tempted to put him on a 3 hr schedule for his feeds. Just my 2 cents!

taggiecb · January 2011

I agree with pp about not putting hom on a schedule. Unless he has caught up with his actual age, treat him like his adjusted age, which looking at your siggy, is a newborn. As for PP about the feeding schedule. My LO was put on a 4 hour schedule before he was released from the NICU and he is only 37 weeks gestation right now. He is growing and eating great.

lemen99 · January 2011

I disagree. Andrew did not fall into a routine at all until he was about 10 months old. We tried, it did not work.

He was a sleepy, sleepy, boy. When he was sleepy, he wouldn't eat, and/or would gag his bottle up.

We let him sleep when he needed to sleep. We never, ever woke him up. Even at night when he was a "newborn" (freshly home), we didn't. They wanted us too but he wouldn't eat if we woke him up, so we knew it wasn't worth it.

He also couldn't be scheduled for bottles. He couldn't even do that in the NICU and had to go to an on-demand in order to get home.

He's always grown well.

some kids will do better with schedules but you need to follow your gut.

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