We bathe every other night. Mila also enjoys bath time and it's nice to see her happy and clean at the same time! Tonight I may try putting her in the tub with me with the help of my SO... Just hope she doesn't do any business while in the tub with me!
This was the end of Ezra and my bath time last week. It was hilarious. The only lame part was having to bleach the tub
We bathe every other night. Mila also enjoys bath time and it's nice to see her happy and clean at the same time! Tonight I may try putting her in the tub with me with the help of my SO... Just hope she doesn't do any business while in the tub with me!
This was the end of Ezra and my bath time last week. It was hilarious. The only lame part was having to bleach the tub
I've done.... one bath so far. And the one he had in the hospital. I am laissez-faire on the bath front.
It probably doesn't help that I prefer to bathe infants in the tub with me, but I'm not supposed to get my section incision underwater yet. So we did a sink bath and that was a bit of a fiasco, haha.
For those of you that have your LO sleeping in your bedroom, but not cosleeping... How close are they to you in the bed? The PNP is right next to my side of the bed, and I am up hourly from about 1 to 6. Two days ago, he slept four hours, but within 10 min of me being in the bedroom, he woke up. Last night I decided to go to bed earlier to get some rest.. He had been asleep 2.5 hours, but again, within 15 minutes of me being in there, he woke up, even though I was incredibly quiet. It may be the smell of milk, I don't know, but he is 7 weeks, and I need help!
Yeah I didn't need to see poop pics. Thats just nasty...
@aliciad39, I had harper in the room for only a few nights before moving her to the crib in her own room for the same reasons. She would be up every 15 minutes when we were in the room. I honestly think we were distracting her. While having her a room away from us was scary at first, she's sleeping about 8 hours straight before waking up now. Which means mom and dad get 8 hours of sleep. I don't think every kid is made to share space with parents when sleeping.
@AliciaD39 with DS1, the PNP was right next to me because if he wasn't touching me somehow, he wouldn't sleep. With DS2, we have the PNP against the wall across from the foot of our bed. He's about 7' away from arm's reach there, so I do have to get up to get him to nurse, but he's close enough that I can sit up in bed and see him.
@AliciaD39 we have the RNP about a foot away from my side of the bed. I was having the same issues until I used some very light white noise to help DS to stay asleep. Maybe a little white noise will do the trick?
@AliciaD39 we have the RNP about a foot away from my side of the bed. I was having the same issues until I used some very light white noise to help DS to stay asleep. Maybe a little white noise will do the trick?
I do use white noise, but I'm afraid it isn't enough. Or maybe he is hungry that often... Idk. He is 7 weeks, 3 weeks adjusted. Probably about 8.5 lbs. I read sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone so maybe he will just do it a little later than others, but I'm not even getting 2-3 hour stretches consistently so I feel like it is something else.
Just troubleshooting with you @AliciaD39, is he sensitive to his diaper being wet? DS is completely intolerant of the slightest feeling of being wet! Could it be a wonder week? Was he doing ok up until recently? Do you use a swaddle of some sort?
Anyone else feel so guilty of LO is awake and you are not interacting with them? I feel like I'm supposed to be entertaining her every waking moment. mommy guilt at its finest I suppose
@yogahh So much of this. I feel like part of this though is either bc I don't know what to do half the time or bc he prefers to sit and just chill without me interrupting. A lot of times when I start talking or playing he freaks out. More often then not if I just let him do his own thing he is content, so I just let him be for a little bit.
Just troubleshooting with you @AliciaD39, is he sensitive to his diaper being wet? DS is completely intolerant of the slightest feeling of being wet! Could it be a wonder week? Was he doing ok up until recently? Do you use a swaddle of some sort?
I love the help! He is pretty fine about his diaper. He has been like this consistently do I don't think it's a wonder week or anything. We do swaddle, sometimes arms in sometimes out, it's the same either way. I'm going to test moving his PNP tonight to see if it helps!
Just troubleshooting with you @AliciaD39, is he sensitive to his diaper being wet? DS is completely intolerant of the slightest feeling of being wet! Could it be a wonder week? Was he doing ok up until recently? Do you use a swaddle of some sort?
I love the help! He is pretty fine about his diaper. He has been like this consistently do I don't think it's a wonder week or anything. We do swaddle, sometimes arms in sometimes out, it's the same either way. I'm going to test moving his PNP tonight to see if it helps!
It's like a jigsaw puzzle, except with a baby.. Let us know how it goes!
@yogahh My husband and I have an on going story time during the day battle. He insists on wanting to read to her when she's awake because she staring at the wall or the fan. I tell him that she's happy doing what she's doing, but he doesn't believe me. He'll start reading, and sure enough, she starts to cry. Sometimes she does want that interaction, but I think there are times where she wants to just chill and look at things. Don't feel bad!
@yogahh - yeah, I've been getting better about leaving Jet to hang out by herself with DH's encouragement, but I still feel like I'm supposed to be doing something with her all of the time. He was like, "you know you *can* put the baby down, right?" She's totally fine hanging out in her crib with her mobile or in her swing. Doesn't last long, but she seems pretty calm for the most part. I always feel like I should be playing with her, but again, DH pointed out to me I spend almost all of my waking time holding her, it's probably good for her to have an hour to just chill without me reading or giving her a tour of the house
@AliciaD39 I don't have personal experience, but I know several moms with babies born at 36-37 weeks that had exact similar issues, and their sleep and some development changes came with their adjusted age! I also second all of @jenly17's suggestions! Hope you get some more solid chunks of rest!
What signs do y'all look for to feed your LO? I feel like I'm constantly thinking he is hungry, and it's gotten to where I'm feeding him hourly. I used to only do that if he was licking his lips or "wood pecking" my chest, but now that he takes his paci, I'm wondering how much he just wants to comfort. I'm thinking this may be a contributing factor to why he gets up so much.
@AliciaD39 I also look for rooting (wood pecking, shaking head with lips open or on a hand) as well as his tongue placement. Often, when he's hungry, he'll vocalize with his tongue up on the roof of his mouth like he's getting ready to suck. It gives his fussing a "neh"/"nah" sort of sound. Plus, once I pick him up, there are times he straight-up dives for the boob.
Ok I think my question about sleep was here so I'm going to give an update. 2 nights ago I moved the PNP across the room. He went down at 730 and has been staying asleep to 1030-11 so I went in there at 8:40ish. Sure enough, he was up at 9 and every 1 to 1.5 hours all night.
Last night he ate at 5p and fell asleep at 6:30 after only taking a 30 min nap all day - kid would not go down. I went to bed at 7 because I was exhausted, but of course couldn't fall asleep. DS slept until 8p, I fed him, DH swaddled, and back to bed. Then he slept until midnight! Second time ever for 4 hours and I was stoked, even though I laid in bed, not falling asleep until 10:30. I was scared though because whenever he gets one good stretch, he usually cluster feeds-- but nope! Back down for 3 hours until just after 3am, then again at 5:30 (which I thought he would be up for the day$, but he went back down until 730am when I woke him up because I was uncomfortable! It was amazing. I woke up, cooked chocolate chip pancakes and eggs, pumped, worked out, and showered. And feel glorious. Here is to hoping it wasn't a fluke night, and continues. Lord knows I prayed for some sleep.
So moving him across room did help, but also not even getting up for full out cries. I was so slow getting up he would be crazy loud for thirty second and then fall right back asleep. I'm also going to study DH swaddle technique. But a big thing was my DS didn't poop once last night so if someone could teach me how to get his poop on a schedule, that would be great! (Just kidding, but that would be awesome).
Ok, freaking out a little here. DS got his 2 month vaccinations on Monday and things have been off all week. He slept a lot Tuesday and Wednesday, but was still eating about 4 hrs a day. Thursday through today he's eaten less everyday (barely 2 hrs today) and is sleeping constantly, like 4 or 5 hr stretches. When he is eating, it's erratic. Crying, pulling off, 5 minutes at a time, and just constantly trying to go back to sleep. LO was born at 37 weeks and is 9.9 lbs, am I freaking out over nothing? Is my supply going to disappear? He also has reflux so all of his milk never stays down, what if he starts dropping weight? Really worried!
Ok, freaking out a little here. DS got his 2 month vaccinations on Monday and things have been off all week. He slept a lot Tuesday and Wednesday, but was still eating about 4 hrs a day. Thursday through today he's eaten less everyday (barely 2 hrs today) and is sleeping constantly, like 4 or 5 hr stretches. When he is eating, it's erratic. Crying, pulling off, 5 minutes at a time, and just constantly trying to go back to sleep. LO was born at 37 weeks and is 9.9 lbs, am I freaking out over nothing? Is my supply going to disappear? He also has reflux so all of his milk never stays down, what if he starts dropping weight? Really worried!
That sounds like growth spurt/ developmental leap behavior to me. I wouldn't worry about it being linked to getting the shots or your supply tanking because he's still stimulating your nipples even if he's not nursing as much. If you feel like he's not draining your breasts at all you could always throw in a pumping season here and there. I bet it'll pass after a few days!
Need some nap time help... Harper sleeps amazingly at night. I can get a 6-8 hour stretch before she is up to eat. She sleeps in her crib, swaddled, and falls asleep right away. My issue is nap time. She will only sleep on me, which means I'm not getting anything done all day except holding her. She will nap ok in the stroller on a walk. But if we are home, she won't nap in rnp, swing, crib. Even if I put her in there after she falls asleep, she realizes it after 5 minutes and is up crying. I would prefer to keep naps unswaddled do she gets used to it and has some "freedom" during the day. Any ideas?
edited to add that she hates the swing and rnp even when awake. She just sits and cries in it until i run to pick her up. She's not happy unless she is being held, which is fine (I love the cuddles!) but I need to be able to put her down to clean this mess of a house!
Need some nap time help... Harper sleeps amazingly at night. I can get a 6-8 hour stretch before she is up to eat. She sleeps in her crib, swaddled, and falls asleep right away. My issue is nap time. She will only sleep on me, which means I'm not getting anything done all day except holding her. She will nap ok in the stroller on a walk. But if we are home, she won't nap in rnp, swing, crib. Even if I put her in there after she falls asleep, she realizes it after 5 minutes and is up crying. I would prefer to keep naps unswaddled do she gets used to it and has some "freedom" during the day. Any ideas?
edited to add that she hates the swing and rnp even when awake. She just sits and cries in it until i run to pick her up. She's not happy unless she is being held, which is fine (I love the cuddles!) but I need to be able to put her down to clean this mess of a house!
Starting at about 5-6 weeks, both my babies started requiring more actual work to get down for a nap. What that looks like for us is keeping an eye on wake time- my son couldn't handle being awake for more than an hour until he was like 4 months old, which was super annoying- and when they've been awake for about 45 minutes or so I start watching for sleep cues like glazed eyes, yawning, etc. Again, my son never showed any cues until it was too late and he was already overtired, so I always napped him by the clock instead. Once they are ready for a nap I do the full-court press- swaddle, dark room, white noise, attempt at pacifier although they both seem to hate it. If they don't fall asleep on their own with all that, I'll try nursing or rocking them to sleep. This is obviously kind of a pain in the ass to do all this, so I really only shoot for like 2 naps in the bassinet a day- the others happen in the carrier/ car seat/ stroller while we're out getting fresh air, or in the swing/ mamaroo if they just won't go down and I'm desperate for a break. All that to say, you may not have much luck getting her to nap unswaddled at this point because it sounds like even if she's asleep when you put her down, she's startling herself awake.
I'd stick with the swaddle @yogahh. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
So atick with her bedtime routine and try to crib it? She tends to just pass out and I guess I feel like the whole song and dance is more of a scheduled thing but I'll give it a shot this week! Anything to have some free hands for a change!
@yogahh I'm with pp's on the routine/swaddle. I'm finding that my baby needs more of a routine/quiet space as opposed to my first who loved a swing nap while we watched Netflix. Hopefully you get her down somewhere other than you!
@yogahh Ezra is the same. He's a great night time sleeper but needs to be held for daytime. What works for me is to wear him and when he's really good and asleep gently place him in his rocker or our bed. The ergo is great for this since I don't need to take him out of the infant insert.
I'd stick with the swaddle @yogahh. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
This is what I have to do, too. She associates the swaddle with sleeping so we swaddle for naps and can get at least one good 2-3 hour one due to it (only do that once a day and she'll nap in her crib). Otherwise she's taking cat naps on us or in her car seat while we're on the go.
I'd stick with the swaddle @yogahh. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
So atick with her bedtime routine and try to crib it? She tends to just pass out and I guess I feel like the whole song and dance is more of a scheduled thing but I'll give it a shot this week! Anything to have some free hands for a change!
Definitely! Do what works to get a break/nap/a meal/shower/clean house. Swaddle it up, girl.
Is anyone else's baby still waking really often at night? I keep seeing posts about babies who sleep 6 hours straight and it's making me wonder if I'm doing something wrong. My guy is just shy of 4 weeks and still only sleeps about 2 hours at a time. When did your babies start sleeping for longer stretches? I would be thrilled to get 4 hours.
Eta: he sleeps swaddled in a bassinet next to my side of the bed and seems to wake up genuinely starving...
Is anyone else's baby still waking really often at night? I keep seeing posts about babies who sleep 6 hours straight and it's making me wonder if I'm doing something wrong. My guy is just shy of 4 weeks and still only sleeps about 2 hours at a time. When did your babies start sleeping for longer stretches? I would be thrilled to get 4 hours.
Eta: he sleeps swaddled in a bassinet next to my side of the bed and seems to wake up genuinely starving...
Honestly I think different babies just get there at different times. Both my babies have started sleeping 7-8 hour stretches around when they hit 12 lbs, and since they're such total fatsos that happened around 5-6 weeks. But I have girlfriends whose babies didn't get there til 3 months- they tend to be smaller babies but no clue if the weight actually matters.
Re: Newborn Questions
This was the end of Ezra and my bath time last week. It was hilarious. The only lame part was having to bleach the tub
@aliciad39, I had harper in the room for only a few nights before moving her to the crib in her own room for the same reasons. She would be up every 15 minutes when we were in the room. I honestly think we were distracting her. While having her a room away from us was scary at first, she's sleeping about 8 hours straight before waking up now. Which means mom and dad get 8 hours of sleep. I don't think every kid is made to share space with parents when sleeping.
Last night he ate at 5p and fell asleep at 6:30 after only taking a 30 min nap all day - kid would not go down. I went to bed at 7 because I was exhausted, but of course couldn't fall asleep. DS slept until 8p, I fed him, DH swaddled, and back to bed. Then he slept until midnight! Second time ever for 4 hours and I was stoked, even though I laid in bed, not falling asleep until 10:30. I was scared though because whenever he gets one good stretch, he usually cluster feeds-- but nope! Back down for 3 hours until just after 3am, then again at 5:30 (which I thought he would be up for the day$, but he went back down until 730am when I woke him up because I was uncomfortable! It was amazing. I woke up, cooked chocolate chip pancakes and eggs, pumped, worked out, and showered. And feel glorious. Here is to hoping it wasn't a fluke night, and continues. Lord knows I prayed for some sleep.
So moving him across room did help, but also not even getting up for full out cries. I was so slow getting up he would be crazy loud for thirty second and then fall right back asleep. I'm also going to study DH swaddle technique. But a big thing was my DS didn't poop once last night so if someone could teach me how to get his poop on a schedule, that would be great! (Just kidding, but that would be awesome).
DS1: May 2016
DS2: Jan 2019
Baby #3 EDD: 6/18/24
Harper sleeps amazingly at night. I can get a 6-8 hour stretch before she is up to eat. She sleeps in her crib, swaddled, and falls asleep right away.
My issue is nap time. She will only sleep on me, which means I'm not getting anything done all day except holding her. She will nap ok in the stroller on a walk. But if we are home, she won't nap in rnp, swing, crib. Even if I put her in there after she falls asleep, she realizes it after 5 minutes and is up crying. I would prefer to keep naps unswaddled do she gets used to it and has some "freedom" during the day. Any ideas?
edited to add that she hates the swing and rnp even when awake. She just sits and cries in it until i run to pick her up. She's not happy unless she is being held, which is fine (I love the cuddles!) but I need to be able to put her down to clean this mess of a house!
Eta: he sleeps swaddled in a bassinet next to my side of the bed and seems to wake up genuinely starving...