2 Month and 4 Days Old
Last night’s Schedule
6:30pm feeding
7pm bedtime routine (story, sing, dance/rock, crib)
7:15-8pm soothing in crib (as per books, didn’t pick her up)
8-8:15p crying while mom had a 'sanity' time out
8:15-9pm diaper change and feeding
9-10pm held in arms while sitting
10-10:45pm held in sling while standing
10:45-11pm BG finally falling asleep. held in sling while sitting
11-11:45pm Mom getting sleepy. Tried to 'sit sleep' but BG wasn’t having that. Every time Mom sits, BG wakes up. Mom decides to check emails as BG is not ready to let mom sleep, even sit sleeping.
11:45pm-3am Mom sleeps with you on a sling lying on top of her chest.
3:15-4am Mom awakens to a soaking wet shirt as she missed her midnight pumping/feeding session and you are applying lots of weight on her engorged breasts. Her breast pads are completely soaked and her shirt can be wrung out. Mom’s breasts are killing her, her shirt and breast pads are soaked and she has to use the bathroom. You are in deep sleep as you have completely sprawled out of the sling with your arms and legs extended. She gently maneuvers out of the sling and places you next to her on the couch so she can pump to alleviate the pressure on her breasts. She pumps her breast, stores milk, disassembles parts and places it in the ‘to be cleaned’ bucket, goes the rest room and changes shirts. While she is up she also restocks the changing table, diaper bag and travel light bag with diapers. We’re moving towards size 2’s. Mom hopes you will sleep until 7 or 8ish. This short-lived.
4:15-4:45am You wake up. I change your diaper and feed you.
5:15- Your Dad takes over
Maybe she’s too young to train a sleep schedule. Some moms in my group say they do what feels right and just go with the flow. Few said they were adamant about scheduling sleep. What I think is appropriate is a going to bed routine but then it’s BG’s cues that determine the night. Most of the times she sleeps from 9pm-3am then 4-8am. Since Sunday, she has been fussy at bedtime. We’ve been trying to get her in her bedtime routine (swaddle, story, song, sway) around 7. We add a bath and massage to the routine at least 2-3 times a week. Unfortunately, these last few days she fusses within 10 minutes of us putting her in her crib.
We’re not sure if this is related to us trying to move her back to back sleeping, moving her back to the crib from the bassinet (she slept in the crib for the first three weeks until it became easier to feed her and pump when she was in her bassinet), trying to get her to get ready for bed earlier than her natural rhythm of 9pm, her increased desire to be held or cuddled or a change in caregiver at night. I have taken over night duties and instead of bottle, she’s been receiving breast all day.
I read that babies will change sleep schedules around 8 weeks, I hope this isn’t her new pattern. Mom cannot keep holding you and pacing around the apartment. I am considering journaling a day in the life of so I can see if there are patterns to her sleeping that have changed that I have not noticed. Maybe she’s getting more sleep during the day and I’m not realizing it.
