Thursday 13 January 2011

A routine for a newborn baby

Well hello there....

So, is it possible to get a newborn baby into a routine? Have decided to take the sensible (according to Gina Ford) or totally mad (according to just about every midwife and baby health professional) to try and find out if my little man can be tamed into order. He's five and a bit weeks old and as hungry as the proverbial hippos.

Started yesterday and it seemed ok. Am debating how long to keep up the breast feeding as I'm having terrible trouble filling him up, he always seems to need formula top-ups to be content. Everyone says not to do this, but have got rather tired of getting to the middle of the day with a chest that feels like it's gone six rounds in a boxing ring. Plus, he's not been sleeping well in the day and formula seems to help him settle.
Well, have hit on one big snag with the whole routine thing, in that he's sleepy when he's supposed to be awake and wakeful when he's supposed to be napping.
On the other hand, he went down with only a short spell of crying at 7pm, took his 11pm feed (bottle, from the capable hands of my other half so I could have an early night) and apparently went down again quite well. He slept till 5.30am which is the longest he's ever managed in his little life so far.

Today....
Started well enough with a somewhat earler than scheduled feed at quarter to six, but he was a bit slow and needed a top-up which brought things a little back to the hallowed schedule. Got some very cute smiles of him when he was on his play mat and he seems to be grasping things a little more.
Didn't go down well for his morning nap, cried a lot.
Very sleepy through the hour I'm meant to keep him awake before the middle of the day sleep. Fed pretty well though, didn't seem to want such a big top-up as usual.
Of the two and a half hour nap scheduled for him, the first hour was spent with him almost going to sleep and then waking up yelling with me popping up to find out what was wrong. Resorted to giving him his dummy, one of the Tomme Tippee natural latex jobbies. Can't seem to keep it in his mouth too well, but it's better than the orthodontic one we tried that always got spat straight back at us. He dozed off, then woke up with the dummy teat stuck to the side of his head, so when he looked up at me it remained in place like some sort of odd plastic growth.
A very sleepy slow feed. Thought he was full, but he was yelling half an hour later and had to top up. Feed not on the schedule, but he was hungry, what was I supposed to do.
We're at the afternoon nap stage now. Went down ok, but woke up ten minutes later crying. Gave him a few minutes to settle and all seems quiet. Let me just go and check...
Yes, all still quiet. Would open the door and look, but it seems to have developed an annoying squeak and I don't want to wake him.
All in all, day 2 does not feel like it has gone so well. I'm guessing that this whole thing is one of those getting worse before it gets better things, but can I stick it out? For the promise of more regular days and a higher chance of him sleeping through the night, I will persevere.

Tata for now, more tomorrow if he gives me the chance.

Esther.

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