EASY from day 2?

[kaynay]

Hello...my newborn is almost two weeks old...we started easy principles from day 2 of birth...I have to wake her to feed her every 3 or so hours during the day, naps are 2 to 2.5 hours...during the day if I don't wake her she will sleep past her feeldings...at night she wakes more frequently usually one hour after her feed...I think this is because she is sleepy and doesn't take a full feeding so wakes one hour after finishes her feed then goes back down for 2.5 to 3 hours...I have set her first feeding around 615am she has been naturally waking then and her bedtime is between 7 and 730 pm...I know it's early but am I on the right track...I put her down awake and she goes to sleep most naps without fussing ...is it too early to tell?

[Violet's mom]

Wow good for you!  Mine resisted a schedule of any sort for the first 2 months and just recently at 5 months took to 2 hr naps!  How much does she wake during the night?  Is she still having day/night confusion?

[kaynay]

She wakes 3 times a night I feed her then she goes back down...I'm just confused if she is too young it's more for me so I can keep track of feelings and diapers. It kills me to wake her for every day feed that my main concern since sleep is for brain development. I understand it's necessary but she doesn't always have active time after feeding in the day even though I try...day night confusion it seems her days are three to three hour thirty minute intervals all 24 hours long does that sound about right? I haven't let her sleep past 2 and a half hours in the day yet since I don't want her to miss a feeding...if I did let her sleep then I would know about day night confusion but right now I don't know...

[katie80]

Congratulations on your DD! Before you know it she'll be awake a lot more, so enjoy these snuggly newborn days.

It sounds to me like you're doing just fine.  She is getting plenty of sleep during the night and day, so you have nothing to worry about devleomentally. There are lots of newborns who don't sleep like that!  Do continue to wake her to feed though, as you certainly want any awake time to be during the day.  For the night feeds, you can either change her half way through the feed to keep her more awake or strip her down so she's a little cooler to keep her feeding.  That way you won't have to get up with her an hr later to finish the feed.  My DD was a very sleepy baby and I had to wake her to feed every three hrs until she was about 6 weeks old!

[kaynay]

So at this stage ok to change her between feeds at night...Tracy noted diaper changes can be very stimulating and to slather on diaper cream unless soiled...plus it's hot right now it's summer so I will try to let some breeze in and windows open half the night I worry when she gets going that she can get overheated but if you think this all sounds like we are on track ok then. Starting so early when would you guess things will mellow it at night...I am ok with waking to feed her and putting her back down but an hour later gets tiring...you said about six weeks you did the same...did you start BW this early too?

[katie80]

So at this stage ok to change her between feeds at night...Tracy noted diaper changes can be very stimulating and to slather on diaper cream unless soiled...

Yes, but at this age when you want them to stay awake to take a full feed, it's the only thing that worked for me.  I stopped changing mine in the night around 10-12 weeks.

Starting so early when would you guess things will mellow it at night...I am ok with waking to feed her and putting her back down but an hour later gets tiring...you said about six weeks you did the same...did you start BW this early too?

It's hard to say when things will mellow.  I'd say to have 3 night feeds at 2 weeks is pretty good!  I think if you can work on getting her to take a good full feed and getting all the air out by burping her, hopefully that second waking an hr later will go.  I had to wake my DD during the day for 6 weeks, I let her sleep at night after 4 weeks.