Premature baby

[Ohoneybeeo]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I hope it's ok here.
Baby is 12 weeks old today and not in much of a routine (She feeds roughly every 3 hours but that's the only thing that's predictable!).
She was born 9 weeks early so her corrected age is 3 weeks. I'm always confused on if she should be in a routine like a 3 month old or a 3 week old?
I'm hoping if I can start her off on some routine that night time might improve a little. I just don't know where to start so please help!

[nwmm]

Dd1 was a month early and dd2 was three months early. I was always told to adjust their age until age 2.

You may have been told to feed more often (). If so, then you will need to tweak your schedule even more.

[Ohoneybeeo]

Hi thanks for the reply. No I wasn't told to feed her more. She's quite good at feeding, takes about 4 oz every 3-4 hours and putting on weight each week thank god! X

[Ohoneybeeo]

Oh wow just had to update that by some miracle she has slept 6 hours (she stirred a little after 5 and a half and I popped her dummy in and she's still sleeping!) so far. Of course I woke up after 4 hours in a panic and can't sleep now lol.
The only thing I did different was to swaddle her (she's previously hated it) and it seems to have worked! Now please let's hope this isn't a fluke!!

[Scottishmummy]

That's a great night! Makes you feel so much better to get a good chunk of sleep  Swaddling can be really helpful for some babies, makes them feel safe.

Dd1 was a month early and dd2 was three months early. I was always told to adjust their age until age 2.

This is helpful, I didn't know that.  If your LO needs her routine adjusted to 3 wks then it's likely to still be quite unpredictable. At that age A times are usually short (only about an hour or so awake) and nap length and wake up timings can really vary. Here are some links that might be useful.

Getting started - how I survived the first 3 months
Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!

To start I'd just try to get an Eat-Awake/activity-Sleep pattern and keep a note of timings if you want & then post a typical day here or in the EASY board if you want to chat through it more

All the best to you & your LO

[*Liz*]

My DS2 was 4 weeks early and he has always tended to need more sleep than most - he is def still a sleepy boy as a toddler now.

I struggled with routine in the early days due to reflux (from tube feeding and being prem), and his breathing. From about 6 months he finally slept like a baby  .