Adjusted age apply for baby born at 37 weeks?

[Julie Kenwell]

I’ve posted here recently about my LO’s sleep and the more I get to know him the more I feel that his sleeping pattern is possibly due to the fact that he was born at 37weeks+2days.
He is 9 weeks old now but his A time during the day is still low for his age.
I’ve only really noticed him smiling this week and he is only just starting to be content when I put him on his play mat.
Is it possible that the adjusted age applies to him for sleep too?
His day is still quite unpredictable, and he is still feeding 2-3 hrs at night.

[Katet]

37 weeks is considered term unless the baby has reasons to be considered premi. That said it is an average A time, so some babies will fall at lower and higher sleep needs. My eldest was born at 39,4 and he had a super low time until he was 4.5 yo. He was still on 45mins A at 3mo and only went to 2 naps at 10months and 1 nap (forced due to DS2 arrival) at 21 months.
My friend's baby was 37 weeks and slept less than him from day dot.
So temperament comes into it too and it's not really about exactly how many days they've been in the world and it can be anxiety inducing to look at the average as a gold standard, rather as a rough guide that this is when things happen.

 Eg my DH was super late to start walking (2yo) at 15 he was one of the fastest mile runners his age in the country....he was just a late walker not because of xyz, but that was him and that was an important piece of advice I was given, don't try to fit the average, rather see that to have an average there is a span.... They say 6 weeks for smiling, to get that 6 weeks some will be earlier, some later, and quite possibly a baby born at 41 weeks could just as easily smile for the first time at 9 weeks. And my eldest was a 9 lb baby and fed 2-3 hourly till 3 months, my friends 6lb slept through at 2 weeks... Mine is now 6ft, hers is 5ft.... Genetics play into it too.

What I'm try to say is don't read too deeply into its late because of the due date v born date, rather your baby isn't an average he's part of a huge variety of different statistics that make an average.

[Julie Kenwell]

 Thanks so much for your reply.
I guess I’m trying to understand why he is the way he is!
His evenings always see, to fall to pieces and that very much spills into night time sleep too. It doesn’t matter if he naps well or badly during the day, the last nap of the day, or sometimes the second last, is always a battle and he could end up being in his Moses basket for an hour before he will fall asleep. He will then only nap for about 30 mins.
I’ve made a rule that he doesn’t come out of the basket until he has napped. But I don’t let him cry - he takes a paci.
So last night after he woke from the last nap, I fed him, he wasn’t happy, gave him another feed just before what I know is the end of his general activity time, and when he yawned I took him up to bed as I always do.
He seemed to go over to sleep after about 10 mins but then woke up, on and off, for an hour. Aga8n, he wasn’t crying, just dozing on and off until that time.
This is often the case at bedtime. Either that or he will fall asleep for 20:- 30 mins and then wake up and take a while to resettle.
I’m just so confused by this because as I say, it makes no difference what his day has been like.
Yesterday all his naps were short and I was convinced that would stop this evening behaviour, but it didn’t.
This morning now he has been sleeping for over an hour for his morning nap. I just don’t understand where I’m going wrong!

[Katet]

Nothing is really going wrong, it's more too much information makes us think babies should conform to the textbooks.
I'm not sure if you have other children, but they cause more stimulation and that can make it harder for them and parents  to settle for sleep.
Also unsettled periods in the evening are very normal in the first 3 months of life.
Also some babies need more touch and cuddles and sometimes just want to comfort feed in the evenings, which seems to be more common in families with older siblings...it's like their way to get their cups filled, so maybe he just needs that comfort and security of more cuddles before being able to settle. 

[Julie Kenwell]

Thanks. I have two other boys. Hoping for a more structured routine soon.
You’ve been so helpful and reassuring that there is light at the end of the tunnel! Xx
He definitely isn’t looking for more feedings.
I guess he is just figuring out this whole day and night thing?!
My second was so easy and was already in a set bedtime and general routine throughout the day by this stage! I need to stop comparing them and accept they are all different. X