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| love those smiles! |
NURSING
Nursing went well this week except for one day--a wonder week 8 thing so see that below to know about that day.
Nursing went well this week except for one day--a wonder week 8 thing so see that below to know about that day.
POOPING
She is still on the 1-2 times per week pooping plan.
She is still on the 1-2 times per week pooping plan.
SLEEPING
Oh sleeping! This was a great week. One morning early in the week I woke at 5:30 AM and realized she hadn't woken in the night at all. A 7.5 hour stretch! It was a day I needed her on her normal schedule because I was helping in Kaitlyn's class, so I woke her, fed her, then put her back down and got her up again at 7:30.
Through the week, she kept sleeping longer and longer. She moved to 9 hours!
There was a morning she woke at 6:15 AM. This is such an awkward time to wake up when our goal time is 7-7:30. I find it difficult to decide what to do. I either start the day at 6:15 and move on from there, or I feed then get up again in two hours. There really is no wrong or right way universally--just what works best for your baby, you, and your family.
As she ate, I thought and thought about what to do. In the end, I decided to put her down and then get her up in two hours. I had two driving reasons for coming to that decision.
The first reason was that if I started the day then, she likely would drop a feeding. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it being the first day of possibly doing that an her being 8 weeks old, I wasn't sure that I wanted to drop a feeding. I wanted to stick to 7 feedings in a 24 hour period for the time.
The second reason was that the time change is coming up (ugh). So if I start the day at 6, it is like starting at 5 in a month. I don't want to train her body into that starting time. This was my primary reason for feeding and then waking again in two hours. For more on this, see my post: Early Morning Feedings Before Waketime: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/early-morning-feedings-before-waketime.html
Oh sleeping! This was a great week. One morning early in the week I woke at 5:30 AM and realized she hadn't woken in the night at all. A 7.5 hour stretch! It was a day I needed her on her normal schedule because I was helping in Kaitlyn's class, so I woke her, fed her, then put her back down and got her up again at 7:30.
Through the week, she kept sleeping longer and longer. She moved to 9 hours!
There was a morning she woke at 6:15 AM. This is such an awkward time to wake up when our goal time is 7-7:30. I find it difficult to decide what to do. I either start the day at 6:15 and move on from there, or I feed then get up again in two hours. There really is no wrong or right way universally--just what works best for your baby, you, and your family.
As she ate, I thought and thought about what to do. In the end, I decided to put her down and then get her up in two hours. I had two driving reasons for coming to that decision.
The first reason was that if I started the day then, she likely would drop a feeding. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it being the first day of possibly doing that an her being 8 weeks old, I wasn't sure that I wanted to drop a feeding. I wanted to stick to 7 feedings in a 24 hour period for the time.
The second reason was that the time change is coming up (ugh). So if I start the day at 6, it is like starting at 5 in a month. I don't want to train her body into that starting time. This was my primary reason for feeding and then waking again in two hours. For more on this, see my post: Early Morning Feedings Before Waketime: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/early-morning-feedings-before-waketime.html
And of course with the good sleep the comments start coming. "You are so lucky!" She is a good baby, but I wouldn't put it to luck. I haven't just happened into her being a great sleeper. I make a lot of sacrifices to protect her sleep and I make sure to keep her routine consistent.
Happily I also get the positive comments. One nice old lady at my church asked me how she was sleeping, and when I told her she said, "Well you know why don't you? It is because you are such a good mom. You know, you really need to write a book about babies. And look how alert she is! For her age she is just so alert!" I really love her :)
MILESTONES
A Babywise milestone she met this week, besides the sleeping, is that she started to wake happy. She wasn't happy for long periods, but she would wake up and lay there and look around contently.
Happily I also get the positive comments. One nice old lady at my church asked me how she was sleeping, and when I told her she said, "Well you know why don't you? It is because you are such a good mom. You know, you really need to write a book about babies. And look how alert she is! For her age she is just so alert!" I really love her :)
MILESTONES
A Babywise milestone she met this week, besides the sleeping, is that she started to wake happy. She wasn't happy for long periods, but she would wake up and lay there and look around contently.
WONDER WEEK 8
We had one day of wonder week 8 business going on. Wonder Week 8 is "The World of Patterns." Your baby starts to become aware of patterns around her. Baby might stare at lights (this is something Brinley did--obsessed with lights). She can also be obsessed with playing with her hands (but Brinley was not). There can be more sound experiments and babbling noises (yes). She can focus longer (yes). Baby can be more clingly, cry more often, loses appetite, shy around strangers, and sleeps poorly. The gym is a great toy for this age.
She had the one half day of poor sleep and lack of appetite. She was obsessed with lights, and definitely started using her voice more.
We had one day of wonder week 8 business going on. Wonder Week 8 is "The World of Patterns." Your baby starts to become aware of patterns around her. Baby might stare at lights (this is something Brinley did--obsessed with lights). She can also be obsessed with playing with her hands (but Brinley was not). There can be more sound experiments and babbling noises (yes). She can focus longer (yes). Baby can be more clingly, cry more often, loses appetite, shy around strangers, and sleeps poorly. The gym is a great toy for this age.
She had the one half day of poor sleep and lack of appetite. She was obsessed with lights, and definitely started using her voice more.
TWO MONTH WELL CHECK
For Brinley's two month well check I tried something I haven't ever tried before. For doctor appointments, I have always gotten the baby up and fed her and then taken her to the appointment. This is great and all, but by the time you get into the doctors office, it is time for baby's nap.
This time, I woke her right when it was time to leave. We hopped in the car and drove to the appointment. It is only a 10-15 minute drive for us. Our doctor is fast about getting you out of the waiting room, so we checked in and were called back a few minutes later. We got her weight and length. Then I sat and started to feed her while I waited for the doctor to come in. She was finishing side one right when he came in. So we paused and did the check-up. Then she got her vaccinations and I fed the second side, we drove home, and she went down for her nap. I actually liked this a lot. One great thing is that she wasn't up as long. She was only up for about 15 minutes longer than usual, which she can handle once in a while. Another great thing was that I was able to nurse her after her vaccinations, so I was able to give her some comfort--not that you couldn't do the same even if it wasn't time to nurse.
Speaking of the vaccinations, she did great that day, sleeping the rest of the day. She did need acetaminophen throughout the remainder of the day. About six hours after her vaccinations, she was in some pain. It was almost time for medicine again, but not quite, so you know it is not working as well. She was nursing and just started crying from the pain from being on her side. My friend Kristi later suggested I do the football hold, which I didn't think of at the time--great idea! So you can do that if you are in a similar situation. Her next feeding was during her medicine being active. By the next morning, she was just fine.
CUDDLE BUG
Brinley loves to cuddle. She will often be sleepy at the end of a feeding and just cuddle up to me and doze. I love to sit and just hold her. I give her a couple of minutes before waking her up and just soak in the moment. She won't do it much longer and I want to just relish in it while she does!
For Brinley's two month well check I tried something I haven't ever tried before. For doctor appointments, I have always gotten the baby up and fed her and then taken her to the appointment. This is great and all, but by the time you get into the doctors office, it is time for baby's nap.
This time, I woke her right when it was time to leave. We hopped in the car and drove to the appointment. It is only a 10-15 minute drive for us. Our doctor is fast about getting you out of the waiting room, so we checked in and were called back a few minutes later. We got her weight and length. Then I sat and started to feed her while I waited for the doctor to come in. She was finishing side one right when he came in. So we paused and did the check-up. Then she got her vaccinations and I fed the second side, we drove home, and she went down for her nap. I actually liked this a lot. One great thing is that she wasn't up as long. She was only up for about 15 minutes longer than usual, which she can handle once in a while. Another great thing was that I was able to nurse her after her vaccinations, so I was able to give her some comfort--not that you couldn't do the same even if it wasn't time to nurse.
Speaking of the vaccinations, she did great that day, sleeping the rest of the day. She did need acetaminophen throughout the remainder of the day. About six hours after her vaccinations, she was in some pain. It was almost time for medicine again, but not quite, so you know it is not working as well. She was nursing and just started crying from the pain from being on her side. My friend Kristi later suggested I do the football hold, which I didn't think of at the time--great idea! So you can do that if you are in a similar situation. Her next feeding was during her medicine being active. By the next morning, she was just fine.
CUDDLE BUG
SCHEDULE
This is our daily schedule.
7:30--feed
8:20--nap
11:00--feed
11:50--nap
2:00--feed
2:50--nap
4:30-5:00--feed
5:20--nap
7-7:30 (time varies here)--feed, then bedtime
10:00--dreamfeed
then night feed. Typically, this happened between 6-6:15. Toward the end of the week she slept until 7 AM.
HELPFUL BOOKS
- Baby Body Signs: The Head-to-Toe Guide to Your Child's Health, from Birth Through the Toddler Years
- Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
- On Becoming Baby Wise
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
- What to Expect the First Year
- The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy ThroughToddlerhood
- The Wonder Weeks
RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:
- newborn summary (blog label)
- Newborn Summary: Week Nine (McKenna)
