Nine Weeks In
Blueberry is actually nine weeks today; I just never published that seven-week post, thinking it needed more work. Now it's just out of date. I am typing with one hand while BB nurses. I can eat like this too.
Sleep Update
We are continuing to have lots of luck here. For the last four nights BB has slept nine hours with either zero or one waking. The one feed lasts 15 minutes and he goes right back down. Swaddling is still an important part of this game, but perhaps not critical. I am awake more because he gets noisy at points and he sleeps right next to me. Also, I am still programmed to feed him more often, and have had to get up and pump the untouched side. Our kitty, Olivia, also wakes me with her random play under and around our bed, or call for affection on top of the bed. So I'm not well rested, but am okay and have hope for a better night life. Dirk can sleep through both Olivia and Blueberry's noises. That's a pretty typical difference between moms and dads.
Naps are coming around too. While it's hit or miss, sometimes we get a long multi-hour nap. Every day there is an indication of his readiness to sleep at pretty consistent times. He awakes around seven, and is sleepy by nine. Early afternoon and evening bring yawns as well. The tricky part is actually getting him down. The swing works - but those naps are never three hours long. Stomach sleeping brings on the longest naps, but then I'm constantly peeking at him. He also ends up sleeping in lots of random "unsafe" spots, like the couch, our bed, etc.; so I have to keep a close eye on him anyway. It's not uncommon for Dirk or myself to just sit nearby for his entire nap. I'd love to get him to sleep in the safety of his own crib, but this has been slow going. Maybe he'll give me ten minutes there before he wakes up. If I would stay with him for a good hour, he would also sleep longer. Even though I'm really tired too, I rarely do this. In part, this is because when I do, I get tired of the position I'm in or want to get things done. If I try to sleep too, I have to change positions and he often wakes up as soon as I get really comfortable. Sleeping with him is more successful at night. I'll wake up an hour or so later and then it's easy to move him to his spot. (He is sleeping on a changing pad on our bed with a railing on one side and me on the other. It's working for now. It's a safe spot for him as long as he can't move around. This won't last for too much longer, but it's nice for now. It keeps him safe from falling and he isn't going to get under the covers either. I love having him so close to me, but when he gets into a noisy phase (which can go on for an hour before he wakes up), it's really hard for me. I'm getting better at ignoring him, but I still wake up. I just try not to sit up and check if he's awake all the time, because he's almost always not awake. For this reason, I would like to have him in his crib in his room. But I'd rather wait until his sleep schedule is more reliable - I like not having to get out of bed right now. Once he starts moving around, I'm not sure how willing I am to make our family bed super safe - so maybe he'll be in the crib after that. Dirk is pretty committed to the family bed though, and I like it too. Maybe we'll go all out and lose the covers and pillowtop, put the mattress on the floor, etc. I'm pretty sure though that all those changes will mean worse sleep for me and as much as I'd like to be completely unselfish for my baby - I do need sleep or I won't mother him well at any time of day.
As I type this, Olivia - the champion sleeper in our family - is conked out nearby on the couch. Blueberry is on my other side, in and out of sleep. I would love to lay down and sleep too, but am afraid to try.
----30 minutes later----
I laid down with Blueberry and was able to get a little rest. The phone just rang, so I'm awake again, but feel better. May lay down again now...
Sleep Update
We are continuing to have lots of luck here. For the last four nights BB has slept nine hours with either zero or one waking. The one feed lasts 15 minutes and he goes right back down. Swaddling is still an important part of this game, but perhaps not critical. I am awake more because he gets noisy at points and he sleeps right next to me. Also, I am still programmed to feed him more often, and have had to get up and pump the untouched side. Our kitty, Olivia, also wakes me with her random play under and around our bed, or call for affection on top of the bed. So I'm not well rested, but am okay and have hope for a better night life. Dirk can sleep through both Olivia and Blueberry's noises. That's a pretty typical difference between moms and dads.
Naps are coming around too. While it's hit or miss, sometimes we get a long multi-hour nap. Every day there is an indication of his readiness to sleep at pretty consistent times. He awakes around seven, and is sleepy by nine. Early afternoon and evening bring yawns as well. The tricky part is actually getting him down. The swing works - but those naps are never three hours long. Stomach sleeping brings on the longest naps, but then I'm constantly peeking at him. He also ends up sleeping in lots of random "unsafe" spots, like the couch, our bed, etc.; so I have to keep a close eye on him anyway. It's not uncommon for Dirk or myself to just sit nearby for his entire nap. I'd love to get him to sleep in the safety of his own crib, but this has been slow going. Maybe he'll give me ten minutes there before he wakes up. If I would stay with him for a good hour, he would also sleep longer. Even though I'm really tired too, I rarely do this. In part, this is because when I do, I get tired of the position I'm in or want to get things done. If I try to sleep too, I have to change positions and he often wakes up as soon as I get really comfortable. Sleeping with him is more successful at night. I'll wake up an hour or so later and then it's easy to move him to his spot. (He is sleeping on a changing pad on our bed with a railing on one side and me on the other. It's working for now. It's a safe spot for him as long as he can't move around. This won't last for too much longer, but it's nice for now. It keeps him safe from falling and he isn't going to get under the covers either. I love having him so close to me, but when he gets into a noisy phase (which can go on for an hour before he wakes up), it's really hard for me. I'm getting better at ignoring him, but I still wake up. I just try not to sit up and check if he's awake all the time, because he's almost always not awake. For this reason, I would like to have him in his crib in his room. But I'd rather wait until his sleep schedule is more reliable - I like not having to get out of bed right now. Once he starts moving around, I'm not sure how willing I am to make our family bed super safe - so maybe he'll be in the crib after that. Dirk is pretty committed to the family bed though, and I like it too. Maybe we'll go all out and lose the covers and pillowtop, put the mattress on the floor, etc. I'm pretty sure though that all those changes will mean worse sleep for me and as much as I'd like to be completely unselfish for my baby - I do need sleep or I won't mother him well at any time of day.
As I type this, Olivia - the champion sleeper in our family - is conked out nearby on the couch. Blueberry is on my other side, in and out of sleep. I would love to lay down and sleep too, but am afraid to try.
----30 minutes later----
I laid down with Blueberry and was able to get a little rest. The phone just rang, so I'm awake again, but feel better. May lay down again now...
posted by Skye Xyan @ 11:58 AM
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