Monday, September 21, 2009

Sleeping Update

Thanks so much to those who offered advice about sleeping/feeding schedules!!

Danica has been sleeping pretty good during the night. I got off the every-two-hour-feeding schedule and started a new and improved one. The first night we started this new schedule Danica slept 7 1/2 hours straight, ate, then slept 3 more. I couldn't believe it. It was so wonderful!
I, on the other hand, stayed up for 5 hours during the night! I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe my body didn't know how to react, since it was used to waking up so much, plus I know I was really excited she was sleeping so long...so I think that's what kept me up.
The next night she slept 6 1/2 hours. I stayed up for 3 1/2 hours that night thinking of different crafty things I could make. Why?? Sad, I know. My brain wouldn't shut down. Well, since then, she's been sleeping 6 - 6 1/2 hours at night and then she always eats and sleeps for 3 - 3 1/2 more.

So, this is what we decided to do:
Well, by the second day of the every-two-hour-feeding schedule (and when most of your comments came in) I knew I didn't like that schedule. I felt like I was feeding ALL the time. I went back to feeding basically every 3 hours and then in the evenings I'll feed every 2 hours. That seemed like a good compromise (and great advice. thanks!). So, I let her sleep as long as she wants at night. (I had been doing that before, but she hadn't been sleeping as long as she does now.) She usually sleeps until 4:00 now and then she usually wakes up for the day between 7:00 and 8:00 and eats. Then I adjust her next feeding so that it's in the middle of the time she woke up and 12 noon-ish. Then I feed at 3, 5, 7, and 9:00. It's been working so far.
Sometimes that exact schedule doesn't work, because of our schedules or her sleeping more that day, so the evenings are sometimes 4, 6 8, and 10:00 feedings.

Anyway, that's what's been working for us so far. Thanks so much for your help!!!

2 comments:

It's the cool thing to do.