Routines for going back to work.

Today I went to a class and learned important stuff regarding feeding and sleeping...I want to write it down so that anyone that watches Leah can have the same info...

the important stuff/cliff note version

*she needs to eat every 2-2.5 hours.

*she needs at least 2.5 oz per feeding.

*she must take several naps during the day lasting no less than 45min. and no more than 3 hours.

*She must be asleep by the time she has been awake for 2 hours.

Now here is the full version:

SLEEP

She should only be awake for a MAX of 2 hours (which includes when she eats) Then please get her to take a nap that lasts AT LEAST 45 minutes but preferably an hour. The nurse said that anything less than that is not going to work for a nap. If she doesn't sleep well during the day, it is highly likely that she will not sleep well at night. If she wakes up before or near 45 minutes, try to comfort her and get her to go back to sleep because the nap doesn't count until she's reached that 45 minute mark. Even then, see if she can sleep a little longer by patting her or whatever. They suggested patting her because every hour (or with Leah probably a little less) babies go from deep sleep to light sleep....they said that this was for survival so they don't sleep so long that they suffocate or something...waking up often helps them with their breathing, etc. It makes sense I suppose. So if you can get them to get in another deep sleep, the nap will last longer.

EAT

When she wakes, please feed her. She needs to eat a minimum of 2.5 oz per serving but should be 3-4. A full serving can be up to 5 oz. If she only takes a little, keep offering it to her. Please do not wait until she starts crying out of hunger to start to offer the bottle. Every 2-2.5 hours, she should be eating. The rule of thumb (so says a lady in class) is offer her the bottle even if she is not crying (crying is a late sign of hunger) offer it for 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes she doesn't want it, wait 15 minutes or so and try again. She prefers the breast and will sometimes resist. Beyond that, at 3 months her vision is increasing tremendously and it makes it so that she gets distracted much easier. She found her hand recently and so she'd rather look at that than eat but after a few minutes, she goes back to eating.

PLAY- during play time, make sure to include tummy time. Make sure she is supervised so she doesn't suffocate when she is on her tummy. The way that I learned to do it is to always start them on their back...play with them and then roll them on their tummy. Have one toy for her to see and keep your hand on her back and lay and talk with her so she doesn't get scared. She usually lasts about 10 seconds where she starts to fuss. I leave her there and cheer her on for as long as she can take it without getting too frustrated.....then roll her onto her back again. Do this a few times per day so that she gets her muscles strong to crawl. During play time she loves to look in a mirror and watch her mobile spin. She enjoys when you read and sing to her and with her. She just today for the first time grabbed and hung on to a little ball we have. It was so cute.

When she starts to divert her gaze and cry a little it usually means she has had enough and do something quiet like cuddle and get ready for a nap.

Our routine:

I try to follow something I got from "the baby whisperer" which is the EASY method. Follow this order: E-eat, A-activity, S-sleep, Y-your time (do whatever while she is sleeping). and then repeat. This will ensure that we all are on the same routine if we all follow this method. That way when I pick her up, you can tell me that she just ate, so I will know automatically that it's time to do an activity....or if she has been playing, then I will know that I need to get her to take a nap, etc.

Naps have been a challenge but I think that I found the key...

To get her to go to sleep, you have to catch it before she is overtired and crying...swaddle her after you've played, (a trick is to do this near the mobile :) she stays distracted.) Then take her to the yoga ball and bounce her. If she is somewhere without a yogaball, just bounce her up and down. Or try a bouncer. I also use white noise and the combination gets her to nod off after about 10 minutes. If she already started crying, it can take way longer...hence why I say it's super important to pay attention to when she starts to yawn. In just a few min. after that, she gets hysterical. Fickle little thing. :)

Here would be a sample of our day:

6:00am- Feed. (remember she needs to eat at least 2.5oz. So keep feeding her even after she takes a break)

- Activity

-get ready for nap.

8:00-9:00am- nap

9:00am- Feed full serving.

- play

- get ready for walk and load up stroller

-make sure she is all changed and ready to go.

by 10:45 start walking....she'll cry a little but as long as she has been fed and changed, she should quiet down.

11:00-12:00 walk and she should be sleeping in the stroller during this time.

12:00- feed

and then it just continues on like that.

She is taking a nap right now and she started crying....so I just went in there and started the white noise heartbeat again and rocked her for a few minutes and set her back down. She fell back asleep. I will keep doing that until she has slept at least 45 minutes.

Ok, well my thoughts are down on paper, so we will see how this goes. I wish I could do it myself but since I can't, Lisa and Julian's mom will make fabulous substitutes.