Songwriter wrote:Sprouty wrote:Thanks all, and congrats BTB!
Does anyone have any advice on sleeping arrangements with a newborn?
As his weight loss is very minimal (after 5 days), we've been told we can move from 3 hourly feeds to 4 hourly. However, he sets the time for feeds and typically wants feeding every 2 hours.
We've tried shifts so that one of us is awake at all times, but Mrs Sprout gets lonely over night when I'm sleeping and would like to sleep at the same time so we get to see each other more during the day.
I'd like to establish larger feeds before bed time to limit night time feeds, but I suspect his little stomach is too small to establish that rule just yet. Any ideas welcome as I've been running on 1 to 5 hours sleep per day since 1st January.
My advice after two traumatic births and difficult newborns - roll with it and get through each day until you’re not existing, you’re living.
If he wants 2 hour feeds, do it. If he wants to sleep, let him.
Roll with it - quicker you do, easier it becomes.
(I had 3 years on 1-5 hours sleep with first one and the second was born. You get used to it.)
This. Every kid is different, and a schedule set by a midwife or other professional, however evidence based, can only ever be a guide. When my boy was a newborn, he was struggling to gain weight, and we were told to feed every 2 hours, but given that waking him, feeding, changing, then getting him back to sleep took about an hour, it meant he was only getting one hour of sleep before the next feed was due, and after a couple of those, we literally couldn't wake him, he needed sleep. We switched to 3 hours, and that worked for him. As for sleeping arrangements, we were fortunate enough to be able to set up a bed in the spare room and basically took the night in 3 hour shifts between my wife and I, so the other could go and get 3 hours kip while the other did the feed, etc. I know it doesn't help with the loneliness Mrs Sprout is talking about. It's a tricky balance, you obviously want to spend time together, but it's also only possible for you to support each other with catching up on sleep if one of you is staying awake to look after the little one.