(Warning: this post is all about baby stuff like sleep. More exciting stuff coming soon, I promise!)
We are working on sleep here in the Sargent house this week. When we were getting close to delivering Cora, Steve and I decided that the first three months were going to be considered the fourth trimester. We had read about this in 'Happiest Baby on the Block' (I highly recommend that book) and our pediatrician also encouraged us to approach the first three months like that. And by the fourth trimester we gave Cora whatever she wanted when she wanted it- eating, sleeping, holding, soothing, etc. Over all that plan was super-natural and easy. But once the third month hit I was ready to start trying new things- mainly working on routine. Plus Cora was transitioning out of that naturally and starting to set her own schedule.
I am a person of routine so I know both Cora and I will do well once we established one. So that is exactly what we have been working on the last week. For the last two weeks or so I have been watching Cora to see about her sleep patterns- when she falls asleep, when she shows signs of tiredness, and when she is most playful. We have been following 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. Overall I really like the book (there are some parts that are kind of extreme, but all baby books have been like that for me. People are opinionated and passionate when it comes to babies!).
The main things the book has helped me with are looking for signs Cora is ready to sleep and the 1-2 hour wakeful periods. Cora will usually go about an hour and half after she has woken up before she starts to get real quite, not be interested in playing, or start rubbing her eyes. I also like the freedom the book encourages when soothing your baby. He basically states there is no wrong way to sooth your baby (rocking, nursing, massage, etc), and it is okay to do these things to help a young baby to sleep. On the other hand he is not against letting an older baby cry it out. I like the multitude of suggestions he gives you for sleeping training.
The main thing I am working on is getting Cora to nap in her crib. She sleeps the nights in her rock n' play (best thing ever!) but has always napped on Steve or myself. We are on day three of crib napping and all things considered she has done pretty well. In fact, she is in the middle of her morning nap in her crib. This is both freeing and sad for me. I LOVE having time to blog, read, do house stuff, work stuff, etc., but I also miss having my sleeping baby on my chest. On a side note by Netflix watching has drop significantly- I guess this is a good thing:).
Last night we moved Cora out of our room and into her own room. She is still in the rock n' play and swaddled (as best we can!) but we wanted her to get use to the sounds and smells of her room. Overall she did great. She usually gets up once to feed, but last night she got up twice, which is to be expected- it is a new room. And I was not as anxious as I thought I was going to be- kinda nice to have my room back. We plan to move her permanently to her crib in the next couple weeks. I think once we get napping in the crib down, the night transition might be easier.
Another big thing Cora has started in the last 10 days is rolling. The girl can roll over whether she is laying on her stomach or back and she does it every time we put her down. She rolls everywhere! She is so strong, so I knew this was going to come fast. I would not be surprised if she was sitting up pretty soon- she does a pretty good job supporting herself when we prop her up.
Well, that is all for now. I mainly wanted to document this for my own memory. I am trying to not be stressed out or worried about the sleep stuff - I am working on that too. I just keep telling myself Cora is doing great and this will happen. My mom jokes with me that when she had babies people did not read all these books and stuff, they just did what was natural. It really is amazing how books and the internet has changed the game when it comes to information at your finger tips! Okay, enough of the boring sleep talk- more exciting things coming our way soon:).
4 comments:
It is interesting to me since our girls are so close in age. We are having some sleep changes too. We just ditched the swaddle. Maybe I should check out some of those sleep books. Thanks for the recommendations.
I loved those books. We did the same thing with both kids and it worked great and seemed very natural. I nursed Jude before every nap and before bedtime until we stopped nursing completely, and he never had a hard time going to sleep after that. I'm doing the same with Madelynn because it just seems right for us. Good luck with the naps and bedtime sleep. It sounds like you are very in tune with Cora's needs. What a great Mommy you are! Let's talk soon. :)
Cora June is precious, my friend! You and Steve ate doing such a fabulous job. ;)
I loved 'Happiest Baby on the BLock'. I felt like the soothing suggestions really helped me with Finn's colic. I also thought of something else about sleeping- I'll email you.
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