Getting baby on a sleep schedule

Between months 4 and 6 your baby will be capable of sleeping through the night but don’t be upset if they still wake up once or twice. If they do sleep through the night it can be around 8-12 hours. This way you can finally get some sleep after dealing with all those sleepless nights in the beginning. It can be very frustrating if your baby still wakes up a few times but they have their reasons. Your baby might just want some cuddle time with you or they may be trying to learn how to sit up and rolls over that they even do so while they are sleeping which can wake them up. Around 6 months you should try to get your baby on a regular nap and night time sleep schedule. You can tell when your baby is getting sleepy when they start to tug on their ear, rub their eyes etc. Try and get a schedule going that flows with your life style as much as possible. Pick a set name time or numerous nap times depending upon how long your little one stays asleep.

 My baby just turned 6 months old so we are starting to get a routine down. I can tell I will have a difficult time with it because one day he will take two or three 15 minute naps then the next day he will take a three hour one. His bed times are always different sometimes it is between 8-9pm other days its 10:30-11pm. I swear sometimes he knows when it is the weekend because he tends to stay up later on Friday and Saturday nights. What I am trying to do and what everyone should do at night I develop a routine that you do right before bedtime so your little one will know it is time for bed. I always give him a bath right before bed, but you could also read a bed time story or sing the baby a song, then end it with a kiss goodnight. Try to do things in the same order at the same time every night to get the routine down pact.

Some parents even resort to the cry it out method after a long period of trying to get a routine down does not work. This is not easy especially for those who really cannot stand to her their little bundle upset. You have to put them in their room every night at the same time. Let them cry it out for 5 minutes if they do not stop go in rub their tummy and speak softly tell them it is okay. Every night you should extend the time period by 5 minutes so 10 minutes then 15 minutes and so on. Eventually your baby will get the hint and they will just know it is time for bed.  It is not going to happen right away but just be patient it will happen eventually.

                                                             Pictures are of my baby boy :)

First Day/Week Home

          Wait the nurses can’t come home with me!? No they can’t but they will tell you everything that you need to know. Ask as many questions as you can before you leave. If you forget things which you will you can always call the hospital they are always willing to help new parents out.

            The first day home can be a little overwhelming but don’t worry it is not as bad as you think. Just make sure everything is ready a few weeks prior to your due date because once you get home with baby there will be no time to put cribs and changing tables together. One good thing is that they do sleep a lot the first week home and you know the saying, “sleep when they sleep” ha yeah I could never do that. I was always doing laundry and washing bottles while my little boy took his naps.

(Source: http://www.therealsupermumblog.com/2011/04/guide-cosleeping-baby/)

            The lack of sleep will drive you a little nuts especially mixing that with the postpartum depressing that every female gets a little of after giving birth. The best thing is to keep the baby in your bedroom for the first few months just to make the night feedings a little easier and to avoid SIDS from happening.

(Source: http://sleep.lovetoknow.com/Effects_of_Lack_of_Sleep)

            Don’t be afraid to ask for help and if people are willing to help TAKE IT! I was too stubborn to kept saying no I’m independent I don’t need help. Looking back I should have let the in-laws help when they offered because I was a little bit of a B-word with the lack of sleep. I ended up taking out my aggression on my boyfriend which was not right at all.

(Source: http://bathing-for-babies.babblestuffs.com/bathroom-bathtubs/)

            Time for your little one’s first bath at home! Don’t be scared you will not hurt the baby I know they seem so small and fragile but don’t worry you can’t break them (well as long as you don’t drop them, very slippery when wet! Ha-ha) Make sure you buy a baby tub or you can use the kitchen sink if it is big enough. Never leave them in the water unattended and never fill it more than a few inches it is easy for them to drown they do not know how to stop themselves. 

Labor and Delivery

You are probably scared out of your mind whether you are the pregnant woman or the father to be but don’t be. I know it is a lot easier said than done trust me everyone kept telling me you will be fine it’s no big deal. Your probably thinking, “NO BIG DEAL?? I AM HAVING A BABY!!”  Just relax you will be fine. For me I was really scared because I was 2 days late and they decided to induce me so I did not go into labor on my own. I’m not sure which is worse knowing or not knowing but I feel like when you know it is scary because you know what time you are going to feel pain. If you go natural it just hits you and you have no time to rationalize things you are too focused on what is going on at the moment. One thing you have to know and remember is that no two pregnancies are alike so you can read many stories of child birth or watch shows about it but yours will not be like anyone else’s.  There is no set time for the labor and delivery process you could be in labor for a few hours or even whole day. When you get down to pushing you could push for 2 hours or just a half hour like me. 

(My little man :)

Most hospitals will allow you to have at least 2 people with you in the room during delivery. Make sure you pick people that you really want to be there. I had my boyfriend Sean and my mother in the room with me. They made them push my legs back and pull my neck forward to help the pushing process along. So make sure the people you choose are not squeamish at the first sight of blood.

If you delivery vaginally you will be in the hospital for 2 days and for c-section it is usually around 4 days. C-sections happen for many unexpected reasons and yes they are cutting you open but I hear it isn’t as scary as you think. Oh and while you are there you should try to get as much sleep (yeah right!) as possible because as soon as you get home that’s one thing you definitely won’t be getting. Although I don’t see how anyone can sleep there especially if you are like me and did not want the baby staying in the nursery. With the baby with me and the nurses constantly coming in to check my vitals and to get the baby to do tests I got like 2 hours sleep in 2 days. Also I’m sure your friends and family are going to stop up to the hospital to meet your new bundle of joy. J

(Picture is of my boyfriend, son and myself)