Sleeping Like A Baby

Who ever came up with that phrase? Well, if you are wondering why I haven't posted it's because I am reading this book and trying to implement healthy sleep habits. Sophia really got off track of her night time routine last week for about 6 nights. Since Sunday night, we seem to be doing much better. Wake up time is too early, but I'm willing to work with that. Most sleep specialists say wake up should be 7 am, so you can implement the 9 am nap without protest due to baby being over tired. We have established nap times. I must say those were established by me very early on. My problem is she doesn't like to sleep in the crib for naps. She doesn't like to sleep anywhere but with Mommy for naps. As a result, Mommy doesn't get her chores completed. My goal this month is to stretch our am wake up time and to get her napping in the crib.
A routine is established but it must exist in the crib in order to give her the deepest sleep.

We just received the birth announcements. They look great if I may say so myself. I ordered them through Sweet Baby Designs on the internet. One thing I would recommend to new or expecting moms; get these out early. I wish I would have addressed the envelopes in the hospital. It's hard to attend to this task when you are so sleep deprived.

If you are pregnant, please read the book mentioned in the previous post and plan out your birth announcements. Those are my two regrets.

We All Need This Book

One of my clients told me about this book: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. I really didn't think I'd want to read it because Sophia sleeps well at night, but it's great. It will tell you how much sleep a child needs depending on their age. It covers infancy to toddlers. It talks about keeping naps and bedtime sacred and cry-free.

The intro. will tell you to read this book when you are pregnant. It also tells you how to read it if your baby has already been born or if you are dealing with a toddler. I love that. Instead of reading from cover to cover, they give you an action plan of how to dissect the book in order to maximize the amount of information received in a minimal amount of time.

Some topics it covers:
Colic
Fussiness
Bottle fedding
Breast feeding
Co-sleeping
Naps
Sleeping through the night
Importance of sleep for the whole family

I think this would be a valuable read for anyone who interacts with children on a daily basis. After one night of reading, Sophia improved her sleeping at night, and I didn't even think she needed to.

How Quick They Grow: From Infant to Baby

Sophia is growing so quickly. We had her 2 month visit on Monday. She weighed 11 pounds 12 ounces, and she was 23 inches long. Since her one month visit she has gained one pound 12 ounces and grown 1 inch. She remains in the 75% for both.

As a mom those are proud moments, but as a consumer, growth is difficult. Being that this has been a particularly hot summer, I have only been putting her in onesies during the day. I now am quickly running out of outfits. I can't keep up with the laundry. Her length is adding to my work load. Having helped my sister so much with her children, I know buying a lot of clothing at this age isn't reasonable, so I have been stretching outfits and considering those onesie extenders. A 2 month old grows too quickly to buy a ton of clothes, yet I have come to a realization that I may have to bite the bullet and buy a few more summer pieces.

I think I will also help myself to some store inventory. I chose those adorable prints that we carry in our store, Little Baby Headquarters, so why not dress my little cutie in a few of those onesies.

Take a look and see if you find a onesie you wish to purchase from Little Baby Headquarters for someone you love.

Sleep, Sophia, Sleep

Sophia is doing so well, but we are crossing some new bridges. She truly is an angel, but we do have one small issue.

Sophia only wants to be held. Now I wouldn't mind, but I mean only held. For the last two weeks, she has only gone down after her 8 o'clock feeding. I must admit that I have enjoyed all the cuddle time with my precious baby, yet I did have to think of the future. Where would we be in one month or 8 months?

So this week I have dedicated all my time to getting her acquainted with her big girl crib.
Also, I have been trying to increase her nap times because I realized she was sleeping much less than all the information on infant sleep indicated was healthy. We are slowly becoming successful. She is spending at least 30 minutes at a time in the crib for naps. The night is much easier for her, and the black out shades we hung have really helped.

Sleep is so essential to infants and necessary for breast feeding mommies. To all you who think it's OK to have baby in bed one more night, don't fool yourself. Start a healthy sleep schedule now for every one's benefit.

Breast feeding tips I learned

As I mentioned earlier, Mary, my lactation consultant, has taught me so much. I wish I knew going in all this information, but I know now and it has made a world of difference. I hope these tips on breast feeding help all fellow moms out there who are dedicated to nursing.

1. Drinking too many fluids could interfere with milk production.
2. One must add 500 calories to their daily in take in order to keep up with lactation.
3. Maintaining a low fat or fat free diet will effect the quality of your milk, resulting in milk that doesn't "fill up" your little one.
4. Sleep deprivation or stress could interrupt milk production.
5. Oatmeal, yogurt, and brewers' yeast should be part of your daily menu.
6. The baby can extract more milk than a pump.
7. Your milk changes everyday based on what the peanut needs that day.

Breast feeding is going nicely for Sophia and I. The only disadvantage is the lack of dieting. I was hoping to have lost my weight by now, but the calorie requirements are hindering my goals. I will have to find time to exercise, but how do you do that with a 7 week old attached to you?

I can't believe we made it: 7 Weeks

After a very long three weeks, everything started to get easier. It took some time, but we are on a schedule and working towards normalcy. The hardest part was the three week and six week growth spurt.

I remember calling Mary to tell her that Sophia was cluster feeding, not sleeping and overall fussy. She explained to Jeff and I that this was the three week growth spurt. We would see a change in behavior and digestion. I definitely thought she was full of it. After two days of crying, I called my doctor and bought her in for an appointment the next morning. Of course, Sophia behaved like an angel, but I was happy to hear all was OK.

Needless to say, all fussiness continued for 5 more days, but shortly after she turned 4 weeks, our little angel returned again. Mary was correct. When we turned that corner, she informed us that there is also a 6 week, 3 month and 6 month growth spurt. We have just battled the 6 week bout, and knowing it was coming really helped.

I laugh at those people who give out advice like they live in your house.

Moms, all I can say is I have some good advice, but you don't have to listen.
I have learned to follow your babies lead. They will let you know what is to come and how to handle it. Also, seek professional advice whenever in doubt. Someone always knows something more than you. Don't reinvent the wheel, roll with the flow.

Little Baby Headquarters; Wipe warmers, clothes and diaper bags

Don't forget to shop for all your baby needs at Little Baby Headquarters