The Second Month

During the second month, things started to slow down a little.  Farrah and I also established a better routine.  I had read the book On Becoming Babywise, and felt more confident and knowledgeable.  Farrah started staying awake a little longer during the day.  During the first month, she pretty much feel asleep after she was fed and changed.  During the second month, she started staying awake a total of about 45 minutes including feeding and changing.  Farrah also started sticking out her tongue and was much more alert.  The big accomplishment during the second month was more night time sleep.  She started sleeping a six hour stretch after her 10:30PM/11:00PM feeding.  We were still having to get up to feed her around 4:00AM, but it seemed like we were getting so much more sleep!  We also went on our first overnight trip with Farrah.  Thomas wanted to go to a conference Jon Acuff was hosting in Nashville, so Farrah and I tagged along.  Farrah slept while we traveled.  The most difficult part of the travel was stopping to feed her.  We arrived in Nashville a little later than planned, so Thomas had to drop us off at the hotel and go straight to the first part of the conference.  I was left to figure out the pack-and-play (this was the first time we used it), and try to keep a 7 week old quite so we would not disturb the entire floor!  The next day Farrah and I stayed at the hotel while Thomas went to the second part of the conference.  He cut out a little early for some family time and shopping before we had to head back home.  Check out the blog post Thomas did about the Quitter Conference.  We also had some very special visitors all the way from Knoxville, TN!

6 Weeks

7 Weeks

Aunt Kathy Joe Came to see me.

7 Weeks in Nashville.

BW - Feeding Summary

The authors of the book recommend not even looking at a clock for the first week to ten days.  Simply feed your baby when she is hungry.  In the book there are scenarios given that demonstrate two types of feeding philosophies; feeding strictly by the clock and feeding strictly when the baby shows signs of wanting to be feed.  The Baby Wise plan suggests combining both philosophies and adding the parent's assessment or judgment.  They call this plan Parent-Directed Feeding.

The Baby Wise plan focuses on three main activities that are repeated throughout your babies day; Eat, Wake, Sleep.   Here's my take on the Baby Wise plan - Feeding.  Basically you feed your baby every 2.5 to 3 hours to begin with.  They do suggest establishing a time for your first feeding and sticking to it.  This becomes your babies wake-time every morning.  Wake your baby during the day if needed to feed every 2.5 to 3 hours.  Waking Farrah from a nap is very hard for me.  But, I feel like Farrah has learned to trust me and that I am going to make sure she has what she needs by doing this.  It seems to me that your baby never really has to let you know that she is hungry (with the exception of the middle of the night feeding and during growth spurts).  You make sure your baby is fed before they get so hungry that they let you know.  The Baby Wise plan suggests NOT waking her after your late night feeding.  Our late night feeding was at 10:00 p.m.  After this feeding, let your baby tell you when she is ready to eat again.  It is okay to have a combination of 2.5 and 3 hours between feedings throughout your day.  So far, all of our schedules have been combination schedules.  I work around times that are bad for us to need to feed Farrah.  The Baby Wise plan just suggests not feeding your baby any sooner than every 2.5 hours and no later than every 3 hours during the newborn stage.  I did cluster feed Farrah for her last few feedings which resulted in her eating sooner than every 2.5 hours.  I fed her at 5:00 p.m, 8:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.  Check out this blog post for more information on cluster feeding.  There are also several different reasons listed in the book for feeding your baby sooner than 2.5 hours. 

• If your baby seems hungry sooner
• Low milk supply if you are nursing
• The 45 minute intruder
• Medical reasons
• The dreamfeed
• To get your schedule back on track.

This is why they suggest not using only the clock as a resource for when to feed your baby.  You also have to consider your babies hunger cues and use your own judgement.  Here is the link to the homepage of the blog I sent you to for more information on cluster feeding.  It is a MUST HAVE RESOURCE for anyone implementing the Baby Wise plan!   Chronicles of a Babywise Mom

Being Baby Wise

After being home with Farrah for a few weeks and adjusting to life with very little sleep, I decided it was time to do some reading to help me figure out how to help Farrah get in a good routine and get the sleep she needed. For those of you that do not know me, I am completely clueless when it comes to babies. I have never really been around many babies. I am also a planner/scheduler who is a little OCD. So, I needed a plan! I was given the book On Becoming Baby Wise as a Christmas gift, so I decided to start with that.  Everyone kept telling me that Farrah had her days and nights mixed up.  I really feel that the book, On Becoming Baby Wise, helped me help Farrah figure this out.  On Becoming Baby Wise gives you a plan to follow to help your baby learn the difference between day and night.  The main goal of the book is to have a healthy, growing baby who sleeps through the night by 8 to 12 weeks.  Throughout this blog you will find posts that are my interpretation of the plan presented in the book and how I decided to implement it in our lives.  The title of those posts will begin with BW followed by the specific topic.