The advice I received the most while pregnant was to get as much sleep as I could before she was born. I didn't take this as seriously as I should have. I didn't realize how little sleep you receive with a newborn, especially one who has some colic and reflux.
Fiona is almost 6 weeks and finally getting better with her sleep schedule. She will go anywhere from 2-4 hours on average at a time at night. I really enjoy the nights that she sleeps 4 hours straight and can't wait for more!
I have been researching tips and tricks for getting newborns to sleep longer. Most of the tips people recommend lead me to wonder if they even have children. Some are either not natural or too extreme. I do not expect Fiona to sleep completely through the night yet, just a little longer than 2-3 hours at a time.
We tried supplementing night feeds with a formula that is designed to digest slower and fill the belly longer. On the nights we gave her formula, she woke up more frequently than the breast milk nights. She is also having bowel movements less frequently, but we are not sure if this is due to the formula. I have read that some newborns poop less frequently once they hit 1 month. Therefore, I can not assume it is the formula that has delayed her bowel movements.
Several friends and family recommended buying a swing to soothe her during the night. We put her down for the night in her crib, and after her 3-4am feeding we put her in the swing. This does console her and help her sleep for a few more hours. On her next feeding she becomes inconsolable again and likes to be placed in her bouncer. We apparently have a baby who likes variety. =) She has developed her own routine. I am hoping this routine is ok for now, but in the next month or so I want her to sleep solely in her crib.
Some parents swear by the crying out method, but at this age I feel it is cruel and unfair to the baby. Letting her cry for an extended amount of time doesn't seem reasonable to me. I just want her to be able to sleep consistently 4-5 hours at a time, not a whole night of 8 hours, though it would be nice. :)
A friend of Michaels has recommened the book "On Becoming Babywise", by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam. I have researched this book and there is a lot of controversy on its content. Some parents feel the methods are not natural as the book claims. I definitely plan on purchasing it and basing my own opinion on whether it is right for us. Michael's friend has tried it and her little one was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. This doesn't seem emtreme to me as many friends have stated their little ones slept through the night at 8 weeks. I am looking forward to reading it and seeing what we think. =)
Fiona has some trouble sleeping during the day due to the colic and reflux. It breaks my heart when she cries because it looks like she is in so much pain. I just wish there was something we could do for her other than love and console her. She has days like yesterday where she cries most of the day, days like today where she naps most of the day, and an even mixture of both. She is staying awake and alert more as the weeks go on. I want to giver her more happy days where she is content and playful and not in pain. It is so hard to watch her in agony and not be able to help other than rocking and holding her.
I am sure as time goes on, Fiona will outgrow the colic and the reflux will hopefully reside. Until then, we will continue to hold and console the best we can. =)
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