The first thing most parents will tell you when you announce that you're expecting is typically to rest up while you can. Most people know they should, but never really take full advantage of it for one reason or another.
After Ava was born I was extremely lucky. Starting at about 3 weeks she decided she loved her beauty rest, and would sleep from 8-5, and soon after started sleeping for a good 12 hours, 8-8, daily. This never really stopped all throughout teething and growth spurts and the like. Talk about lucky!! I knew that any kid I had after her would just not be the same. There was no way lightening was going to strike in the same spot more than once with this.
In comes Nathan. From the beginning, he has slept great at night-- while waking every 3 hours to eat. Every three hours. I can pretty much count on it.
So, here we are, at 4 months now. He is still waking every 3 hours to eat. I knew this was going to happen, and oddly enough I am ok with it. I feel rested (most of the time), and he typically nurses right back to sleep. Every now and again I will get the magical 4 or 5 hour stretch, but I don't count on them.
I am unsure if there is any correlation between the fact that Nathan is exclusively breastfed still and Ava was not. I am inclined to believe that that did play at least some role in it. I am thinking about introducing some rice cereal into his diet as an evening meal. Perhaps it will fill his tummy a bit more and he will nurse less? I don't count on it. But it would be nice.
Yikes that sounds difficult. Our twins (now 4) had us up all the time for the first 24 months--which was frustrating considering our older child got into a sleep routine rather quickly.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get more sleep soon.