I've got a bone to pick with whoever came up with the term "sleeping like a baby" Babies, at least in my experience thus far, don't sleep long enough to warrant such an optimistic saying.
When I started back at work and was inevitably asked if she was sleeping through the night yet, I'd reply that "no, but she only wakes up every three hours, and she does it like clockwork" I'd feed her and she'd go back down right away and I'd go back to bed. On occasion I'd wake up in the rocker, with a kink in my neck, and having only fed her on one side (I'll leave that to your imagination) but overall it was manageable. Most times people looked at me like I had a hole in my head (maybe I did, I was getting up every three hours all night!) I told myself she was a breastfed baby, and was weighing in a little small, so she'd just start sleeping longer at her own pace....
Well a week or two ago, we consulted our reference materials, and figured at 5 months and certainly by now north of 12 lbs, 
she developmentally and metabolically ought to be sleeping more than 3 hours at a clip. Plus the little gem would fall asleep and sleep through the anticipated feeding time during the day, so could sleep for mama be far beind?
After a few nights where we, shall we say, "challenged" her to go a little longer and a little longer, I am really really happy (and rested!) to report that she slept for 7 hours without waking last night -- whahoo! Not only that, she went down for another 3 after I fed her with the rising sun!
The funny thing about babies and sleep, is that sleep seems to beget more sleep -- the more she sleeps at night, the better she naps during the day. So, as I write this, here is what she looks like:
Who knows what next week (or tomorrow!) will bring, but who knew progress felt like rest??
she developmentally and metabolically ought to be sleeping more than 3 hours at a clip. Plus the little gem would fall asleep and sleep through the anticipated feeding time during the day, so could sleep for mama be far beind?After a few nights where we, shall we say, "challenged" her to go a little longer and a little longer, I am really really happy (and rested!) to report that she slept for 7 hours without waking last night -- whahoo! Not only that, she went down for another 3 after I fed her with the rising sun!
The funny thing about babies and sleep, is that sleep seems to beget more sleep -- the more she sleeps at night, the better she naps during the day. So, as I write this, here is what she looks like:
Who knows what next week (or tomorrow!) will bring, but who knew progress felt like rest??
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