Everyone tells you to forget about sleep when you have a newborn. While this is true, the image I had of what form this would take was completely wrong. Like many other new dads, I was thinking that I would be woken up at night by a crying baby either because of a dirty diaper or a need for momma's sweet nectar. I also thought that since feedings were 2-3 hours apart, that I would be getting a couple of hours here and there which is totally manageable. Wrong on so many fronts. Let me break down the cycle for you:
10 pm: Feeding
An amazing feeding goes about 30 minutes, but amazing feedings are rare. A good feeding goes around 45 minutes and a rough feeding can go an hour or more. What makes the difference between amazing and rough you ask? For starters, how well does the baby latch onto his mom's nipple (I'll discuss more about this crazy phenomenon in a later post). There's also keeping the kid awake while he's feeding. It blows my mind that this guy is getting free food and is passing out in the middle of his meal.
11 pm: Burping, diaper change
Never, ever, ever, skimp on burping. I once didn't do a good job of this and every ounce of his meal ended up all over his face, arms, and hair. Not to mention his swaddle, his basset and pretty much every other item he could touch. A good burping is key. As for diapers, I'm happy to say I'm getting better. Not as arrogant as I was (see earlier post) but definitely getting a handle on it.
11:15: Sing, dance, woo your baby to sleep
I've heard tales of magical babies that fall asleep right after a feeding by just putting them down in their bassinet or crib. Don't get me wrong, Micah is one of the best sleepers out there (so far). However, he likes to be held and typically likes some sort of song n' dance usually reserved for goofy moments when I'm trying to make my wife laugh. It's one of the more enjoyable activities we do together but there are only so many dances a man can do.
11:30: Sleep
CONGRATS! You're baby is asleep. Now you have 30 minutes to crash out before the cycle starts again at midnight. Yep, midnight. That two hour feeding clock started back at 10 pm...not from when he finished feeding. So in reality, you're getting about 30-45 minutes of sleep at a time between feedings. The best way to describe it is the feeling I had in college during class. You'd struggle to keep your eyes open and then you'd blink only to realize 30 minutes have passed and you've completely missed a key part of the lecture.
All in all, I love the quality time with my little guy. Although we may be sleep deprived, the joy of spending time with my man is priceless.
10 pm: Feeding
An amazing feeding goes about 30 minutes, but amazing feedings are rare. A good feeding goes around 45 minutes and a rough feeding can go an hour or more. What makes the difference between amazing and rough you ask? For starters, how well does the baby latch onto his mom's nipple (I'll discuss more about this crazy phenomenon in a later post). There's also keeping the kid awake while he's feeding. It blows my mind that this guy is getting free food and is passing out in the middle of his meal.
11 pm: Burping, diaper change
Never, ever, ever, skimp on burping. I once didn't do a good job of this and every ounce of his meal ended up all over his face, arms, and hair. Not to mention his swaddle, his basset and pretty much every other item he could touch. A good burping is key. As for diapers, I'm happy to say I'm getting better. Not as arrogant as I was (see earlier post) but definitely getting a handle on it.
11:15: Sing, dance, woo your baby to sleep
I've heard tales of magical babies that fall asleep right after a feeding by just putting them down in their bassinet or crib. Don't get me wrong, Micah is one of the best sleepers out there (so far). However, he likes to be held and typically likes some sort of song n' dance usually reserved for goofy moments when I'm trying to make my wife laugh. It's one of the more enjoyable activities we do together but there are only so many dances a man can do.
11:30: Sleep
CONGRATS! You're baby is asleep. Now you have 30 minutes to crash out before the cycle starts again at midnight. Yep, midnight. That two hour feeding clock started back at 10 pm...not from when he finished feeding. So in reality, you're getting about 30-45 minutes of sleep at a time between feedings. The best way to describe it is the feeling I had in college during class. You'd struggle to keep your eyes open and then you'd blink only to realize 30 minutes have passed and you've completely missed a key part of the lecture.
All in all, I love the quality time with my little guy. Although we may be sleep deprived, the joy of spending time with my man is priceless.
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