Having a 7 week old baby who may or may not be colicky and has difficulty sleeping means you are the recipient of LOTS of unsolicited expert advice.
Lucky, lucky you!
Since Fallon seems to enjoy nightly rages against the world and she doesn’t care that mommy needs to sleep and go to work in the morning, Holly is receiving more than her fair share of advice. Here’s one gem she sent to me just yesterday:
Holly: Here is the schedule I SHOULD have Fallon on by now care of an unsolicited advice giver of baby care.
I have a close friend who had a baby the same week as you. Her in-laws bought her one of those Moms’ on Call sessions (They have this kind of crazy service?…they do!) to help set a sleeping/eating schedule…I was telling her about you not getting much sleep and she wanted to relay this schedule to you…very helpful. She stuck to it and baby Wilson is sleeping and eating regularly without fuss.
6 AM Feeding
7-9 AM Nap (in crib, swaddled)
9 AM feeding
10 AM-12 PM Nap (in crib, swaddled)
12 PM Feeding
1-3 PM Nap (in crib, swaddled)
3 PM Feeding
4-6 PM Nap (in crib, swaddled)
6 PM Feeding
(can stay up or nap until bath time)
8:30 PM Bath time – every night, don’t have to use soap, but get into the routine of bedtime
9 PM night time feeding (if supplementing she recommends formula for this one)
10 PM Bedtime (in crib, swaddled tight)
2 AM Feeding (formula here to)
6 AM Repeat…I know you’re back to work now, but this might help you get more sleep.
Mom- Holly, Wilson is a volleyball that is why this works.
Fallon, on the other hand, is not a volleyball! As maddening as her nightly rages can be they can also be normal for a baby her age.
Colic is one of the great mysteries of baby life. About 20 percent of babies become colicky. The condition is equally common among firstborn and later-born, boys and girls, breastfed and formula-fed. No one knows why some babies are more prone to it than others, but theories abound. And there may well be more than one cause.
A baby may have colic because his digestive system is a bit immature or sensitive. A newborn’s digestive tract contains very few of the enzymes and digestive juices needed to break down food, so processing the proteins in breast milk or formula can lead to painful gas.
The act of screaming itself can cause a baby to swallow a lot of air and that, too, leads to gassiness. If a baby has colic because of tummy trouble, you may notice that the symptoms get worse after a feeding or before a bowel movement.
Some experts believe that long bouts of colicky crying are a physical release for overwrought babies. The baby might be easily overwhelmed if he’s sensitive by nature, for example, or was born prematurely and his nervous system is still developing. By the time evening rolls around, these babies just can’t handle any more sights, sounds, or sensations, and they cry to blow off steam…kind of like many people at all ages and stages are feeling at the end of the day. Volleyballs, however, always sleep soundly after their bath time and feeding…when they are tightly swaddled in their cribs.
