Sleep Training - Groton,CT

At 11 weeks - you should nurse her when she wants and yes of course soothe her when she needs it!!! I think you are very nervous and not sure - but from your questions and thought process - you are doing the right thing and just need to go with the flow of being a new mom. There is plenty of time to sleep train (easiest at 6 mos) and weaning can come muc later as you already mix BM & formula (that will make it easier too).

Everything is always much easier said than done.... you need to figure out what works for you and go from there. Not all babies accept being layed down drowsy. My daughter is 16 mos and still needs to be nursed to sleep (comfort nursing doesnt bother me, I am happy to do it - if it gets her to sleep and she is happy).

Do you attend a moms group already? I think you really need to have some physical support. Know that you are a good mom and things will fall into place when the time is right. Pushing these issues on a child that isnt ready can make the process take longer and soemtimes will backfire - making for more night wakings and harder to get down for a nap.

Hi J.. Your LO is so young, get her to sleep anyway you can for now. I was obsessed (and still am!) with sleep training. My little girl used to fall asleep easily and anywhere, and when she could not do that anymore, I knew it was time to start sleep training, and for us, that came around 4 months. I am not the CIO type, but I know it works for a lot of people, so you'll just need to find the method that works for you.
For now - enjoy her! Sleep training is hard work!

Do you need to still feed her every 3 hours through the night? I would feed her at 6 pm, and feed her again when she wakes. Let a sleeping baby sleep - especially at night! But I am not sure b/c she was a preemie if you still need to feed her every 3 hours. If you don't want to wake her, do a dreamfeed. Google it if you are not sure about a dreamfeed or just contact me.

Good luck!

Hi J.

Being a new first time mother can be very overwhelming. I too felt the same way with my first child. I felt like I had no idea what to do, but it comes in time as you get to know your daughter better.

Personally, I never followed any books. I have read some, and get some info on line, but you have to realize every child is different and has different needs. You can take the info you get and apply the parts of it that you decide to for your daughter.

I found I never had either one of my kids on a good solid food or sleep schedule til they were at least 6mo old, even later on the sleeping habits with my first one.

Being a SAHM is a huge advantage, I know you are very tired, rest when the baby naps, so you can have energy when she is awake for taking care of her. Let other things go, for now and concentrate on the two of you.

I would let go of the calculation of how old your babies is cause she was 4 weeks early. My son was 2 weeks late and it never made a difference.

Is there any way you can get that 6pm feeding closer to 7pm? I would continue to feed her every 3 hours like you are doing, if she does eat at 6pm, I would still wake her at 9pm for a feeding, then put her to bed for the night, or for as long as she will sleep. Once my babies were 1mo old, I wouldnt wake them during the night for feedings, she will wake you when she is hungry. But during the daytime hours, I would wake her to feed every 3 hours, so that she gets enough ounces to hold her through the night.

As far as putting her to sleep in her bed........ Of course she needs snuggling, and soothing from you. I would try to put her into her crib after that still awake yet drowsy, but if that doesnt work, then hold her til she is asleep. She is still very young, let her call the shots for the time being. It is such a big adjustment for little ones when they come out into the world. Believe me, I've had nights and nights of crying babies, and those that didnt want to go down to sleep. Nothing is going to be perfect and on schedule for a while........ In a few months you will see things are going smoother...... Just try and relax and enjoy your new baby girl, before you know it, she will be eating grilled cheese sandwiches and you will be planning her 1st b-day party!!!
Have fun, please email me if you like
~K.

Let me start by saying I do believe in sleep training (the Ferber method). That said, I think your daughter is probably too young. At this stage the most important thing is that she sleep, not how she sleeps. If you need to rock her to get her to bed, by all means, do so. If you're still doing this when she's 6-7 months, then you can reconsider your options.

As far as eating in the night, my guess is that because she was premie, she's still pretty small, so she probably needs to eat. Many babies start dropping down to one night feeding around this time, and then will drop that after a few more weeks. If you think that she's just getting up to get up, then try some alteratives (rocking, paci, etc) to get her back to sleep, but if she's really eating, she's really hungry.

If she eats at 6 and seems ready for bed, get her to bed then. If she eats at 6 and is ready to play, let her play, feed her again before bed (at 8 - if she's really not hungry, she won't eat, but a lot of babies "stock up" before the night, so this might be good) and then get her down.

I know it feels like you'll never sleep again, but you will. Good luck!