Sleeping Beauty...

Pre-baby I had no idea what to expect when it came to sleeping after Jane came... if you listen to rumour, you're never going to sleep again! You'll be a zombie!

Personally, I am not a zombie nor am I exhausted... sorry to disappoint. I'm not saying I'm sleeping fabulously or that I'm not tired sometimes, but I'm not finding it as difficult as I was lead to believe it would be. We have good nights and bad nights... most of which are my fault for eating something that doesn't agree with Jane and gives her gas (we're both learning).

Right now, here's the deal as far as what my night looks like:
8:30pm - Bath time
9:00pm - Feeding
9:30-12:30ish - Sleep
12:30am - Feeding/Bum Cleaning
1:30 - 4:00am - Sleep
4:00am - Feeding/Bum Cleaning
5:00 - 7:30am - Sleep

I usually wake up at 7:30am as Jane usually doesn't have a long sleep after the 4am feeding... plus, that's when Dan wakes up and I like to have time with him in the morning before he heads to work. So, overall, I'm getting about 6 hours sleep a night by the time I fall back to sleep after feedings which I think is great! I usually have a nap during the day with Janey during one of her sleeps as well.

We decided that Jane would sleep in our room (in a cradle) for the first 3-4 months. I don't think I'd sleep well with her in another room... I think I'd be running to her side at every peep whereas now I just open my eyes to check on her. I've now gotten to the point where I can sleep through her milder noises and wake only when she starts really fussing. I can see how nursery sleeping would also work as I'm sure you eventually don't wake for every peep-n-squeak and avoid the transition to crib later on. For me, it's the convenience of having Jane right there. We have slightly modified our cradle and placed a folded blanket under the mattress to elevate the head of it just over an inch. It makes no sense to me to feed a baby and then lay her flat - how do you feel when you lay down with a full tummy? No wonder babies get gas-y and have reflux! They have products out there that do the same thing but why spend the money if there's a simpler fix? I also play relaxing music throughout the night - either Baby Einstein lullabies or spa-like music, I think both of us enjoy this! :)

Last night, I was so glad to have Jane next to me. After our 4am feeding, I put Jane down and she was really uncomfortable - gas. I stayed awake and kept an eye on her for 30 mins or so and thank god as she basically projectile vomited in her cradle. I was so glad to be there immediately to pick her up so she could wouldn't respire anything and so I could comfort her. :( Poor thing.

If anyone has any tips-n-tricks for helping baby sleep or advice for crib sleeping, leave a comment!

Jen :)