Help! Day in the life of a newborn

[Arti2019]

Hey all,
We just brought our premature baby home and life is 'normal' now. Just wanted your help with our routine... Even if its just to say 'yep that's what newborn life is like!'

So here is a step by step :

1. He wakes up hungry
2. Feed one boob for 10 mins

3.10 min break, burp baby

1. He's ready to go again. Feed other boob for 10 mins
2. 10 min Break
3. Swab boobs again 10 mins
4. Burp and change nappy (I have tried starting with a nappy change especially id it's a pooey one but he gets very cross at being denied food)
5. One last boob for 10 mins
6. Hold him upright to digest. Wait till he falls asleep and into cot he goes. Or Play if alert.

It takes about an hour to feed including breaks and maybe 30 mins holding him upright.

My questions are:
How do I make sure I get some rest? He feeds every 2-3 hours and just now I fell asleep during the feed several times

Logistics of a nappy change.. I get some warm water from the bathroom, go to his room changing table, change nappy, take him back to the bathroom to wash hands amd have to do this one at a time as I have a baby in my hands. Is there an easier way?
I don't want to just leave him on the changing table.

Is there a way to get him to settle to sleep? He only goes in his cot if he's in a really deep sleep on me or dad, and therefore doesnt notice. He sleeps well in our bed but we don't want to do that long term. We have a next2me so he's right next to us, reaching distance away.

How do I make sure I get some rest? He feeds every 2-3 hours and just now I fell asleep during the feed several times

Just when you can. It sucks but it does get better. Don't try and guess when just believe it does eventually.

Nappy change - can't you just use wipes. Change baby, put nappy in bin next to changing unit. Empty bin when necessary.

Bed.

None of mine liked their beds. I just ended up bed sharing until they started going longer in their beds so I'm out on that one.

I bed shared with my boy when I breast fed. He slept through 12 hours in his cot from 8 months, and I started to put him in his cot to sleep from about 3 months- but was still up constantly to feed at night.

So it didn't really matter that I bed shared in the early days as he loves his own cot now.

Forget changing table, changing mat on floor and you can leave him to wiggle as long as he likes.

One of those baby cushions with dangly things is really useful too and I wouldn't be without a swing chair. One way to get a bit of time without baby stuck to you.

I bought a wipes warmer for nappy changes and it was brilliant for that awkward newborn stage of going back and forth to the bathroom with a top and tail bowl. I used lovely soft bamboo velour wipes in it. Put dirty ones in a wet beg until they were washed. Also used one to wipe down the mat/hands. They can be hard to find though, as they are more of an American thing. Alternarively you could fill a flask of hot water so you don't have to fetch water each change. Wash your own hands with the cotton wool and some anti bac gel? Change baby in the bathroom on the floor?

To get him to sleep try swaddling him, the Swaddle Up arms up ones are great. Definitely try a white noise app as he will be used to lots of noise around him from hospital.

Buy some hand sanitizer for your changing table that way you can clean your hands before and after nappy changes.

Also, I'd recommend a sleepyhead. They are expensive but so worth it. DD would not settle at all in her next2me but the mattress is so hard in them!

Keep a cup of water on the changing table. Use hand sanitizer. Sleep in 2 hour blocks. As you only have a newborn and no older children sleep during the day. Look up safe cosleeping, remember any safe way you all get sleep is good and cuddling is essential for baby’s development.

Read up on the 3rh trimester.

I think previous poster means 4th trimester.

Re nappies, we used cold water and cotton wool and DDs didn’t seem to mind. Also hand sanitiser for washing afterwards. Or put a bouncy chair/rug/towel in bathroom to put babyon. Feeding will get more efficient, but for now be kind to yourself and sleep when you can.

Even if its just to say 'yep that's what newborn life is like!'

Yep, that's what newborn life is like.

Just sleep when you can. DS was exactly the same. He would take between 1-2 hours to feed because burping was so tough but from the point of starting that feed, eg 1am, he'd still go his 3 hours for his feed. So even if we finished at 3am, he'd be back up by 4am for food.

Falling asleep or the feeling of falling was so tough. I've now developed a habit of coming downstairs and switching Netflix on to stimulate me when feeding as I was so scared of dropping DS.

I also just change him on the floor, or in your case would move him down on to the floor, to go and wash your hands. Or get some hand sanitizer wipes.

Do not leave a baby on a changing table!

Falafel19 yep I definitely mean the 4th trimester. Can you tell I have a 4 week old?

These early days are ROUGH. But you will get there.

Number one: don’t ever ever leave baby on a changing table, ever. You’d be amazed at how much they can wriggle (off).

Just put down a towel or blanket on the floor and put baby on there for the 2mins hand wash.

Also: we used cotton wool and water - just use WaterWipes. Don’t mess about.

Why keep swapping boobs?

• Use water wipes
• Leave the baby on the floor while you wash your hands. If it’s a poo-hand type change then change them on the floor so you don’t need to lift them until you’ve washed your hands

Sounds like you're doing great!

I'd be cautious with swapping boobs so frequently. Make sure the first boob feels empty before swapping or you can create an oversupply which is a real pain to contend with.

Also change baby wherever! I changed mine on my lap or the sofa a lot. I had just a Tupperware of cotton wool pads in water- so could use them like wipes. I also had one in every room with a stash of nappies (anything for an easy life!).

Sleep when you can. And keep baby with you- it can be difficult to sleep if someone holds baby for you. Look into co sleeping (lullaby trust) as it's much safer than nodding off with baby in your arms. And if your baby isn't too windy or sickly you can feed lying down.

That sounds normal to me but it's so tiring in the early days!
With sleep, my DH would be on duty at night every few nights. So I would go to bed at 7pm and he would get up for all feeds in the night. Obviously as I was breastfeeding he couldn't actually feed the baby. But he would get up, bring baby to me so I didn't have to get out of bed, and I would feed lying down. He would stay awake while I fed so I could go back to sleep with baby latched on, to make sure I didn't roll on it or anything (very active sleeper). Could you do something like this? Obviously I was still being woken, but could sleep more soundly knowing I wouldn't have to get out of bed.

For getting them to sleep in their bed, I found the patting and shushing technique from the baby whisperer worked well. I didn't actually use any of the other stuff from the book but that worked like a charm. I know it doesn't work for all DCs but might be worth a shot?

Yup! Newborn life. It definitely take a few weeks to figure out what works for you.

I found my only way to get some sleep (I also have VERY ACTIVE primary age DC!) was to do co-sleeping. Followed all the advice to make this safe as possible, as I got a scare when I found myself almost falling asleep holding her doing night feeds. She seems to settle for 3 hours at a time next to me, and my sleep is better quality.

FWIW I use wet wipes to wipe my hands after changing the nappy. I wash my hands when using the loo/cooking/getting a drink of water, feel like a wipe after nappy change will do the trick for a few minutes!

Always had changing mat on floor and always used cold waterA

Sounds about normal and yes it’s exhausting! Hopefully the feeds will settle down soon and it won’t take an hour at a time, but we’ve all been there! I used to sit in a chair in the baby’s room and watch Netflix on my phone to keep awake for night feeds.

For nappy changes I always used the changing table in their room (my house is all one level). I still use it now and my youngest is nearly 2! I’d change the baby with wipes, and then put in cot or swing or wherever and then go wash my hands. We keep hand sanitizer on the changing table too. Never leave your baby unattended on the changing table!! If I needed water I’d put them in the cot while I went to get it

Get some sensitive wet wipes or resuable wipes and a wet box/bag and save yourself the hassle! Baby can lie on towel/bathmat for a minute while you wash hands. I'd wait till he's finished feeding before changing his nappy - mine pooed without fail about 3 minutes into every feed, and then again about 2 minutes after he'd finished.

Does he have reflux so you're holding him upright for 30 minutes after?