Miracle!...I hope....

Leah will be 4 weeks old tomorrow and I cannot believe how fast it has flown by! In the beginning she was a great sleeper but then once she started eating more and gaining some much needed weight (I'll blog about that issue in a separate entry) she became MUCH more difficult. There were a few times where she would go 2-3 days and only sleep in her crib for an hour...over the whole 2-3 day span! Needless to say, me on one hour of sleep, after 3 days is NOT a pretty picture.

In desperation one very early morning a few days ago I decided to try swaddling her again using her SwaddleMe. They had been doing this at the hospital and we had done it a little in the beginning but she really hated it. She is an extremely active baby and loves to move her arms and legs and seems to be comforted by having her hands at her face. For all these reasons we discontinued the swaddling but after reading a few recommended books from a dear friend I decided to give it another try. The books said that young babies often can't fall asleep or can't stay asleep because the movement of their limbs are so jerky and erratic and it wakes them up.

Well, it's been almost 3 days and I haven't looked back!! I assumed that in this case Leah would know what was best for her but apparently not. She has never slept so well! Of course it's still only 1-3 hours at a time but at least she IS sleeping and now I know if she wakes up then it is for a good reason. Although she does occasionally wake up mid way through a nap and whimper/cry for a few minutes before falling back asleep, the books say that this is just her transitioning into another stage of sleep. I guess these are the times where, if I was lucky enough to get her to bed, that she would wake up and not be able to fall back asleep. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this SwaddleMe is actually working and this is not just a coincidence.

I have learned some tricks though because she still does HATE it! I can only put her in the SwaddleMe if she is about to fall asleep. I have to watch for her to yawn and for her eyes to start rolling back. If I put her in it too soon she will scream like a maniac and try so hard to bust free that she becomes nearly hysterical. BUT if I wait until the right moment she is SO happy and content in it...and even when she wakes up and I go in to get her she still seems ok being in it. I guess this is all part of me getting to know her better and better everyday.

She has also started eating more since the swaddling has resumed. She is now taking about 3-4 ounces every 3 hours and occasionally, about once or twice a day, she will only take around 2.

I am really pleased with her progress so far and lets all just pray that my beloved SwaddleMe keep doing its job so our little lady can continue to rest and eat more comfortably!