My Own Newborn Sleep Plan

In case you didn’t catch the news already, I am very (very) pregnant with child #3. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about my own newborn sleep plan. I was not a child sleep consultant back when I had my first two children, but I did a ton of reading when my first was an exhausted cranky mess, and learned a lot. 

I am hoping to share my journey with #3 – with all it struggles as well as successes – with all of you. So this is my first post with that in mind.

“Juanita” is expected to come via induction at around 37 weeks. At her last check-up, she was in the first percentile for weight. While there is some room for error, given that this was her 5th measurement where she was less than 5%, it’s very very likely that she’ll be very small. Plus three weeks early. Which does make a difference, even if lots of folks say that 37 weeks is full term.

So given all that backstory, and given the uncertainties of pregnancy and childbirth in general, and a high-risk pregnancy (due to her small size) in particular, here is what I am thinking. 

1. Feed and sleep on demand for the first 6-9 weeks. My big focus will be on keeping her wake windows extremely short, 35-45 minutes or less.
   
   Normally I would do this for just 6 weeks but because she is coming 3 weeks early, I will tentatively plan for 9.
   
   I will still try for her to sleep independently at least some of the time. I have a crib, bassinet, and bed co-sleeper (with a semi-rigid frame that can also be used safely for travel).
   
   Guilty confession time: when my first two were babies, the AAP hadn’t yet figured out that sleeping semi-seated is dangerous for babies. My oldest slept in a swing – and would always wake up within 10 minutes of being put in her bassinet – and my second slept in a Rock n Play. I never even tried her on a horizontal surface during the first few months.
   
   So I have NO idea how we’ll do with flat-surface sleeping. I really wish there was evidence out there to tell us which is less dangerous, cosleeping (which terrifies me) or sleeping on an inclined surface. But there isn’t. Wish me luck!
   
   
2. Take advantage of the 5 S’s. These are Dr. Harvey Carp’s tips for soothing a baby: shushing (white noise), swaddling, side lying (in arms only), sucking (I am 100% a fan of pacifiers) and swinging (in arms or while supervised). I’ll add darkness to the list when I see her becoming more aware of day and night. Hopefully that won’t take too long!
   
   Side note: my soon-to-be-middle child was a fussy newborn and LOVED the sound of the exhaust fan in the kitchen. I would put her face down on my arm and jiggle her for hours in an attempt to get her to sleep. If you have a colicky or fussy newborn, try it!
   
   
3. Try to follow the EASY routine of Eat Activity Sleep so that mostly, she feeds when she first wakes up and not when she is falling asleep. This likely won’t be very successful in the first few weeks when she is very sleepy but we will get there.
   
   
4. At roughly 9 weeks old (6 weeks adjusted), while still keeping wake windows very short, I’ll start to focus on a feeding schedule, gradually stretching her to feedings roughly every 3 hours. If she’ll go longer at night, hallelujah!
   
   In the meantime, i’ll try to go to bed ridiculously early myself.
   
   
5. At roughly 11 weeks old (8 weeks adjusted), I’ll gradually stretch her to feedings to every 4 hours during the day. With my other kids, this yielded huge gains in both naps and nighttime sleep with virtually no crying. 
   
   
6. Once that is accomplished, I’ll start gently, gradually reducing night feeding by ½ a minute or ½ ounce per night, only tackling one feeding at a time. I’ll likely start by eliminating the first feeding first, then the third, and then the second. Assuming there are three feedings at night when we start. 

Well, this is my plan, anyway. Remembering very little of what it is like to actually have a newborn. Feel free to laugh, either now or later, when it is undoubtedly 100 times more complicated than I expect. 

And if this helps anyone else who is pregnant, awesome!

And if you'd like help coming up with your own personalized sleep plan for your child, newborn or otherwise, set up a complimentary sleep consultation ASAP, before I go out on maternity leave!

​