Strange Machines » nap

One After Another

Mephala — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:50:04 +0000

One of the difficulties of tandem nursing is when both kids want to nurse at the same time and you don’t or can’t. In the middle of the night and early morning is the toughest because it is hard to balance both while lying down, being really too tired to sit up. Don’t try, you’ll be even more tired.

Day time I can sit down and cuddle both. Hence today I am a zombie today, not because Kitten has been up – she woke thrice but slept again quickly after a brief suckle, but Bear’d been up every hour howling for milk.

My theory: that damn chocolate cake I ate after dinner plus Bear didn’t nap that day and had only 10 hours the day before.

I’ll skip the night time chocolate and make sure Bear gets enough attention and naps today. I need my zzz too… zzz

Bear Sleeps in the Car Seat

Mephala — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:05:43 +0000

Bear’s been developing in leaps and bounds. He’s the chattiest 2 year old my Mom’s ever met, she says. He talks to his stuffed animals, to us, and even to himself sometimes. And now he willingly sits in the pram although his first choice is for “mama carry”. Hey, I have arms of steel now.

Sleepwise, he is doing great too. He usually wakes once or twice a night. These days he sleeps 10-11 hours at night. And sometimes even drops his afternoon nap. When that happens, he dozes around 9pm for less than an hour then wakes up for a bath and short playtime before bedtime.

I was so proud of him tonight for napping in his carseat. He has a new cat friend he’d been eyeing during the last few visits to the hospital (for my checkups) and finally my Mom decided to buy it for him. He hugged his little friend to sleep. I was so happy!

Surviving Baby’s 1st – 3rd Months

Mephala — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 05:39:38 +0000

1. Buy a cloth sling and practice carrying baby in it all day. It is ideal at this age because he loves to be close to Mom and sleep most of the time and it is easy to nurse in it. You can easily surf, use the loo, and go about your day. It is natural for babies to want to be carried at the time plus he gains a strong sense of self-worth being unconditionally loved by Mom all the time.

2. When he is awake and in the sling, sit him a little more upright and point out things to him as you go about your day. When you’re brushing your teeth, make funny faces to him in the mirror, when you’re pouring milk, explain how Mom drinks milk too. He’ll love being part of your day.

3. Spend some of the day with him in his crib or on your bed or on the floor. Talk to him, sing to him, animate some stuffed toys and do a little play for him, read to him. He just wants to see your face and loving glances at this point.

4. If you want to put him down for a nap, try nursing him on the side (with a small towel under you to sop up the spillage) and then once he is asleep, you can steal away. Just make sure he is safe wherever he is.

5. Remember to feed and hydrate yourself too. Make breakfast, lunch, and dinner with lots of snacks in between. Keep healthy snack food (bananas, apples, carrots, e.g.) and a bottle of water near you as you might be too exhausted to move some days.

6. Keep reading material and your phone (important for impromptu brilliant Kodak moments and surfing or checking Gmail) near you in case you suddenly need to nurse and can’t get up to get stuff.

7. If there’s someone else in the house to help you, ensure they have a mobile phone too so you can keep your phone on silent and send text messages when you need help and baby is asleep.

8. Create a routine for yourself and follow it everyday. It will help you manage your day better for now.

9. Rest as much as you can. It’s impossible to nap with baby every time but just lying down helps. Get some me-time as well. Let Daddy play with baby for as much time as he can spare for important Dad-bonding (children who have involved fathers are more self-confident and possess better self-worth as adults).

10. Believe in yourself. The most critical thing for this period is to build your confidence as a mother and bond with your child. Everything else should take a backseat. Enjoy every moment with baby for you’ll never get back this precious time when they are so tiny.

The Importance of Nap Time

Mephala — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:21:01 +0000

Sure I’ve read about it before but only over Chinese New Year did I realise its relevance and importance.

Most sleep experts say that a baby who naps more during the day sleeps better at night. It may seem contradictory but it had been shown repeatedly to be true. We managed a mini-sample over the weekend.

On the first day of CNY, we woke 2 hours early to visit my parents. The whole day got a bit messed up with us neglecting to take the 2 hour difference while scheduling his nap times. He woke several times that night, particularly in the first 2 hours when he woke every 20 minutes.

On the second day of CNY we took Bear to Uncle Hon Chung’s house where he slept 20 minutes in the car… late as well… at 2pm. He usually sleeps between 1-1.30pm. We left Hon Chung’s house at 5.30pm (late for his 5pm nap). He got grumpy, fell asleep in the car. I held him for about 40 minutes before he woke up. That night he woke several times over the first 5 hours, about every 20 minutes.

I was beat. On the third day, and this is sounding like that Christmas song, I got him to nap at 1.30pm. He slept for 20 minutes but was happily chasing Sparky the dog after. Next, he napped from 7-8pm. Odd yeah, but that night he slept better and woke only the first time after 2 hours.

It’s easy to forget a baby’s naptime till he shows signs of fussiness. It is possible that by then, it is too late.