sling question

[MaggiesMom]

My DD is 5 weeks and I would like some thoughts on a couple things. We did not going into this intending to be attachment parents, but on the other hand, we did not say, "no, we won't do that." DD had plans for us to be attached, though, as she is unaware the umbilical cord has been cut. DH and I are changing our lifestyle a bit so when I go back to work, one of us will always be with her. It's working okay so far.

However, I do have some sling concerns. There are times when DD will be completely wide awake, not looking the least bit sleepy, and if we put her in the sling, she goes right to sleep. If we keep her in it a long time, she generally stays asleep a long time- often past when she would normal want to feed. I feel like we are inducing her to sleep when she may not really want to. I need y'all to convince me that isn't true. The sling is how we cope with her fussing, and even though she seems to love it, a part of me feels like there is something about it that lulls her to sleep when she would rather be awake....


Oh, darn, I can't remember the other sling thing I was going to ask.

Oh, well. Thoughts on the above?

[sugarmoon]

Has she had any problems gaining weight that would make you worry about a longer gap in feeding? Or are you having trouble getting her to sleep at night when she sleeps for a long time in the sling? If not, I wouldn't worry. When my ds was tiny, he would be fussy fussy fussy in the afternoon/evening. Finally, I realized he was tired. :

Babies need a lot of sleep! They should be sleeping just about all the time at 5 weeks.

Hope this helps!

Elsa

by the way, I emailed you

[MaggiesMom]

Nope, no problems gaining weight

No problems sleeping at night. She is awake a LOT (she may sleep 2-3 hours out of ten during the day if not in her sling) and I think she may be fighting sleep. But once she is in the sling, off she goes to dreamland....

[Piglet68]

OMG, it was so funny reading this post. I posted the EXACT SAME THING, honestly, right here in this forum, when my DD was about 3 weeks old.

My mother had come to visit me, and I put DD in the sling and we went off sightseeing. DD slept the whole time. I had to wake her to feed her, and then she went back to sleep. I, too, was very concerned since she would not have slept this long at home. And I posted just what you did!

The wise mamas here told me to cherish this, and they were right!!! All too soon you'll be chasing after your baby. So enjoy it while you can. It's totally fine!

[MaggiesMom]

Thanks!

There are times when I feel like that sling is like a sleeping pill to her! I guess as long as she seems happy, I will try not to concern myself with it. She is definitely thriving. (Has the chubbiest thighs ever!)