Well no wonder!

[JamesMama]

I was talking to my friend, who has a baby just a few months old now and when she described her nighttime routine I was thinking...well no wonder non-ap people sleep train! Holy Molie! She said her night goes like this...
7:30- DD goes to bed
8:00- Wash bottles
8:30- Prepare next days formula
9:30- Go to bed
11:00- first feeding...go get baby, change diaper, go downstairs, warm up formula, go back upstairs, feed baby
12:00- back to bed
2:00- second feeding, go get baby, check diaper (sometimes change, sometimes not, go downstairs, warm up another bottle, go back upstairs, feed baby
3:00- Go to bed
6:00- up for the day

All I could think was...wow...no wonder people say parenting is so hard! Compare that to my 'routine'

8:30-10:00 Ds will go to bed while I wait up for my hubby to get off work
11:30- me go to bed
11:30-8:00- wake up sometime during the night, roll over, pop boob in DS's mouth, go back to sleep. Wake up again (maybe...I'm not sure) repeat.
7:00- DH will wake up (he's an early bird) and take DS with him if he's awake
8:00- I wake up.

LOL!

[moistangel]

:down

Heh. My friend Jenne and I are always talking about non-AP parents and things like that. :lol

[birthmommom]

OMG...befor I accepted AP parenting....that was totally our schedule!!! and it sucked!!!

with my other children that will not be the routine!

Yeah its no wonder ppl think being a parent is so hard....b/c with that routine.....it is hard.

[loomweaver]

:nod

[Kitten]

Geez, why does she change the baby's diaper so much at night? At that age DS wore the same one all night unless he had diaper rash (or complained about the diaper). Which he didn't since we had switched to cloth.

[ShellyK]

I'm very ap - cosleep, nursed, cloth diaper, you name it...but I still got no more sleep than the woman described in the OP most nights. My DD tended to poop with many/most feedings up till she was several months old, and even once that stopped, she still needed a diaper change usually once a night till she was at least 6 months old, IIRC. Even now, (she just turned two) I check her diaper when I come to bed, and I'd say almost half the time I go ahead and change it because it's wet and I don't want her sitting in pee all night, not to mention if she were to have another big pee before morning it would mean a full bedding change.

Also, it doesn't sound like the baby in the OP had any sleep issues, but my daughter sure did! Up for three hours at a time screaming several nights a week, and all the other nights, she'd wake up and cry briefly unconsolably several times. We now strongly suspect that all this was due to her food allergies, but I've read SO many threads and posts in the baby forum and elsewhere around Mothering suggesting that we are nowhere near the only ones who struggled with this kind of problem.

I'm writing all this not to make anyone feel bad, but so that if any other mother comes in here and reads this thread she won't feel like something's wrong with her for not having the beautiful night's sleep as described in the OP. Being a new parent (and I'm starting to believe a parent at any stage) is never EASY for anyone, and it can be very difficult for even the most caring, AP parents out there. Just wanted to add a little empathy to the mix in here.

[lnitti]

I totally get the being up for an hour each time part. That's the way it is with formula feeding. Not only are you up warming a bottle, but baby screams and cries unconsolably while waiting. I hate that we were stuck formula feeding. I always tell people breastfeeding is easier. I don't understand why people think formula feeding is easier - no way!

[ShellyK]

I don't know if you're still formula feeding, but I've heard of some people keeping a thermos of warm water next to the bed so they can quickly shake up a bottle right there without going down and turning on lights, etc. Never had to try it myself, so I have no idea how it works in practice.

[moistangel]

Breastfeeding took more than an hour for me, everytime. Xan was a special case, though. As a preemie we didn't get to breastfeed for nearly 24 hours and I did not know what I was doing! We ended up pumping, using an SNS or sheild/syringe and bottles. It was exhausting and took forever. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, even someone evil.

[JamesMama]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that AP is the cure all for tough parenting, but it struck me as funny because she says she could never AP because it's too hard and blah blah blah, and I just want to ask what is so hard about it? LOL. My friend is one of those that didn't breastfeed because 'it's too hard' and won't cosleep because 'it's weird' I can't imagine! I was hoping that she'd see how I parent and follow suit, but nope. She says if she has another baby she'll do it all the same because thats what she's used to and it works for her. :irked: :crying

[SleeplessMommy]

I was in an exercise class with another new mother. She was formula feeding her baby. Who knows why? After EVERY night time feeding, she complained, it would take an HOUR to burp the baby. And hour?!? Such torture!
- Sleepless Mommy

[Finch]

I was in an exercise class with another new mother. She was formula feeding her baby. Who knows why? After EVERY night time feeding, she complained, it would take an HOUR to burp the baby. And hour?!? Such torture!
- Sleepless Mommy
Her baby very well might have reflux. My ds nursed every 1.5-2 hours until he was about 8 mos. old. I had to hold him upright for 30 minutes after each feed, and burping him was an aerobic event. :nut I'm sure ff'ers have it worse, but sometimes you can bf a kid and still have major problems like that.

[calicokatt]

I THOUGHT my ds was sleeping from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until the night I stayed up all night finishing something for my older daughters. Sleep??? NOO WAY!! He was up to nurse EVERY FREAKING HOUR!! He's 9 months old, too. If he was in a crib, I would seriously get no sleep. In fact, I don't think I'd have held up this long.

[ShadowMom]

I'm an AP parent but my night was very similar to that (only a lot more wakings) for many months when DS was a baby. :)