once you've had to decide between taking a shower or eating a meal
I give up, what's the punch line? What guy would rather shower than eat?
I think that's more for the moms Bill 
I remember with NumberOne actually daydreaming about sleep.
But seriously, when you consider the feeding (which depending on the child can take a long or short time) and the changing and everything else, you're lucky to get much else done in the remaining time between one feeding and the next in the first couple of weeks. After that you get them on a schedule and you're good to go.
Here's some advice on babies:
A baby is in one of 3 moods-
Crying,
About to Cry,
Just Finished Crying.
If a baby is crying, there are two reasons-
1. Hunger
2. Some other reason.
I never really understood why they don't sleep for longer periods of time. Do they really need to eat that often? I just feel sorry for the wife at night.
Nick,
The short answer is yes... they really need to eat that often. The milk is digested extremely quickly. They just never get to feel full. That's why its so important to feed them a little single grain rice cereal before bed when they are around 3 weeks old.
There is nothing solid in milk. This allows for rapid absorbtion of the nutrients into the body and is nothing like the solid food that takes time to digest.
Also, the newborns metabolism is in high gear since they need to grow and put on weight once they are out of the womb. Pound for pound, a newborn has a voracious appetite.
Please, my kids didn't get anything but milk until they were six months old and they were all sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. It's all in how you train them.
But yes nick, they really do need to eat that often. It's pretty impressive when you consider how fast they grow.
If you have an average-size baby, you can expect her to double her birth weight by five months of age, triple it by one year, and quadruple it by two years. The average gain in length or height is 10 to 12 inches in the first year
Now, imagine how much and how often you would have to eat to double your weight in five months.
So, did you choose to forego the shower in writing this post? kidding!
Huh. And as I recall, them boobs have ears, too. The baby can wake up in the middle of the night, make a little feeble cry.....and *whoosh*! Those tata's can start erupting like Ole Faithful!
SB,
yours may have been sleeping through the night at 8 weeks... but mine sleep 8 solid hours at 3 weeks.
By 8 weeks they were sleeping more than 8 hours.. probably 10 or so.
So... while I agree that ceral is not necessary... its certainly helps. Every grandmother I know told us to do it... and every 20 something pediatrician with no kids said not to.
Guess which advice we chose?
We're talking about 1 tiny little spoon full mixed in with breast milk from a bottle. Its not like they are missing anything. It just helps them feel full to sleep through the night.
Nate,
That sounds interesting--we might have to try that with #2, whenever that is...
find an old woman with a bunch of kids and a bunch of grandbabies. Seek her advice on all things and follow it as if it were handed down from God Himself.
imagine how much and how often you would have to eat to double your weight in five months.
About what I eat now... If I stopped working.
find an old woman with a bunch of kids and a bunch of grandbabies. Seek her advice on all things and follow it as if it were handed down from God Himself.
Nate | Homepage | 07.16.07 - 11:06 pm | #
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Heheh, ummm, yea, what Nate said 
Grandma always knows best.
My gma had 15 kids and never did that. I'll take her advice over yours any day. And I didn't say they were sleeping 8 hours, I said through the night.
OK. If you wanna lose sleep unecessarily for 5 weeks longer than you really need to... go for it.
No one is gonna make ya try something. It just seems a little silly.
Mommies need sleep.
Does Elkan have his own .22 yet?
not yet. He will have a couple spots resevered in the boy's gun safe though.
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