News, 5 mistakes parents make with newborns -- and how to avoid them. (breastfeeding, teens)

[John1960]

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- When you take your bundle of joy home from the hospital, it's inevitable you won't do everything right. We asked pediatricians for the five most common mistakes parents make with their newborns.

Moderator cut: copyrights

5 mistakes parents make with newborns -- and how to avoid them - CNN.com

[AZRiverRat]

I found this article interesting!

I have 4 children, and THEY were the ones who didnt let ME sleep thru the night until they were 2 to 3 months old, and after that, a full nights sleep was 6 hours TOPS.....at least until they were a year old.
It never occured to me that sleeping all night for them could indicate a serious illness, so I feel fortunate NOW that they didnt!

A newborn's stomach is tiny, and frequent feedings are required, day & night.
I breastfed all of mine, and they were feeding every 2-3 hours in those early days. Formula feed babies tend to go longer between feedings, but never more than 4 hours.

I fed them on demand. The stresses of a new parent are tremendous, and letting them cry til a scheduled feeding time not only stresses the child, it affects the parents negatively.

Whether breast fed or bottle fed, its more than just "time to eat" Its crucial in the bonding process, provides them with physical contact, and comforting to them when they are hurting (empty growling tummies) or upset (lonely and scared). It shows them that they are cared for and can trust you. Its amazing that this one activity can provide so many important needs for your baby.
In the chaotic, impersonal, oversheduled lives we lead these days, we rarely have time to relax and spend time with the ones we love let alone the things that make US feel good.
Enjoy feeding that new baby, and do it when you both NEED it......not when the schedule says it's time to do it.

When he gets a little older, mealtimes will need to be worked into HIS busy schedule, and more than likely will not be so eager to eat ANYTHING that is healthy.
You will have fond memories of him being satisfied with ONE food choice.....and it was complete nutrition!

Dont worry about his sleep deprivation either, because he will catch up on all those nights he spent awake as an infant. He will accomplish this by sleeping in late on school days, or sleeping on the weekends when chores need to be done. He may even sleep all night and not wake till early afternoon the next day.
(Summer vacation is a common time for teens to participate in sleep marathons).

Just be aware that when he does finally wake up he will be starving, and there wont be ANYTHING good to eat in the house.

I admit, my reply has gone slightly off-topic and I apologize for the rambling...........

Just some of my thoughts and observations as a parent then & now.

Mom of 4 boys (ages 21,18,14 & 9)

[JerZ]

My newborns never went very long between feedings, either. Even though I was very, very tired, it was kind of a relief to have that "check-in" every two or three hours. Honestly it would have made me a bit nervous to not hear from my newborn for hours. I can see where it might happen, though, because I have known one or to people (but that's it, one or two...LOL...) whose babies would take very long sleep stretches occasionally during those first few weeks. Or what I would consider very long, anyway. Like the above poster, I found that with breastfeeding, the baby tends to eat more often.

[bailey19782000]

i have a 15 month old girl and a 4 month old boy and neither one sleeps through the night

[4"L's"]

I guess I am lucky....my babies were all sleeping through the night by the time they were 6 weeks. They were all gaining weight and healthy. That did not stop me from getting up every hour on the hour for the first 6 mths. to check on them though! :-)

[gardener34]

My son slept through the night at 6 weeks, only because he cried himself into such a colicky frenzy beginning at 7 p.m. each and every night, that he was exhausted by then. No way was I waking that kid up after 3-4 hours of colick screaming every night. - he would then sleep about 6 hours or so and wake up. I breast fed.

Daughter was topsy-turvy schedule and went to BED about 3:00 every morning. Hard to go to work after a night like that. About 6 months, she finally switched her schedule... but she is still a night owl... and she is 6 years old now.

[george and grace's mum]

my 6 week old wakes up at least every three hours butgoes right back to sleep after feeding. ever since i started bottle feeding her breast milk shes happier and sleeps for longer. im happier too coz i know shes getting enough milk unlike when she was breastfeeding. i would always be anxious about wheter she was getting enough.

[lkb0714]

My daughter slept thru the night 6-7 hours by four weeks. She was breast fed.

She is also 5'10 and very healthy. Apparently she got enough nutrition.

I know it's human nature to worry but your Ped will tell if something is wrong.

[Eresh]

The first time my oldest slept through the night was around 6 months. I woke up at 5:00 am, realized she hasn't wakened, heard nothing in the monitor, and freaked out thinking the worst. Of course my rushing in there woke her up.l My youngest is 15 months and only recently started sleeping through the night. As for the others, I breastfed both of mine, so they were fed on demand. We didn't go out much when they were tiny, other than a stroll around the block (I was recovering from a c/s and not feeling like doing much else). As for instinct... with no family close by, I kind of had to use it; though I see nothing wrong with calling my mom for advice from time to time. She did a decent job raising my and my siblings, so I value her opinion on most things.
With all that said, I've plenty of mistakes that are not listed in the OP's article.

[mommytotwo]

I solidly agree with the last one...trusting your instincts.

A mother should NEVER ignore her gut instincts.

Even when a doctor is concerned. If what your pediatrician says goes completely against your instincts, do more research and get a second opinion.