We're Getting There

I have always heard that with preemie babies once they get to a certain age it is like a light goes off and they change almost overnight. Well, they haven't made any dramatic changes but since last Friday the girls have decided that being awake just isn't that bad. Before, they would be awake a total of about 30-45 minutes including eating per the feed/wake/sleep cycle. So, for example, I would wake Jillian up at 9am and she would be finished eating and burping by 9:30 and would be sound asleep by 9:45 or sooner. Same goes for Jenna... Well, I don't know what happened but that isn't the case anymore. Instead of the girls going to sleep at 9:45 I am putting them to bed awake (if maybe slightly drowsy) at 10:15 or so. They usually go to sleep within 5 or 10 minutes after that.

Now, I know some people will ask "Well, why don't you just keep them up that way they sleep at night?" Because daytime sleep for babies is vitally important to their health. If I keep them up too long then they get hyper-sensitive and don't want to go to sleep at all. Then they get very crabby and cry and cry and cry; thereby throwing off their schedule for the day and making that night a long one.

So, don't get me wrong, it isn't like this after every feeding...probably 4 out of the 6 daytime feedings. If for some reason they had a hard time going down for their nap and they only slept for about an hour or less, then the likelihood of them being awake after the next feeding is nil.

It is fun to see them awake and happy though. I was also able to get a pretty good video of their alertness, I tried to get Jenna to turn her head a little more towards the camera but she likes laying on her flat spot too much:



Both girls have pretty good flat spots on their heads, each on the opposite side. The doctor said to try and turn their heads during playtime but neither girl will have it. I even tried to keep them from laying on their flat spots by putting rolled up receiving blankets wedged by their heads but nope; they are stubborn like their father. :0 I can say that because he knows he is stubborn so this is nothing new. :)

More To Come...
Jess