4 month old schedule

I mentioned in the last letter to Duke that his doctor wasn't too impressed with his weight.

After this appointment, I did what any normal, rational mom would do ... sat in my car and cried.  You certainly don't feel like Mom of the Year when you're told that your baby needs to weigh more.  One side of my brain was saying, "I can't believe this!  I wasn't feeding him enough!  He's been needing more and I wasn't giving it to him!  I'm terrible!" The other side of my brain was saying, "I was feeding him as much as I thought he needed/wanted to be fed.  He has been a happy baby and has given no indication that he's needed more food.  I just need to make some changes and it'll be fine." 

At 13 weeks, he naturally fell into a 3-3.5 hr schedule which was a total of 5 feedings per day.  But, because of his need for more calories, I've changed it back to 6 feedings per day.

Schedule at 13 weeks (5 feedings a day)
8:30-8:45  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

12:00-12:15  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

3:15-3:30  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

6:30-6:45  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

9:20-9:30  Feed Duke
Bedtime

Schedule at 4 months (6 feedings a day)
8:30-8:45  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

11:45-12:00  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

2:30-3:00  Feed Duke
Waketime
Nap

5:15-5:45  Feed Duke
Waketime
Possible Nap

8:00-8:15  Feed Duke
Waketime

10:00-10:15  Feed Duke
Bedtime

At this point, his feedings last 15-30 minutes.  His waketime has gotten longer, but because I really want to maintain a good morning and early afternoon nap, I've kept it at around 1.5 hrs for those times.  That makes his first 2 naps close to 1.5 hrs.   His 3rd nap and 4th nap (if he has one) are anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour usually, making his waketime longer in the evening hours.  Bedtime is around 11:00-11:15 so he usually gets 9-9.5 hrs of sleep each night. 

When you're doing this whole mom thing, you just do what you can do.  It's trial and error.  Of course it was disappointing to hear Duke wasn't gaining like he should.  Hopefully, though, it'll be an easy fix.  So, let's pray Duke can pack on the lbs over the next few weeks!