[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

Hi there, my question is concerning my 9 month old baby's love for sleep. Most of you may say enjoy it while it lasts, which I am - she is very laid back/ self-soothing, and pleasant: a total blessing! However, I know that something I personally deal with as an adult, is an ongoing battle with what I guess you could call sleep-addiction. I love to sleep, and I notice my daughter does also... ever since about 2 weeks old she could sleep 12 hour stretches at night, easily, and then nap frequently during the day.
While she is awake she is alert, playful, intelligent, and has hit every milestone on time or early, I am just concerned that if I allow her to sleep this much now, will it effect her in the future? I know proper diet is crucial to teach during the first year of life, and I would dread having to fight her in the mornings for school. Please let me know what you think.. thanks a lot.

[rosemcs]

What is her current sleep schedule?

If it is 11-14 hrs. with a few naps, that is totally normal. (not healthy for a newborn, but OK for a 9 mo. Old)

[J_9]

How many naps a day and for how long?

[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

It depends. Lots of times she goes to sleep around 10p... wakes up around 7 30a for a bottle and then goes back to sleep, then wakes up at around noon for about 2-3 hours, and then gets cranky and I lay her in her bed and she takes a nap, sometimes for 2-4 hours!

[J_9]

Do you not play with her? Take her outside? Play dates? She needs more interaction it seems.

[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

Oh yeah totally, we go to Church 4+ times a week, usually spending time with people afterwards, and I play with her a lot at home. We don't watch TV so that kind of frees a lot of my downtime to play lol

[J_9]

First, I HAVE to ask what your name means... I've been wondering forever!

Now, how many total hours per day is she awake?

[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

Passionate for truth... It varies greatly on the hours she is awake. I am pregnant, having a lot of nausea, so on days where I don't have to get up for an appt. I let her sleep because mornings are not very nice to me right now. On a day of church, like sat/sun she wakes up early, and on sun night/wed night she gets to bed a bit later because of Church and eating afterwards. Sorry, that's a lot of info for your question... I just really can't accurately say because it varies so much. I think that the least she has been awake is like 6 hours, but I would guess she is usually awake 8-10 hours a day. She is a good weight, 15lb 9 oz, and I make sure she is hydrated too, I just don't want her to sleep like this as a child.

[rosemcs]

So she is sleeping 10pm to 12pm (with a little wakeup for bottle)=12-13hrs.

Plus, nap 2-4 hrs. which is OK, but usually it is broken into a few naps, because babies generally get up earlier.

This is why it looks odd to you:
She goes to bed very late for a baby. If she went to bed around 7pm and woke up around 8am, she would have playtime, nap, playtime, nap.

She is getting the right amount of sleep for her age (just look it up on BabyCenter.com) but gets less daytime hours, because she is up late.

If that is a necessity for you, then keep the schedule, but she does not get as much daylight hours and her circadian rhythm may be off. She should be up earlier so that she does not sleep in until noon.

[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

It doesn't seem that she gets annoyed to be woken up early. If I get her up for the day (on an errund day etc.) When she wants her morning bottle, she smiles and giggles and is as pleasant as I could imagine a baby being. It works out well for me right now, because like I said being pregnant (and due to getting pregnant on the FIRST egg after giving birth) Ive had a lot of round ligament pain and nausea, so some days I myself have trouble getting up before noon.

[J_9]

Do you have anyone to help you?

Love the name BTW.

[rosemcs]

Yes, you have to do what you can to survive that first trimester! The amount of sleep is not off, it's just broken a bit differently by time. If she is healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. Congratulations, and I hope that nausea goes away soon.

It would be good to get help when the baby wakes up... like J9 said.

[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

Oh yeah, definitely. Actually Im in my 3rd trimester lol, the nausea came back with a vengeance at about 28 weeks. My husband is wonderful, but he has been offshore for almost 2 weeks (which is rare, its usually only like 3 or 4 days)... but he is a great husband and daddy - very understanding and helpful.

[J_9]

That 3rd trimester can be rough. Especially with the round ligament pain. Are you taking anything for the nausea? Has the doctor prescribed you phenergan?

[Leidenschaftlich für Wahr]

Nah, I have an appointment tomorrow, I may ask. He asked me last appt if I needed anything for it, and I turned him down, but its more appealing now that some times has passed O.o

[J_9]

Phenergan is your friend right now hun. I give it out like candy at work to all the pregnant ladies that come up sick like you are.