Melody's Newborn Schedule
After Melody was born, our pediatrician put us on a 3 hour feeding schedule. It took us a few days to find a schedule and rhythm that worked for us. We wanted a schedule that would provide us with some sleep, but also work with us once Brad went back to work. The first week at home, I pumped, and we supplemented with formula. After I built up a day's worth of breastmilk, we went exclusively breastmilk and removed formula. This schedule was especially rough on me because I was pumping almost every feeding, but we eventually got into such a good routine that it really wasn't too bad. Check it out below:
Workday Schedule
- 5:00 a.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody. He also cleans bottles from the night time feedings. He gets ready and goes to work. I sleep through this feeding.
- 8:00 a.m. - I feed and change Melody then I pump. I feed Melody first, change her, put her in her daytime clothes, then lay her down for a nap. When she is napping, I pump. I also eat breakfast while watching the Today show, then I shower. Lastly, I prep all the daytime bottles to get through 5 p.m.
- 11:00 a.m. - I feed and change Melody then I pump. I feed Melody first, change her, then lay her down for a nap. When she is napping, I pump. I also eat lunch and do one chore (see below).
- 2:00 p.m. - I feed and change Melody then I pump. I feed Melody first, change her, then put her in a bouncy chair while I pump. She rarely naps during this time frame. After I pump, I usually have Melody do some tummy time since she refuses to nap! If she naps, I will sneak in a small nap myself. I also prep dinner during this time and wash our day time bottles and prep all the evening bottles.
- 5:00 p.m. - Brad is home and feeds and changes Melody while I pump. Then we eat dinner while Melody naps. We try to get in any TV at this time.
- 8:00 p.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. We do one last bottle cleaning, and I prep any remaining bottles for the night to get us through the 8:00 a.m. feeding. We change Melody into her pajamas, and we put her in her bassinet. We get ready for bed and go to sleep as well.
- 11:00 p.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. We go straight to bed after this feeding/pumping.
- 2:00 a.m. - I feed and change Melody WHILE pumping. I made my own pumping bras, and I use a boppy pillow to prop Melody up to feed her. To pass the time, I watch Netflix on my phone. This feeding used to take an hour and a half, but it only takes 30-45 minutes now at most.
Weekend Schedule
- 5:00 a.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody. Then they both go back to sleep. I sleep through this feeding.
- 8:00 a.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. We then put Melody in her day time clothes and put her down for a nap. Brad and I eat breakfast and clean bottles. Then we try to get in a shower at this time. I also try to prep bottles for the day.
- 11:00 a.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. Melody will usually nap during this time, and we will eat lunch and relax. We may run errands or do a chore as well.
- 2:00 p.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. Since Melody rarely naps during this time, we try and get in tummy time. We also try and prep dinner if necessary.
- 5:00 p.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. Then we eat dinner while Melody naps. We try to get in any TV at this time.
- 8:00 p.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. We do one last bottle cleaning, and I prep any remaining bottles for the night to get us through the 8:00 a.m. feeding. We change Melody into her pajamas, and we put her in her bassinet. We get ready for bed and go to sleep as well.
- 11:00 p.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. We go straight to bed after this feeding/pumping.
- 2:00 a.m. - Brad feeds and changes Melody while I pump. We go straight to bed after this feeding/pumping.
The weekends are a little more relaxed. We still will stick to the feeding times, but we may go to sleep a little later or eat at different times. We also may run errands and get out of the house some.
Chores
- Monday - Laundry, Special Chores (i.e. Change Sheets, Sanitize Bottles, Order Groceries, etc.)
- Tuesday - Dust
- Wednesday - Bathrooms
- Thursday - Laundry, Weekly Grocery Planning
- Friday - Floors
This was only temporary and lasted about a month before our pediatrician let us change our feeding schedule. I will write about that later!
