McKenna Baby Summary: Week 19

Schedule and routine for a 18-19 week old newborn baby. Get info on this baby’s daily schedule and routine for each day and know how to structure your day.

Family of 5 with a 19 week old baby

This is a summary for McKenna age 18-19 weeks, or the 19th week. For anyone familiar with “The Wonder Weeks,” you might be very interested to hear how this week went for us since it is a big week according to Wonder Weeks. During the time period of 18-20 weeks is supposed to be a very tumultuous time for the baby. This proved to be true for McKenna this week. I will just say I was happy to see it end. Let’s get on with the summary.

NURSING

There is nothing new or different to report about nursing. We are still continuing on well.

WAKETIME LENGTH

Waketime length changed this week. She started getting upset when I would put her down for a nap. She seemed like she wanted to play some more. One day, McKenna stayed at my parent’s house while Brayden, Kaitlyn, and I went to the park. She woke early from her nap there, so by the time she was home and in bed, she had been up for two hours instead of one. I figured this would be another short nap. But it wasn’t. It was a 2.5 hour nap. I decided I should try extending her waketime. I think I have it pretty well figured out. It is:

1st: 55 minutes (used to be 50)

2nd: 65 minutes (used to be 60)

3rd: 90 minutes (used to be 65)

4th: 90-120 minutes (used to be about 90). I watch her cues for this waketime. I am hoping to drop this nap soon.

It isn’t necessarily perfect yet, but this seems to be about right. I still watch her closely at 60 minutes I can be sure to get her down if she needs it.


Read: Optimal Waketime Lengths


NIGTHTIME

Nighttime was very disrupted this week. Before we went camping, she never woke before 5:30 AM anymore. After camping and vaccinations, she was waking at 4:50, 5:30, 5:35, 5:00…it was back and forth and all over. I wasn’t sure if it was growth spurt issues, disruption issues, vaccination issues, or normal four month issues. I just fed her on one side and put her back to bed.

GROWTH

McKenna had her four month doctor visit the day before the beginning of this week. She has reached 13 pounds, which is small, but she is moving up the growth curve. She started life in about the 10th percentile and is now over the 50th. She is also quite tall for her age. She is as tall as Kaitlyn was at 6 months!

Being 13 pounds means that she needs about 32.5 ounces per day. Spread over 6 feedings, that means she needs about 5.5 ounces per feeding. When she drinks from a bottle, I cannot get her to eat more than 4 ounces. I don’t know if that is just as much formula as she will tolerate or if that is about the capacity of her tummy. If it is the latter, then she definitely needs an extra half feeding to get her last few ounces in for the day.

McKenna still eats well for her first feeding of the day even after her half feeding at night (though it is a big half feeding since it has been so long since she last ate and I am quite full). For that reason, coupled with my ounce calculations, I am not concerned with her eating in the night still. I see her making progress and moving toward extending nights again. I have been down this STTN road before and know it comes. I am not concerned about it right now.

19 week old baby schedule Pinnable Image

SOLIDS

I moved her amount per one feeding a day up to one tablespoon. Mid-week, I decided I would try avocado for her. This is a recommended first food in Super Baby Food and I hear such great things about it. Well, McKenna was not enthusiastic. That night, she slept fitfully and the next day she pooped a whole lot. I decided we will stick to the rice cereal for now.


Read: How To Introduce Solid Foods to Your Baby


SWADDLING

One night this week, I decided to try one arm out of the swaddle. I then watched her on the monitor. She fell asleep without a peep, but it took her about 15 minutes to fall asleep whereas during the day, it typically takes her no more than five minutes to fall asleep. She would close her eyes and turn her head, then her arm would jerk out. Once she fell asleep, she slept just as well as usual.

The funny thing is that if I didn’t have a video monitor, I would have assumed she went down great since I didn’t hear a peep. The blessing and curse of the video monitor :). I asked people’s experiences and thoughts on the situation in a couple different online groups. I got a range of opinions. Some said to keep swaddling until it didn’t bother her. Some said for their baby, it took a couple days of crying and/or fussing, then baby slept great. Some said since she didn’t cry, keep doing it. Others said she might just need more time.

The next night, I decided to swaddle her for a couple of reasons. The first was that we went to the county fair and she had been up for nearly 4 hours. I didn’t want to leave her partially unswaddled when she was over tired. The second was that I wanted to know for sure how long she would take to fall asleep while swaddled. I don’t usually watch her at that time of night since my husband and I are busy putting Brayden and Kaitlyn to bed.

So I watched her. Even being up that long, she fell asleep within five minutes. That was the last day of the week, so more details to come next week 🙂

WONDER WEEK

For the first time ever, McKenna was fussy this week. I would lay her in my lap to get ready to feed her and she would cry. When I put her at her gym for independent playtime, she would fuss for a few seconds. She was not content much of the time. This is in line with the Wonder Weeks. And since I am writing this a few days into the next week, I can say that it really did end when she turned 19 weeks old. One inconsistency with this and the Wonder Weeks is that you are supposed to adjust age to due date, not birth date. She was 3 weeks early, so this should be week 16 for her. There is no leap at 16 weeks–though I will say that there is a fussier period.


Read: Everything You Need to Know Abou Wonder Week 19


OUR SCHEDULE

The days were pretty much the same. Most nights she ate in the 5 AM hour.

5:00-6:00 AM–eat from one side
8:00 AM–wake and eat
8:55 AM–nap
11:00 AM–eat
12:05 AM–nap
2:00 PM–eat
3:30 PM–nap
5:00 PM–eat
6:30 PM–nap
7:00-7:00 PM–eat and straight to bed
10:00-10:30 PM–dreamfeed

Babywise schedule week 19 Pinnable image

OUTINGS/EVENTS

One day early this week, we went grocery shopping as a family. McKenna was doing great. She was smiling at everyone and getting compliments from everyone. Then, half-way through the store, she started to cry. She quickly escalated and could not be calmed. It was very strange. A first in her life. Nice for it it happen at the grocery store, huh :). It was a first for me, too. Neither Brayden nor Kaitlyn ever did that. Happily my hsuband was there, so I just took her out to the vehicle and drove around town while he finished shopping. She fell asleep in her carseat.

At the end of the week, we went to the county fair. She did great. She sat in her stroller as content as could be while Brayden and Kaitlyn rode rides, the family ate dinner, and we looked at the attractions of the fair.

HELPFUL BOOKS/WEBSITES

RELATED POSTS

25 thoughts on “McKenna Baby Summary: Week 19”

  1. ValIs there a way to calculate how many ounces babies need per their weight? my Dr did it for me once when i was concerned b/c my lo only at 18-19oz up until her 3 mo growth spurt, now she's up to 23-24 at almost 14 lbs. This seems LOW compared to what you're saying Mackenna is getting at 18 weeks! 🙁 Does it make a diff if its formula vs breast???

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  2. Kelly, I've in my breastfeeding book it says 2.5oz per pound per day. You calculate that and then divide by the # of feedings you do during a 24 hour period. My DS has always eaten more than this calculation though, so I think you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt.

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  3. You don't by chance live in Weber County do you? haha just a curious question! :0 We went to the fair last week too! My little girl (also four months old) loved it because we just barely switched her to forward facing in her stroller!

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  4. Kelly Ford,I am in agreement with you! My DD is 6.5 months old and only takes in about 24-28 oz per day. She is 14 lbs also. She eats solids three times a day, but only a tablespoon at each meal. That calculation is quite shocking and makes me think my baby must be starving!!! Well, I guess I will just have to watch her weight. She never acts hungry except for her nighttime bottle.

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  5. Thank you for your post today on week 19 summary. My daughter is 19 1/2 weeks, so it is wonderful to follow along with you! I have a question in regards to outings. How do you handle outings (such as the fair) with regard to your daughter's schedule? Do you let your daughter nap as she will, in her stroller? I know you've mentioned that if your kids aren't down for their naps on time, they typically will not nap well. How does this transfer to outings that last longer than your child's wake time? I struggle with knowing how to best do errands, or longer day outings, as it obviously will cut into my daughter's 60-90 minute awake time (by the time I feed her, get her ready, and drive to the store, I have little time before I need to be home, get her changed, and down 'on time' for her nap. I appreciate your advice and wisdom. 🙂

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  6. My W is also 19 weeks and 13 lbs/11 oz. We have had a stressful two weeks beginning with vaccinations and then some traumatic family events. He was not sleeping well so I went to our local breastfeeding support group to weigh him. He had only gained 4 oz. in two weeks. He should be gaining 4 oz. each week but since I knew it had been a stressful two weeks I am not worried. Things are getting back to normal. I also did a pre and post weight (I weighed him before I fed him and right after) I wanted to see how much he was getting in a feeding. I don't respond well to the pump and rarely pump more than 3oz. The scale showed that he ate 4oz at the 10am feeding. He was very distracted by all the women and babies in the room and didn't spend much time on either side so I am guessing that he typically eats 5-6oz at least in the morning feedings. The lactation nurse said that there really is no magic number of ounces per day that your baby should eat. My pediatrician agrees. They both said the baby will eat what the baby wants. As long as your baby is gaining weight and happy then there is no need for concern. The nurse also said that your baby will eat more or less at different times of the day.

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  7. Just an fyi for you…I am an OB nurse and my daughter sees a pediatrician who is a breastfeeding specialist. Breastfed babies typically only eat about 3oz (give or take a little) at each feeding. Once you introduce solids, this amount actually decreases because you are beginning the weaning process. If you were to pump for each feeding of the day, you might find that you only get 3-4 oz at a time, which is all baby gets when she nurses. I know that people have different opinions about the best time to introduce solids, but keep in mind that there is no nutritional value to rice cereal; it simply sits in the gut. Avocado is a great choice. If you are breastfeeding, it is ok to wait until 6 months or older to introduce solids. At the same time, everyone is different! Do what works best for you. 🙂

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  8. This is my first time viewing this blog. Very helpful. Thanks.My daugher is doing great! My biggest problem is dealing with non-babywisers. I have family and friends who do NOT understand why the "rigid" eating and sleeping schedule. They make me feel like I'm crazy and controling, unflexible and ridulous. I have considered abandoning Babywise bc of this. It hurts and I do not know how to deal. Please help.

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  9. Kristin, you are doing right by your baby! Your family will be amazed at the results, which is a happy, contented, and yes flexible baby! Your family and friends mean well, I am sure, but they are mistaken in that Babywise really is best for babies in that it establishes healthy eating and sleeping patterns and teaches the baby to trust mom and dad. They should not be making you feel bad. Do what you know is best for your baby, and no one can argue with that. You are not alone, many of us struggle with in laws and relatives that do not agree with the scheduling and eat/wake/sleep routine. But they will see the good results soon!

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  10. Kelly,There are a lot of resources. I am told there is a calculator at kellymom.com. There is an extensive equation in the book The Nursing Mother's Companion (which I can't get to right now because it is packed). Super Baby Food says that it is about 2.5 ounces per pound of weight–but the equation in my breastfeeding book is more complex than that. It gets down to the ounce your child weighs.I think Linds is right; whatever equation you used you would need to know that your child could easily be healthy and be above or below it. I was just doing some research on kellymom.com and it says that babies between the age of 1-6 months take an average of 25 ounces of breastmilk. The number does not really change at all between 1-6 months except for during growth spurts. It also said that this is average–I think it said 19-30 or 32 ounce is normal. I believe I have read that the calories per ounce changes as baby gets older, so that would be why the ounces don't necessarily change. Or maybe it just isn't needed.I am pretty sure things are different for a formula fed baby, but I haven't ever formula fed so I haven't done much research on that. Here is a link to the article on kellymom.com:http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

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  11. Redheads, it is best to watch your baby individually. Kellymom.com actually also says once baby starts solids, the number of ounces decreases slowly.

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  12. Thanks for the feedback! I love this blog and all your posts are so good and helpful. My DD just had her six month checkup and she is in the 25th percentile for her weight and has been since birth. My ped says not to worry, that she appears healthy and happy. She did tell me to make sure I get that cereal in her though!! I told her the amount of formula she was taking in and she said that was fine. I guess it is all so individualized. It is hard not to worry being a new mom. I didn't know anything about babies prior to her birth!!!I am glad McKenna is growing well and is happy!

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  13. Rachel,One thing when you are going to go out is get everything ready before hand. Make it so all you have to do after she wakes up is feed her and change her diaper (and strap her in the carseat, etc.–but you see what I mean). I also try to only go out after her 4:30ish feeding. She will then fall asleep some time while we are out. I let her fall asleep–but she usually stays up longer than she would if we were home. Sometimes we do go out at other times of day. One example is church. We leave after her first nap. She then takes her second nap at church. I do all I can to get her to sleep at church, but as she gets older she doesn't sleep very long anymore. We also usually go to the park once a week after her first nap. I do the same with the same results. She will usually take a longer nap when we get home.As they get older, so long as they are well rested in general, they can take a longer nap to compensate for the missed sleep. Try to only mess up one nap at a time and try to only do it a couple of times a week.

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  14. Anna, thanks for that info. I agree that you should watch baby…I have no idea and only guesses as to how much she eats per feeding. That is one reason I am glad I don't formula feed; I know I would go insane! As it is, I feed her, she is happy, she is growing well, and I have no cause for concern :)I also agree about eating different amounts at different feedings. I know I have A LOT more milk first thing in the morning than in the evening.

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  15. Rebecca, where did you get the info that baby only gets 3 oz per feeding? I have never heard that. I would think that it would vary feeding to feeding (and have read the same) and it would also need to change as baby got older. A one month old who eats 8 times a day might take that much (and I would easily believe that), but a four month old who eats 6 times a day would need to eat more per feeding, or at least at several of the feedings. Just wondering.I know that there is no nutritional need for solids until six months. I also know that rice has no nutritional value. As you read, avocado didn't react well with McKenna. I am just doing it to get her used to eating from a spoon and used to eating. She was very interested and very eager. She eats quite well. But I don't even feed it to her every day. I don't find it very convenient and don't want her body to count on it until it is necessary. In the last 6 days, she has only had cereal one day. I just prefer to start practicing as soon as the baby is ready so that when the time comes for nutritional need I don't stress out about it. I know it isn't necessary, but it works for us 🙂

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  16. Kristin, I would just express that you are doing what is best for her. Point out that she is happy, well-rested, and well-fed. Express that you know it isn't fun for you to not be able to go everywhere and do everything, but it is a sacrifice you are willing to make. Tell them that you would appreciate their support–or at least for them to not criticize. I agree with Redheads, also. They will see the results soon enough.

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  17. Redheads, I think I would be a major worrier if I bottle-fed, too. With breastfeeding, I feed her and she eats and is content and I know all was well. I don't have to guess about the number of ounces she needs at all. Ignorance can be bliss 🙂

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  18. My DL at his 4 month check up was over 22 pounds. I only breastfed. I am told I have "good milk". The problem is that he is not sleeping at night very well. Up at least 1-2 times at night. I only feed him once. I have tried to feed him some cereal during the day, but he will not eat it. He will also only eat about 5-10 minutes per feeding, only eating on one side. Is there anything I could do, to maybe get him to sleep a little longer at night. He always wakes 3-4 hours after I put him down.

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  19. Thanks for the response! I didn't clarify very well; according to La Leche League's Breastfeeding Answer Book, 3rd edition, on average most breastfed babies take between 2-4 ounces about 8-12 times per day, consuming about 28-32 ounces total per day. Obviously this is referring to a younger babe, or newborn (who would eat 8-12x a day). My pediatrician has also reiterated the 'avg of 3oz per fdg' to me. I agree that it does change with age and that baby may eat more in the morning (after sleeping all night) and less in the evening (after cluster feeding). Every mom's supply may be different as well! I guess the beauty of it is that as long as our babes are healthy and growing well, we don't have to worry about it. :)I always take bf info with a grain of salt (since many pro-bf sources would not advocate scheduling a nursing babe, which I believe in!). Here's some more info about solids, which you probably already have read.http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.htmlhttp://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

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  20. Kristin,I have experienced the same criticism from my in-laws and even my own parents. All my friends who do BW have too! I get really frustrated sometimes and start second-guessing myself, but then I think of the many BW kids I know who are ALL so well behaved and pleasant to be around (and they are all from different families, so it's not just one set good parents that I'm talking about). I just try to explain to my parents/in-laws what the end result is that my husband and I are striving for so that they understand the "why" in all of this…why we do what we do. It seems to help. Don't give up! Think of it this way…would you rather deal with some criticism from your family on occasion or a constantly fussy baby whom you can't make happy? I'll take the gripey grown-ups any day!

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  21. daileyrj, how are daytime naps? Does he sleep well for those? Does he fall asleep on his own? Does he use a pacifier or something that might be causing him to wake in the night?

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  22. Thanks Rebecca, I have have read those 🙂 I don't do anything lightly…I research a lot. It comes down to combining what you have read and what you feel to be right for your child.And I agree you have to take the bf info with grain of salt…most say baby will definitely be waking at least once a night for food until at least a year old…a baby who eats that often would likely take in less per feeding. When I pump, I get a lot more than 3 ounces total.

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  23. lol Merran! I agree. I also think that adults are Adults. They need to learn to deal with disappointment, and put the needs of the baby above their own.

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  24. I would Lo e to know your strategy for putting her right to bed after that last nap? If my dd naps around 5:30, should I just bathe, ok'd, book bottle bed right after?

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