Women who are trying to conceive should talk to their physician about taking folic acid. Taking this vitamin, starting three months before conception, can prevent 75 percent of neural tube defects. Most important of all, good communication between expectant parents and their physician can reduce stress and increase chances of a happy, healthy pregnancy. These questions have no easy answers, since every baby is different. A child's personality, where she sleeps, how she is put to bed and the parent's own sleep habits are just a few factors affecting a baby's sleep.
Every child goes through stages in sleep development.
A newborn's schedule is unpredictable because she can pass through several stages - quiet sleep, active sleep, drowsy, alert, fussy or crying. By 2 months, these sleep periods become longer, and about half of all babies begin to sleep all night. To establish day and night sleep patterns, a parent may wake a baby after 3 hours of day sleep but allow her to sleep as long as possible during the night. It may be helpful to move the baby to another room for sleeping at night to improve extended sleep. By 4 - 6 months, infants should stop nighttime feedings and thus sleep for longer periods.