6 week old baby - tends to snack and cry a lot

[sylvietrot]

Hello,

My daughter is a bit over 6 weeks. I just read the baby whisperer book because my daughter is really not on a schedule, and I sense that this is contributing to her being quite fussy. At first she was just fussy in the evenings (witching hour), but this week she has been fussy throughout the day.

I sometimes have to feed her every hour, and she doesn't always eat for very long, more like snacking. She cries throughout the day - she gives cues that she is hungry, sticking out her tongue, getting fussy, turning her head towards by breast, so I feed her, but she often only feeds for 5 min before screaming into my breast.

After reading the book, I feel like I have gotten into accidental parenting, and probably sometimes misread her cues, and so have gotten her on a cycle of eating frequently. When she rejects BF, crying loudly, we rock and bounce her - if we try to put her down, she only freaks out more. The only thing that calms her is bouncing and swaying. We can usually get her to fall asleep that way, but as soon as she wakes up, she is in crying mode again.

I've tried today to follow the E.A.S.Y cycle, but having a hard time. This morning, I fed her when she woke up, but only for 10 minutes before she fell asleep. I tried to wake her to get her to eat a full meal, but when she did wake up, she started crying hysterically. How can I get her to eat a full meal, if she rejects the breast after a few minutes?

I did later on get her to eat for a full 30 minutes, but then she fell asleep. To wake her I changed her diaper, but after that she was inconsollable until we bounded her back to sleep. How do I get her to have awake time after feeding without her crying hysterically?

As a sidenote, I did the baby personality test, and both my husband and I got a basically even split between the 5 personally types, so not sure how to move forward from here. Any tips? Feeling at wits end! Perhaps this is just the 6 week growth spurt, and perhaps its a bit early for a schedule, but I want to make sure we dont fall into a habit where we have to rock a 4 month old to sleep for each nap, and keep feeding her with only 30 minutes between sessions. thanks!

[becj86]

Hi

You're right, this could just be the 6 week growth spurt, it was a doozy with DS as well. GS can increase sleep needs too...

Anyway, at this age if she's feeding then been up for an hour and then rooting for food, that could well be her tired sign and a good cue to put her to sleep rather than feed again. That's the trap I fell into with DS and he ate so frequently and ended up with terrible gas. All the screaming diminished significantly when I fed him less frequently, brought his knees up to his tummy/chest to help him move the gas along and put him down for a nap when he started looking for the breast around that time when he was about ready for a nap.

At this age, really you just follow the cycle and don't worry too much about timing except to know LO is likely to need an A time less than 1.5hr - most LO's get to 1.5hr by 12-13 weeks but when that happens depends a bit on when they wake from that sleepy newborn phase in which baby really only feeds then goes back to sleep.

[sylvietrot]

thanks! that does help. I am trying to go through the cycles without buckling and offering the breast. When I do, she tends to eat for 5 minutes and then stop, and then I figure I should have just waited it out. After eating, her happy awake time is only about 15 minutes- 5 minutes for diaper change and maybe another 10 minutes. After that she gets very cranky. I suppose its possible she is already tired by that point? eventually she will fall asleep, but often for only 10 minutes at a time, with waking up, more crying, and then we can get her to sleep again. In any case, its only been a couple days doing he EAS cycle, so will keep at it, and hope that things stabilize a bit. thanks for the advice.

[weaver]

((hugs))

I imagine this is maybe your first baby?  Please don't fret about routine and so on yet. Think about it, but don't worry!  *Especially* if you are breastfeeding the first six weeks can feel very intense, and very tiring, as you both get used to feeding, and your supply gets established.  Things are going to start to settle down for you soon, she will start going longer between feeds and so on, and you will be able to move naturally and gently towards a routine that works for you both.  She may well be extra hungry this week due to the GS, but she will also look for the breast for comfort (as she's still tiny!). 

Average A times at this age are anything from 60 minutes to 1 hr 15, that's the average, and depending on how long it takes her to feed, and how well she slept before, she may well want to sleep after a feed, a nappy change and a bit of a chat.  Try just walking her around in your arms for a bit and see if that helps her to settle/be more contented.

[becj86]

Sorry, yes, she could well be ready for a sleep after the feed and 15mins of activity.