14 week old - help w/ transition from 3 to 4 hour EASY

[catonss]

Hello!  FIrst time posting - although I've referenced these boards several times with both my dd's!

I'm pretty sure my 14 week old is showing signs of being ready to move to the 4 hr EASY - we started shifting towards the 3.5 hr. easy a few days ago. Signs are, waking at night...  Also has has been waking up early from naps - but currently although she wakes up 30-45 minutes in, she usually can settle herself back to sleep quickly.  Often i would have to wake her up from naps at the 3 hour mark (on 3 hr easy) - and am seeing that i'm still having to do that at the 3.5 hour mark, on occasion.  So yesterday and today she's been getting 3 naps, 1 3/4 or 2 hours each (with a few wake ups in the middle).  Looks like this:

7 Eat
8:30-10:30 Sleep (2 hrs)
10:30 - Eat
12-2 Sleep (1 3/4 hrs b/c of mid-nap wakeup)
2:00 - Eat
3:30-5:30 Sleep (1 3/4 hrs - mid-nap wakeup)
5:30 E
7:00 top off E
7:30 - Sleep - (this is ideal - but i think with all this being new she's been overtired from not getting that 4th catnap in the 3 hr easy, and has been falling asleep nursing at 7 - last night, i laid her down, she woke up, and it took 20 mins to settle her w/ shush/pat)
10:15ish - Dream Feed

Then there is the night.  For the last 2 weeks (so since week 12) she's been waking in the night around 4:30 or 5, after sleeping through the night after the dream feed since week 10.  2 weeks ago, when it started, it was right around the 3 month mark, i figured it was a growth spurt - fed her the first 2 nights as her cry seemed to demand it - then tried to get her to eat more the next few days.  Her cry now is more of a wimper - kind of a "oh no, i'm awake" cry.  Usually i don't feel like i need to go to her.  She'll resettle on her own and then be in and out of sleep until 6 or so.  Asleep 20 mins, awake 10, etc.  These last couple nights she's been doing that from 3:30 am until 6 (when i feed her - i'd love to make it to 7, but i give in at 6).  I've also tried sush/pat which normally helps her - sometimes this helps get her back to sleep, but again, not for long.  

Here's my question for this "EASY board:"  I read that "erratic night waking" is part of what to look for when they're transitioning.  What is meant by erratic?  3:30 one night, 5:00 the next?  Cause that's what we're having.  So i can't tell if it's a habitual thing or something that will go away when we're more on track w/ the 4 hour easy...  For quite a while she did seem to be stuck on 5:00, i set my alarm a few nights ago to do wake to sleep at 4:00, but she woke at 3:30....  So haven't tried that yet.  But i have also read that more erratic night wake ups can be caused by hunger.  Her cry really doesn't sound like a hunger cry.  Although i'm sure if i fed her she'd eat!     Also, could it be an overtired thing?  She's a touchy baby...  Or possibly too much daytime sleep (almost 6 hrs?)  Being touchy though, it's not so fun trying to make her stay up a little longer cause she gets overtired SOO quickly and then you're way out of the window.....

I've really tried hard to not get into any accidental stuff.  Just wondered if any of you had any insight into this 3-4 month transition from the 3 hr easy to the 4 hr.  Does this sound pretty normal - like it should work itself out?  I need a glimpse of hope!  These last few nights i've come real close to just feeding her at 4 am - but i don't want a new habit to start, and i really don't think it's hunger we're dealing with.  Plus it's so hard when she's proven she can sleep though without a feed....

And by the way, she's swaddled...no props...when we help her, it's shush/pat.

THANKS!!!

[*Mona*]

hi

I would go for 4hrs. AND limit her daytime sleep- 6hrs is A LOT! try moving her to 4hrs easy with no more than 5 hrs daytime sleep [so ideally you'd have 2 2hrs naps and one around 1hr catnap].

erratic waking at night is just what you're having: 5am one night, 3am tha other. make sure she gets enough food during the day to eliminate hunger at night.

so, how are you doing?
Monika

[catonss]

Thanks, Monika...

So you don't think that she's too young to go ahead and move to the 4 hr easy?  she's 14 weeks.  I was trying to go gradually...but maybe i should just go for it!  The thing is though, she gets fussy if i don't get her down for naps after about 1 hr and 20 minutes.  So to stick to the routine, if i got her down when she wants to and to avoid nap troubles from being overtired, would she then have some awake time before i feed her next to keep in line with the routine?  And if that's the case, then wouldn't it just keep snowballing, i'd keep getting her down earlier to avoid overtired and by the end of the day we'd be ready for bed at like 6 or something?  That's why i was trying to do the 3.5 for now until she's ready to stay awake longer. 

I really don't think she's waking from hunger.  Her cry is pretty mild...more like she's just talking and saying "i'm awake!"  This is common with transitions, right? 

And i guess if i really look at it, she's not getting 6 hours sleep in the day.  probably more like 5.  that 3rd nap is turning out to be more like 1 hour.  She's tired though...and when she gets a good stretch of sleep it's hard to wake her up.  But i'm trying not to let her sleep more than 2 hours at a nap cause i've read that can mess up night time sleep.

I think my struggle right now is how to deal with the nighttime waking.  Rush in to see if i can "save her" before she's fully awake, or let her fuss in and out until 7?  I want to let her fuss...but after a week and a half of it, i'm wondering if she needs help? 

Thanks for the insight!

How am i doing?  I'm tired.  really tired.  i should probably be sleeping now since both dd's are.  Trying to keep hope!

[nicolas]

No advice here, just wanted to say nice job! what determination and effort, you definitely deserve a congradulations and a gold star. keep up the great work!

liana