any april/may 05 moms want to chat?

[jjstar]

okay big question for everyone...what is the true SIGN that you should switch from 3 hr to 4 hr EASY?

[Taylor's Mommy]

Jill-there can be quite a few signs.  Not intersted in eating after 3 hours, being happy after 1.5 hours awake time (meaning he can handle longer A time), waking up more at night, 45 minute naps.

SO the story with the job-I went back last week and right away knew my heart just wasn't in it anymore.  the communte is a killer, leaving me to spend a total of 1.5-2 hours a day with Taylor, plus travelling to NYC every couple of months.  And oh yeah, my company hired Angelina Jolie as our spokesmodel!!! :shock:  :? 
So over the weekend DH and I decided we would make it work.  My main priority was to spend more time with Taylor, but I also need some sort of a 'work' outlet.  SO, I am going to work with DH!  He started his own Network Engineering business earlier this year and has done very well so far, but desperatley needs my help with billing/accounting/etc.  Bless him, but he's not the most organized person!  So my mom and MIL will still come over a couple hours a day to watch T so I can do some work.  I feel like we've got to give it a shot. 
And we are also going to start our own baby/toddler clothing line with mainly onesies and t-shirts with cool/hip pictures and witty/comical sayings (at least we think they're witty :? ).  So I may someday soon be peddling our goods to all you ladies! :lol:

I think I will miss all my friends and the excitement of my job, but not as much as I miss Taylor everyday!  Wish us luck!

Lesley-PT may be okay, maybe at least worth giving it a try.  But if it's not for you, have faith that you will find a way to make it work. 

Have a good night everyone!

[Katet]

Nancy  - glad you joined us

Silvia - good you found out the cause,   I hope the feeding improves. Re the sucking of her hand... that is her way of self settling (Liam does that ) if you remove the hand she will probably find it harder to settle & probably the reason she doesn't do so well at night is she is more tired out... try doing a longer wind down or putting her to bed 15mins earlier, that might help.

Maria - good luck with the house hunting etc Also let other people help, if only for the fact if you don't know, your lo may become dependent on only you doing it, & when you truely need someone to step in your lo will be "no way my mother does this & I can't cope"

Marlo - I'm paci weaning, because in all honesty Liam doesn't need it & in the last 3 days it has only been used, cos I was too lazy to spend the time doing a wind-down :oops: , like Aiden was asleep & I wanted as much Kate time as possible...hey writing that makes me think, that isn't actually such a bad reason afterall...But I don't want another 2 yo who is addicted to it . Unfortunately Aiden is quite sick  :cry: (borderline pneumonia + gastro) & it has been "mummy dummy" all day when he has been awake (which has been less than normal, he's on his 3rd nap & its 3pm) So I haven't started doing it yet... now may not

Erin, If you think you want to work p/t & your job will allow it, I'd suggest doing it, I worked p/t after Aiden until April & I found it a good balance most of the time, sure I missed Aiden, but really made the most of the time we did have together

Theresa - Aaron, should have developed good immunity if he was grumpy after the immunisations, that is a sign the body is making antibodies. 4 mths were the worst with Aiden & Liam get his tomorrow, so I will probably have 2 grumpy sick babies!! :cry:

Andrea - you are so right about them being better "behaved for others" it gets more obvious when you have toddlers!
Great news about leaving your job,   I'm sure you've done the right thing, if it feels right, you may miss the people, but I found, once I was a mother, I would hardly stop to talk anyway as I needed to get my work done to get out the door & so work became only about my job & the social aspects were all but non existant
BTW the reason the 6.30 & 7.30 feeds seem to work for bf is your milk will be thicker in the evening, so your babies can get tired feeding before they get full, so that way they get a chance to rest before topping up... it works for me as Liam sleeps (please don't hate me) 9-11 hours most nights without a feed.

Lesley- night wakings sounds like hunger, are you single or double sided feeding? I found a few weeks ago I had to start offering the 2nd side as Liam didn't get enough, but the converse could be true... if you are double side feeding he may not be getting enough of the hind milk, so offer the first side longer... BF is no easy path is it! or any baby stuff for that matter - good job they are so lovable isn't it!!!

Jill - re 4 hour easy, My thoughts are when the awake time, means you can't get a good sleep in & 45min naps are starting, as well as feeds becoming smaller. I do a messy combination, but I need to get 5 feeds into Liam & long night sleeps sometimes mean I have to do a 2.5/4/4/2.5 type pattern to get them in.

Anyway while I have both boys asleep I must get some chores done.

[jjstar]

Thanks for your comments abour 4 hour. I'm thinking of trying it again as it didn't go over too well the last time but I haven't gotten him to sleep through the night since switching back so what do I have to lose? One more question though...we're leaving next thursday for 12 days (visiting family in Ohio & I have a retreat to work). Is that too close to try to switch his routine?

Andrea...that is great about the job! Congrats! Good luck working with DH. I did that for a bit and it was interesting! BTW I love Taylor's dress in the new picture!

[Olivia's Mommy]

OK, ladies I have a dilemma. Olivia has been taking shorter naps (as I mentioned before) but she's also waking at night and not going back to sleep. I don't think it's habitual waking, because it's not at the same time. It's anywhere from 2:30-5:00  a.m. At first I didn't think she could be hungry (she eats good during the day and we just started cereal), so I would let her try to settle herself. (I thought it was her new-found skills of rolling over that were waking her.) But after 1-1 1/2 hours, I would get up and feed her. She would take a full feeding and go right back to sleep. Two nights ago, I fed her as soon as she woke, and she went right back to sleep.

Last night she woke up at 2:45. I waited to see if she would settle herself. She did--several times, only to wake up 10 minutes earlier. She doesn't cry, just talks and coos. (That is what she would do when I was BFing and she was hungry.) Finally, at 4:00, I thought she could be hungry (and she began to fuss) so I got up and fed her. She took a full 8 oz. I guess since she takes a full feeding each time, she is hungry. I just don't want the bottle to become a prop for her getting back to sleep. Any thoughts?

Also, this morning she woke at 6:00 a.m. (regular wake time is 7:30-8:00). She was rolling around, finally ended up on her tummy, got her thumb back in her mouth, and slept until 8:30 when I went in and woke her up. I'm thinking about trying to put her down on her tummy, because once she got there, she slept great (didn't seem to stir as much). She has great head control and can roll from back to tummy and back again. Has anyone tried this after LO is used to sleeping on back? If so, how do you do it? And do you keep swaddling? (Right now LO is swaddled, but arms are free.) Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks! Sorry for the long post! I have a lot of questions after such a LONG night!

Since she's

[krice]

Hi Nancy (Olivia's Mommy) - DS was a back sleeper from day 1, we also swaddle.  He too is rolling around and a little while ago we had the night wakings happening (for us they lasted for about 10 days).  I think it was a mini-growth spurt.  My LO would also take a full feed.  I think it just has to do with their increased activity.

Like you I have noticed it is easier for DS to settle when he is on his tummy.  He will often flip himself over so he is on it.  If he is tired (and I get his cues right), I will place him on his back as he will usually drift off.  If he is having a little more difficulty I will place him on his tummy (still swaddled).  I only swaddle his legs, but he scootches all over the place and leaves the swaddle behind.  Last night he was without his swaddle and was fine.  I want him to stay warm, but really shouldn't worry because we keep the temperature in his room nice and toasty.  Don't know if this helps any Nancy, but that's were my LO is right now.

I've been thinking of getting rid of the swaddle and using a "sleep sack" but haven't yet tried it out.  What do you think of this?  Does any one out there have any experience using smething like this???

[Olivia's Mommy]

THanks, Kathy! I'm glad to know it's worked for someone else. We are going on 1.5 weeks of the night wakings and short naps (30-45 min). I'm a little afraid to try something new (putting her down on her tummy) until we get past the shorter naps. Maybe I'll just keep putting her down on her back, but letting her roll to her tummy if she wants. That's what seemed to work with your LO, right?

It's always something, isn't it?!?!?

[marlowho]

Mine are both tummy sleepers.  (Madeline wasn't till about 5 mos- but Noel was around 1 mo.)  I personally think it makes them sleep better- but only do it if you and your ped. are ok with it!  (And if she's able to roll over, she sounds like she would be fine, imo.) But I wouldn't swaddle when they're on their tummy.

Kate- I totally understand about the paci thing, I guess I was just wondering why you would do it now.  Fwiw, I weaned Madeline at 10 mos. of the paci and she did great.  That's tentatively what I'm planning with Noel.  However, she's been finding her fingers lately to soothe herself (she usually spits out the paci anyway...) so who knows what will end up happening.

I guess Noel is a little younger than most of yours (except Liam)- but yesterday she woke up after about 30 minutes b/c she was pushing herself forward in her crib- kinda like crawling- except only using her toes.  She was so surprised/upset by it she couldn't settle back down.   She's also been using her toes to flip herself over to her side.  I hope she gets all this figured out soon!

[JKHH]

Hello. I am new to the group.

My name is Janet and my daughter Kay was born on May 4, 2005. She is part textbook and part spirited. Kay has been on EASY since she was three weeks old (except for the crazy time between six and eight weeks).

Right now our big challanges are transitioning Kay out of her swaddle and fully switching onto a 4 hour routine.

I am so greatful for this site because I have learned so much! None of my friends have had kids yet so everything is a first for me.

I look forward to talking with everyone.

[mommycarrie]

hello new mom's to the group!  Glad to have you with us.

I have a question for you ladies too...If you d/f at 11 and lo wakes btwn 5:30 and 6:30, do you try to get them back to sleep without a feed or feed then put back to sleep right away then start the day when they wake up?  I am always torn between the two because I don't know if that sleep after the feed counts as a nap or not? :?  :?:

I am also VERY interested in dropping the d/f so I can get more sleep.  DH is like an elaphant in a library in the mornings and if DS is going to wake early for a feed, I can never get any rest from then on.  Between both of them, I still only get maybe 5 hours of sleep at night.  I'd like to say we've been on a 4-hour routine, but as of the past week, he's been not taking to it as well as before.  Tonight for instance, he was acting very hungry 45-60 min before the 4 hours so I offered him food and he just sucked for 5min then stopped and didn't want any more.  I can't figure him out lately.  I try to hold out for as long as I can with the feeds at 4 hour intervals figuring if he doesn't take enough in at the one feed, he'll take in more at the next and it doesn't seem to work out.  Any thoughts???

I hope I've made some sense here since I am even tired right now.  I just need some clarity and advice please.

Carrie

[mommytsa]

Welcome Janet!  I LOVE that picture of Kay!  She's beautiful.

Nancy-Welcome.  I've also been having the nightwakings and short naps.  I'll be interested to hear what works for you (if anything) since not much is working for my LO.  We've tried the 4 hr EASY, then when that wasn't working, we went back to the 3.5 and it still didn't work, though there is less crying with the 3.5 since we're not "forcing" him to stay awake that last half hour when he gets really upset.  Sometimes going in at 35 min and holding him/patting him will calm him down and he'll sleep longer for one nap, but there's no consistency at all with him.  Hope you fare better!

Kate-You're so thorough!  I can't imagine how you remember to respond to everyone and still keep track of 2 LO's!!!  Sometimes I can barely remember my own name, much less anyone else's.  Thanks for the good news about the shots.  THe whole experience didn't seem as bad as it was last time, but Aaron seemed a lot more upset by it and much grumpier than last time.  I'm glad that's all over with for another two months now!

Jill-for switching to the 4 hour, 12 days might be long enough, it just really depends on how you go about switching.  If you follow the gradual plan, I'd say wait until you're home again since it takes 12 days or whatever just ot swith them over, and I think you want your LO used to the routine a bit before you go.  When I switched I did it over about 6 days, the first 3 days I went from 3 hrs-3.5 hrs, then from 3.5-4 hours the next three days.  But Aaron has no problem staying awake and happy.  It's getting him to settle down that takes forever if he's been up too long (45 min +, grrrrr), which is why I switched him back to the 3.5 hour.  Hopefully that works and he starts napping for longer than 45 min a time!

Well, I've got dishes to wash before I go to bed, so have a nice night!

[mommytsa]

Carrie- You posted while I was typing, but I face the same thing.  I df sometime around 11, then Aaron is ALWAYS up around 5:30-6 (lately it's been like 4:30 and it's KILLING me).  I feed him, put him back to sleep and start the day when he wakes up.  His first rotation looks kinda like this:
4:30-5:30 or 6  Eat
straight back to sleep until 6:45-7 (depending on when he ate)
Activity 7-8:30
sleep 8:30-9:30

He has sort of a morning catnap, since he just can't seem to stay awake much longer than an hour in the am, then he sleeps for 45 min or so.  It's sort of a strange 4 hour EASY, but it's the only cycle of the day that's predictable for us.

[Taylor's Mommy]

Jill-thanks for the compliment on T's dress!  DH actually picked it out for her    I think 12 days may be long enough...I too made the switch right before a trip to Lake Tahoe and we started about 14 days before so I could slowly do it, but by day 9 she moved to 4 hours on her own.  the trip then went fine.

Nancy-maybe wait it out a few more days and see how Olivia does with the night wakings.  Ours lasted for about 2 weeks and for the last 2 weeks have pretty much been back to normal.  I think it has a lot to do with developmental stuff, esp. since you say she is starting to roll around and stuff.

Carrie-you may try to pat back to sleep but usually can tell within a few minutes if your lo will be going back to sleep or not w/o a feed.  If I do feed at 5:30 it's straight back to bed and I don't believe it is considered a nap, but part of their night time sleep.

 :arrow:  :?: what is it about 5-5:30 anyhow?  both threads I am on we are all having the same 'problem' with the wakings at 5-5:30 am.  ours come and go a couple of times a week, so it's not a catastrophe, but does anyone have any idea why they all seem to wake at this time?

have a good night everyone...
I just checked on Taylor BTW and she is completely horizontal in her crib-her head butted up against one side of the bumper and her feet on the other side! :lol:   too funny!

[jjstar]

Andrea...Jameson does the same thing in the crib. Usually happens about one every couple of days. It is too funny. I actually took his picture the other day right before I had to wake him. Love the sleeping pictures...I figure I will treasure that so much more many years from now.

Okay so he woke at 4 AM and wanted to get up for the day. I had just fed him at 3 so I knew he wasn't asleep. DH asked what was wrong and I said the child was crazy?! Maybe it was me that was crazy from the funky sleep pattern. I did finally get him back to sleep at 4:50 and he stayed asleep until 7:45.

About switching to 4 hr...I may not have been clear in my first post. We're leaving for our trip in 7 days and will be gone for a total of 12 days. I wasn't sure if I had enough time before leaving to make the switch. We were already basically on a 3.5 hr so I am just going to try to stretch him out when I can. If there are days that make it great, if not that is okay too. I would be afraid to wait until we return to do it because he will be over 5 months by then.

[Taylor's Mommy]

Oh, got it!  since he is already on 3.5, give it a try.  what have you got to lose?  he's already waking at 4 am! :lol:  :?  :wink: