How to increase milk supply during growth spurt while transitioning to 4h EASY?

[nina2010]

My DS will be 4 months next week, he's a big boy, was born with 3,5kg and is now getting to 7kg.
He's a very good sleeper, but the past few weeks, started taking very short naps and waking up at night. So I started transitioning to 4 hour EASY.
It was going very fine, until 3 days ago, when I believe he started going through a growth spurt.
Question: how do I increase my milk supply so that he sleeps through the night again?
I have gone back to the 3 hour EASY, but the naps are very short, and he's still waking up at night ... Last night I DF him at 23:00, then he woke up at 2:30, I shsh/pat him back to sleep. Then up again at around 3:30, again shsh/pat, then at 4:30 I fed him and he slept till 7:40, but ate very little, then he slept at 9:40 and woke up at 10:25. I tried shsh/pat, but no success, so I BF him and he ate quite well.

I am afraid he's getting off the track. What should I do?

Thanks in advance!

[Fiver]

During a GS he will get off track.  The best way to get through it is to feed, feed, feed while you're there.  It may be that he won't go back to STTN again for a little while as there is also a sleep regression around the 4m mark where sleep will go wonky.

Go with him for now and follow his cues.  He'll let you know when he's hungry.  And don't forget that night feeds are important during growth spurts too.

[Violet's mom]

A little encouragement since I just went through this myself a month ago!  I agree with the pp - just listen to your baby for now - the baby whisperer's suggestions (add ounces over the course of the day, cluster feeding) are a little more challenging for EBF mommies - I know my LO had a different plan when she was growth spurting!  He will get back on track after the growth spurt!  I know how hard it is to go from STTN to night wakenings so hugs for that! 

[nina2010]

Thanks for the replies. I've been away because nights have been pretty bad and it seems to be affecting naps as well.
Last night DS day was terrible:

6:00 BF
8:00 Slept
8:40 woke up
9:20 slept again after a lot of shshsh/pat
10:30 BF
12:30 Slept
13:00 woke up shshhs/pat
14:10 woke up tried shshs/pat again, no success
14:40 BF
16:00 Prepare to sleep, only slept at 16:30 - a lot of shshs/pat
16:50 woke up screaming, no way to shsh/pat
18:50 BF
19:15 Bath
19:30 Slept
23:00 DF
03:50 NW - shsh/pat until 4:30 then slept
05:25 Woke up - tried shsh/pat, no patience or energy - BF
Started the day!

I can already tell today is going to be another terrible day. I am desperate, don't know what to do. DS was always an angel, super good sleeper.
I think the GS is gone, but he started rolling now. It doesn't seem to be affecting the sleep, but who knows ... I've been having to leave the white noise machine running pretty loud in his room.
The worse is, it seems between him and DD (2 years 8 months), I haven't had a good night of sleep in the past 2 weeks now.

HELP!!!!

Thanks in advance!

[Fiver]

As hard as it might be, if I'd had that day, I'd probably have fed at 14.10 when he woke from the nap, brought the 18.50 BF forward and fed at the 3.50 NW.

At 4m neither of mine would've had any hope of going over 4h between feeds during the day and didn't get there until after solids were started at 6m.

A lot of EBF mums settle for a 3.5h (or thereabouts) routine until solids are started to ensure that LO is getting enough milk during the day.  This does often mean a quick 'top up' BF just before a nap to keep them going (so a EAES type arrangement or AEAS depending where the feed needs to fall).

[nina2010]

Hi Fiver, I was doing that before, the top up before the nap, actually I was BF him again around 1 hour after the initial BF. But I stopped doing it because I thought he would start snacking. But it was working.
I'll try that again. But you think I should continue with that until DS is 6 months old?
I am still swaddling him and using the white noise, do you think it's ok? I am afraid he is gettting addicted to the white noise, because whenever I try to lower the volume, he starts moving from his sleep ... Is it ok to sleep with the white noise through the night?

Thanks again!

[nina2010]

One more question: does anyone know if eating too much chocolate can influence a baby's sleep if he's EBF? I just realized I started eating a lot of chocolate in the past few weeks, I can't really tell if it coincides with DS's sleep trouble ...

[Fiver]

But you think I should continue with that until DS is 6 months old?

Only you can really say that.  You're the one who knows him best.  6 months will come around before know you know it, anyway, and it may be that, given a few more weeks, he might be happier to go longer, but unless you try it, you won't know.

If you think the chocolate might be having a contribution, you could always cut back a bit and see what happens.

As for white noise, I have no experience of that, so will leave it to someone else to answer that bit

[Erin M]

All of mine slept with white noise throughout the night at that age -- ds still sleeps with it (personally I like the fact that when we travel I can bring it with us and it helps settle him) but I phased it out a long time ago with the girls.  It was really easy, just kept it lower for a few nights and then just turned it off.  Is it quite loud?  You can always do it with a lower volume.

[Violet's mom]

I also do white noise especially since my husband and I cannot sleep without white noise.  It has helped because I bring it to other people's houses and she sleeps better.  Also, when we need to run the humidifier or air conditioner in her room or her noisy cousin is visiting she has no problem sleeping.  We are going camping which could be interesting because its to quiet - I'll let you know how that goes!

[nina2010]

Hi Fiver, yesterday I read something about the 4 month sleep regression, has anyone heard of that? It matchs perfectly what's been going on with my son and guess what: last night he went back to his usual self, bed time at 19:15, CF 20:30, then DF 23:00 and he only woke up this morning at 6:45!! =)
Today the day has been great, the morning nap was fantastic, 2 hours straight, then I went to wake him for the BF. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Erin M, for the white noise, when he's too fussy to fall asleep, I must say he only settles if the white noise gets pretty loud. Then gradually I decrease the volume, but leave it on the whole night.

Violet's mom, I'm the same, we live in Ghana-West Africa, so the a/c is running pretty much 24/7. Plus here people wake up very early, I'm talking about 5am and they start sweeping the floor outside and going about their days, that's why I am a bit scared of phasing it out completely ...
I guess it will come a point when he won't need anymore. I see that with my 2,5 year old daughter. When she sleeps, she sleeps, no matter how noisy it is outside.

Anyways, thanks girls!

[Fiver]

Glad today has been better.  The 4m sleep regression can be a pig.