Help for my 2 week old and BF

[Nickie18]

My LO was born at 36.6 and was only 6lb 3oz. She dropped to 5lb. 6oz after starting BF and at her 2 week check up was 6 lb. 11oz. I was advised by the lactation nurse to feed her every 3 hours around the clock to get her weight up. (I tried every 2.5 hours during day to get some longer stretches at night, but she would not take at 2.5 hours). So for the last 17 days I usually have been waking her up to feed her every 3 hours day and night. However, for last few days she has been waking at 3 hours or about 2.75 hours to feed at night, and even during the day. Now that I want to stretch out her nights, she now wants to be awake! Her EASY below:

Eat 7:30am
Awake time: 8-8:45am- she is extremely alert at this first A time and barely yawns when I tryto put her down after 1.25 hous of A time...
Sleep: 8:45am-10:30am
E: 10:30
S: 11:30
E: 1:30
S: 2:30
E: 4:15p
A: 4:45-5:30- again very alert and hard to put down
S: 5:30-6:45p
E: 7pm
A: jammies, bath 7:30-8
Bed: 8pm and then offer breast if she wants
Wake to do DF at 10:30pm- takes very little
she wakes at 1:30, 4:30 for feeds

What can I do to stretch out the night sleep? Seems my waking her has created the waking now. I have to wake her for the DF as she will not take breast asleep- maybe drop that until she wakes to feed for the first time after her bedtime?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Honestly her nights look great! She may be having a growth spurt, hence the more frequent feeds. For the df - have you tried it at a slightly different time? You may be catching her in too deep a sleep, though for some babies the df just does not work - my DD3 would never take one so I just fed when she woke.

[weaver]

Agree that her nights look good for her age (sorry ). I found with my two that the DF meant they dropped that 1am ish feed around 6 weeks or so, so we only had 4-5 am feed, unless they were in a GS. So perhaps change the time of the DF, or, don't offer a feed at 8pm so she's ready for a good feed at 10.30pm. I mean, part of the point of a DF is to do it at a convenient time for you!

[Nickie18]

Thank you! Good- if the nights look ok, then I am ok with that. She sleeps so well that I get a good amount of sleep. I did not give the 8pm feed and she would hardly wake for the 10:30pm feed. She would not take the breast when swaddled and "asleep" and so had to wake her at that point and she barely fed. My DS would never take the DF even when on the bottle. I only gave the 8pm feed as she was rooting like crazy. Last night not so much and not given.

Maybe try the DF at 11pm? Is it ok to wake her for it? Or should I just let her go from 8pm time in bed until she wakes to give the first awake feed?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

If her bedtime is 8:00 I would try 11:00 as that should catch her coming out of a sleep cycle and in a lighter phase of sleep. If she does not take it I would be hesitant to wake her as it can upset the rest of the night with some babies.

[Nickie18]

So try the DF with her swaddled and if she does not take it, put her back down and wait for her to wake on her own?

Can you also look at the CN in the evening? I put her down around 5:30 and let her sleep until 6:45pm. Mostly because as soon as I wake her she wants to feed. That is a long CN, but I do not know how to fend off her cries to eat. Does that need to feed as soon as waking get better? eventually does she get used to it? If I do wake her earlier from the CN, then I would have to put her to sleep earlier given her short A time... tough she is usually very awake at that time anyways... any thoughts?

[Erin M]

At 2 weeks the cat nap timing is perfect -- a lot of babies will naturally cluster at that time of evening -- eventually what will happen is she'll be awake for longer periods of time and the cat nap will get you to a decent bed time without her getting OT.  I'm guessing she was probably super sleepy her first two weeks and is now waking up a bit.  My little guy was a few weeks early as well and quite similar in his sleeping (though your nights are better than our were at that age)!

[Nickie18]

Yes super sleepy and just now starting to wake a bit. Her first and last A times she is very awake- like over 1.25 hours awake, but the other two she is zonked from after feeding. Today her CN was from 5:45-6:45pm and then fed at 7:15pm instead of 7:30pm. BT was 8pm and she would not settle, though no crying just making noises and moving a bit. Any ideas on trying to settle her better? I was going to offer the breast at BT but hubbie wanted ot put her down and so I did not...

Going to try to do the DF at 11pm tonight and see if she wakes before or not, and then roll the dice to see how she does with feeding. Don't want her to go too long without eating though, so will likely have to wake her at 4 hours if she does not... What do you think?

[Nickie18]

So, last night was awful... she fed at 7:15pm, bed at 8pm, then woke at 10pm! was actually making her squeaking noises and unclear if she was really hungry. She then "woke" at MN and no screaming and went back to sleep on own. Then hungry wake at 1:30am, "woke" at 3:30am, fed at 4:45am, then awake for day at 7:30am wide awake. She was really awake for first and second A time and is sleeping really well during the day... Which makes me very nervous since I need her to sleep at night. I cannot even do a dream feed...

Any ideas? Ignore the squeaking unless screaming for food and just feed every 4 hours at night??? Help!

[Martini~]

Btw Nickie, it was a good night:). Feeds at 10pm, 1am and 4:45am seem to be ideal!

Where does she sleep? Maybe put her cot/Moses some distance from your head so you would hear when she is noisy and want milk, but you will not wake hearing only grunting? You may also just survive first weeks... I am not bothered with DS grunting anymore-get used to I guess:), however DH is sleeping in ear plugs:). I guess mothers get used to those "noises" and than are able to sleep despite those but being alert when your kid really needs you.

[*Ali*]

Yes if it is just squeaking and she isn't crying or asking for food then I would just let her resettle herself.

3 night feeds is very normal at 2-3wo

[Nickie18]

We moved her to her own room after a week due to the squeaks. We have a monitor, but I guess I need to turn it down so I do not hear everything... I had decided on when to do the feeds mostly so I will continue with them as is. I do not mind it as long as it will get better. The problem lies in knowing when she is hungry. She really has not ever CRIED for me for food. I guess I go in too early. We will see what tonight holds. Thank you for your help- I am a bundle of nerves...

[Erin M]

As long as her weight is ok now I'd just let her sleep until she wakes.  Some babies will do a 5/6 hour stretch early on, maybe you'll get lucky!

[Martini~]

Nicky, it's also worth trying as you may know your child better.

When DS was 3 days and we got back from hospital I realized I never ever heard him crying for food as it was always me who woke him. So what I did: I had tank him up in the evening with cluster feeds and "dream feed" (he woke) and decided to wait until he will wake up by himself. Ohhh God, what a night it was:). He woke after 6h! Believe me, I wasn't sleeping much as firstly his every grunt made me alert and secondly after him sleeping 4,5h in the middle of the night I started going through Tracy's book to check examples how long children may sleep as I was so afraid that he sleept so long.

But that's my boy:). He may wake from naps, he is sometimes difficult to settle, doesn't want to sleep on the morning and afternoon but sleeping long at night is his great achievement.

So if your DD is gaining well on weight, do not wake her during night. Let her sleep and decide what sje wants. It will also help you to understand her better!

[Nickie18]

I am going to try that. She seems to want to cluster feed- she likely has been wanting this  while, but I didn't realize it until last night when we had to feed her at 9pm due to crying! SO, if she feeds at 4:30pm, catnap at 5:45pm, when do I feed her? after she wakes from the CN at 6:45? and then again at 8pm when she goes down to sleep for the night?

Thanks again! She is soooo different than my DS1!

[Martini~]

Ideal cluster feeding would be separated by 2h so i.e. 4:30, 6:30 & 8:30 but some children may have 1,5h separation between two last feeds, some need 2,5h as they are not hungry before. The idea is to tank her up before bedtime so she doesn't wake in the first part of night sleep.

You also may try what's close to your current schedule so 6:45 and than 8. Or if you go to sleep at 9pm, you may wake up her 8:30 and settle with her at 9pm. Check what is working for her (she has to eat - sometimes when you offer breast to early they are just not hungry) and for you. It's not worth to do a cluster feed or dream feed after you went to bed, as the idea is to get more sleep for yourself:).

[Erin M]

4:39, waking from CN, and BT sound perfect for feeding times.  As always, keep in mind she's going to do a lot of shifting around of all this in the coming weeks!  So just keep it in mind as sort if a loose framework, not a set in stone schedule. 

[Nickie18]

Thank you! Turns out I had to go to the ER and start a medication that is not good for baby in breast milk... So I also had to get her on the bottle and used to formula by mixing the two. It's been ok so far and she is doing great so I guess I cannot complain. We did do the cluster feeds and I think she did well last night- fed at 4:30pm 4 oz, 6:45pm 2oz, 8pm 3 oz and she did well. Then DF at 11pm, awoke at 1:45am for feed and then again at 5:15am for feed. Still same number of wake ups but she is on the bottle and doing ok...

I am sure I will have more questions as she gets older and the routine changes- maybe today:). Thanks again!

[Martini~]

During first days of introducing new routine, she may be waking of a habit. I am quite sure that very soon she will move her feed from 2am to 3-4am, and the feed from 5:15 will become her morning feed. Keeping FX:)! Let us know how the things are going!

[Nickie18]

Thank you! I certainly hope so... She is really great during the day with the routine so we will see if that carries over to the night. Will let you know and likely need help:)