I'm new to the EASY and I have a question

[bla04017]

I have a 6 week old and sometimes he can go the 3 hours and sometimes he can't.  IT all depends on his nap (which he really doesn't nap well).  If he sleeps, he'll go that long and I'll have to wake him up to feed.  However a lot of times it goes a little something like this:
E: 7:00
A: 7:20
S: 8:00 (45 mins-1 hour) till 9:00 ... my question is should I feed him after he wakes at 9:00 or should I try having another A time until 10:00??

[bla04017]

bump

[MJMom]

It depends on what his cues are.  If he seems hungry, feed him.  If he seems tired, try to do a nap extension, else, just get him up for a wee bit of A time.  I would be leery of having him go all the way until 10 though as he will begin to get tired and may fall asleep feeding, which you certainly want to avoid.  He still may get a little bit tired after the feed as he is still very young.  Just make sure he doesn't fall asleep at the breast.  Rub his hands, etc.
At this age, the EAS routine is important to get into the rhythm, but ultimately, his cues should be your guide.

HTH.

[momofclaire]

Hi,
At 6 weeks many babies are still feeding more than every 3 hours.  Of course try to work towards that but like MJmom said, pay more attention to his cues. 
I would continue to wake him for feeds during the day as this helps to ensure they get enough food to sleep properly at night.  It also helps to signal to them the difference between day and night, for ex, during the day I eat every three hours but at night, I sleep ALL night.    We can all dream right?!

[bla04017]

So if he wakes early then I just need to feed him so that it stays E A S right??  What if he doesn't seem that hungry and i want to try to get him to 3 hours, can i do E A S A

[MJMom]

Yes you can!   Just try not to extend the 2nd A of EASA too long at this age as he really won't be able to stay awake that long.  Or if he still seems tired, you can do a nap extension.  the EASY is a guideline.  If your LO is giving you slightly different cues, that's OK.  Just keep in mind the biggest reason to have A follow E is two fold, 1. to not get your child accustomed to falling asleep at the breast lest it become a prop.  2. your LO needs to digest a bit of that meal that he just ate.  The exception to #2 is of course the night sleep.