waking up for df

[AAABishop]

When I first started the EASY routine, my 5-1/2 mo was waking several (many!) times during the night to eat, and the culprit seemed to be a bad snacking habit. We are getting that on track although much of the time she will only go 3 hrs between feeds.

The first couple of nights on the routine she woke after a couple of hours (she goes down at 7) and I was able to settle her easily and then did the DF around 11. This worked great the first 2 nights. On the third night, she woke up while she was eating, finished her feed and then went right to sleep.  On the fourth night and each consecutive night, she's waking up at 10:30 on her own, expecting to be fed.  How do I handle this? Should I just feed her when she wakes? Or should I try to get her back to sleep and then feed?  The problem is that if she is awake to feed, she doesn't take as much as she would if she were asleep. (She is EBF and just introducing cereal).  The first couple of nights after taking a full feed at 11 she slept until 4 or 5, and now that she's waking up to eat and taking less, she only sleeps until 2ish and wants to eat again.

I'm tired!

I have another issue related to feeding that I think I should post on the feeding board as well: She does okay on the right side, but on the left side she may suck until just past let-down and then turns away. She'll try again for a suck or two then turns away. This behavior has been getting progressively worse since around the first of December and I just don't know what's wrong. There's plenty of milk in there, as I am able to easily express by hand when she pulls off. Has anyone else had this experience? Like I said I will post this issue on the feeding board.

Thanks!
Justine

[Evgenia]

Hey,
It is recommended to drop DF when los start waking up for it. Instead u can try cluster feeding (tanking up). Though my DD woke up for her DF from time to time and I even changed her nappy at DF and it never caused any problems with her feed r sleep.

If I got it right, u only started doing DF a short while ago, it could be worth it to stick with it as her waking up could be due to her only getting used to it.

Since she's waking up at 10.30 every night u could try w2s to stop her waking up for DF.

I would also keep in mind that it is recommended to wean the DF at around 7months r when solids are well established, which is not too far along for u, is it worth the trouble establishing the DF to be weaned in about 2 months?

Heres a few links that might help:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54662.0
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64168.0

Hope this helps

[AAABishop]

Thanks for the comments! I know I had already read the links you posted, but you know, sometimes we forget! 

I took particular notice of the idea that if the wakings are a distinct pattern, then it's more of a habit than a hunger issue.  I think all my LO's wakings follow a pattern!  So tonight and for a couple more nights, I will do w2s around 9:30 and see if that helps to keep her asleep. 

Thanks for the reminder!

[AAABishop]

Well it's the darndest thing...
Last night, on your suggestion, I intended to do w2s an hour before she usually wakes at 10:30, but she beat me to it and woke up at 9:30 on her own. I replaced her paci and gave a quick pat and she was back to sleep. At 10:30 on the dot she woke again, and did the same thing, she went back to sleep no problem. Then at 11:15 she woke again (I thought oh God, here we go again) but I was able to get her back to sleep easily, at first she refused the paci but when I picked her up, she took it and went right back to sleep. At 4:45 I woke up, of course I rushed to her room to check on her and she was sound asleep!  She woke at 5:15, fed her, (one side only because I was SOOO full! LOL) and slept until 7:15. Yay! She went 10 hrs without eating for the first time. Hooray!

[AAABishop]

She's had the paci (we call it a 'munchie') since she was a month old. I didn't use it when it was time to go to sleep before starting BW because she nursed to fall asleep. So when I started EASY, I started using it at bedtimes. I have wrestled with whether or not to cut it out and have decided to let her keep it.  On the whole our family is kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants family, we travel a lot, sometimes on the spur of the moment and our first DD found a lot of comfort with the munchie.  They both have lovies too.  I really don't mind getting up if all I have to do is replug; it's the staying awake to nurse that gets me! Besides, it won't be long before she can replug herself.  But I don't know.... Maybe..... It's a tough decision..... Any thoughts one way or another??

[Evgenia]

Congrats on 0 hours of sleep
Just wanted to add that with my dd when I do w2s I always have to do it 10-15 mins before her usual wake up time. I know Tracy suggested 1 hour before the wake up time at night, but it never worked for us.

Hope tonight goes even better!