How to determine A time? Reading yawns incorrectly?

[Mia's Mommy]

Hi all.

My LO is a preemie, born 4 1/2 wks early. Her actual age is 9 wks tomorrow, her adjusted age (from due date) is 4 wks and 2 days. I'm told to base EASY routine off of her adjusted age.

She yawns immediately after eating, so I read that as a sleepy cue and begin winding her down by swaddling and a little rocking in my arms (I change her diaper before E, is that wrong?). Once I see that she is dozing off, I put in her crib. It takes a lot of effort and time through ssh/pat to get her to sleep and she only takes 30-40 min naps.

Is her A time too short? Is her first yawn that immediately follows E just a yawn that she's just been fed and tummy is full, and not really a sleepy cue?

Also, does S time begin when baby is put down in crib? Or does S time begin when baby is actually asleep?

[~Sara~]

Hello!

So, using her adjusted age of 4w, her A time would be ~1h to 1h15.  This is just a guide--from the link I gave you on the shh/pat thread, so perhaps she would like a little more or a little less.  Probably at her age, she would do less if anything.  Not all A times have to be the same length.  Here's a wonderful explanation of A times:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=128419.0

Now for her yawning right after eating, I would say to wait a few minutes to see if she perks up or shows sleep cues still.  I made the mistake when DS was very little of following the 3-yawn rule too soon.  Once I learned what A time he should be around, it taught me that when he yawns at 35m after being awake, he was probably just yawning; but if it was at 50m, he was probably ready for his nap and I'd start the wind down routine.

S time starts when she's asleep.

As you're trying to figure out her sleep window, just keep in mind that if she wakes up early from a nap and you're not able to resettle her within 15 minutes or so, go ahead and get her up, feed her, and then start the wind down routine again.  LOs aren't able to handle a full A time on a short nap, so she'll probably be ready to go to sleep after about 45-50m.

Hope that helps a bit!!  Let me know how it goes

[Lemonthyme]

Personally I ignore yawning unless it's sustained, ie he yawns for a good long yawn or a couple of yawns in succession.  I spent about a week in tears trying to put him down for naps when he was about 2-3 months old because he'd yawned three times and he wasn't actually tired.

You might find that it becomes more obvious over time when your LO is tired.  It's only now he's 7 months old that it sticks out like a sore thumb to me when he's obviously tired.

[Mia's Mommy]

Thanks Lemonthyme!

And you're right... it's been a couple of days since my post and I'm beginning to learn her cues much better. She definitely yawns after feeding, and I believe it's just b/c she's happy and full of good food .

I keep a good eye on her and after 3-4 yawns, maybe 5, she starts to get fussy and then I know she's ready. I began doing the ssh/pat or Four S's 3 days ago and it's really working!!! I've been able to put her down when drowzy (she cries a little in my arms for a min or two), and she puts herself right to sleep!!! It's been a dream these last couple of days... I'm more confidant of how I'm getting to know my LO and how we're bonding... AND, she's more independent!!! No more rocking to sleep!

[~Sara~]

That's a great update!  Well done!

[Lemonthyme]

Yay!  Wish I'd realised that!  If you're BFing, it makes them sleepy anyway which might be just a short lived sleepy thing just because of the oxytocin.