DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN

[leomalley56]

Hi everyone,
My DD is nearly 8 months old. I have apparently done just about everything wrong according to the book. I had no routine for her, let her become a snacker, let her fall asleep on the breast, brought herto bed with me and nursed, etc etc. As a result she still wake 2-3times a night, is completely dependent on feeding to go to sleep, and only naps for about 20 minutes. I recently have started trying to move her onto a EASY routine, and am trying to help her fall asleep on her own. I really have no supportto help me through this process and have a 5 and 2 year old so I am desperate to make this work. Also, Ihave a low milk supply (about 2 oz from a 15 pump session) so I basically fed her on demand all the time. I started feeding her solid foods, but because she tends to be a snacker, she only eats about half a jar in one feeding period. I have been doing pu/pd for a couple of nights, and both nights she has been hungry in the middle of the night around 4-5 am. She wakes up more than that but that is the time I notice her being really hungry and unable to get back to sleep fairly easy. Should I give her one feeding at night or will that undo all that I have done in the first couple of nights of trying to get rid of that prop? I want to get her on an EASY routine, get her sleeping independently in her crib, and wean her off the night feedings. I do not want to mess this up! Please advise. I am also finding myself getting really frustrated and stressed out. Thanks!

[Bex09]

Hi there and welcome to BW. The site is fantastic and you will get loads of support. Firstly try to relax, getting your LO onto the EASY routine will make a huge difference I am sure, but you have a lot going on to work through hun, so lets take it a step at a time. First of all how far have you got with your EASY? Do you want to post your day in EAS format so we can take a look?

As for feeding in the night... I would carry on for now with that 4am feed as your DD does sound genuinely hungry then. If she doesn't take much in the day that could be why. It won't undo your good work just try to avoid feeding to sleep.

How is the PU/PD going? Are you seeing some improvement? Is your DD pulling up in the cot yet? If so then you may need to just do PD and not PU so much.

[squeakersmum]

If it were me, I'd work on the first 'cycle' of the day first. What sort of A time is she doing? My DD is 7.5 months and doing about 3 hours (although if we're in the car she will fall asleep before that). I would have thought that the 20 minute naps is probably your LO being under tired.

So feed her when she wakes in the AM and see how much A time she can cope with. Hopefully if she goes down after a longer A, she may give you a longer nap.

Try not to put too much stock in pumping yields. I was never able to get very much but babies are much more efficient than pumps.

Do you have a loose EASY for today you could post?