Hi all,
my wee boy is now nearly 4.5 months old EBF. He was on a good 3h routine until roughly 3 weeks ago when I noticed that he wasn't as hungry at feeding times so I started to extend times. He wasn't and still isn't consistently lasting 4h so I am trying a roughly 3.5h routine with him which seems to work ok most of the times. He has never slept through the night but I used to dreamfed around 10:45 and always had to wake him for that - so with diner at 7 he was sleeping nearly 4h until then. He would then wake somewhere after 2 for a feed and sometimes another feed round 5 before waking and getting up at 7.
However, since we started the shift, we have noted all sorts of transitional problems including naps temporarily going out the window etc. That's getting better again with lots of shushing and patting but the dreamfeed situation has changed dramatically: He used to be fast asleep and I woke him for the dreamfeeds, now he usually wakes and screams, initially it was round 10:30, then quarter past 10, then 10 and last night it was quarter to 10. He seems to get earlier and earlier, I initially fed him - which might have made things worse? But now when I try to settle him back to sleep he usually screams in rage and what seems to be real hunger as he immediately stops when I feed him - after which he drops back off. Or did I teach him to wake earlier by feeding??
As a result he also now wakes between 1 and 2 and then again between 4 and 5. He only once slept for around 6 hours after a dreamfeed, not before and not after. :-( Is he not getting enough on the new routine? I try to clusterfeed in the evenings, so usually there are two feeds at 5 and 7 or 6 and 7 but that doesn't affect the early waking for the dreamfeed.
Yesterdays routine as an example (- it is a bit wonky as usually wakes too early - which is something I would also love to get under control...)
A: 6:00 Wake-up
E: 7:00
A: 7:10
S: 8:05
E: 10:20
A: 10:30
S: 11:45
E: 13:40
A: 13:50
S: 15:25 (fell asleep in the car a bit too early which knocked the rest off a little)...)
A: 16:00
E: 17:00
A: 17:10
S: 18:30
E: 19:10
A: 19:20 bedroutine, in bed by 19:40
S: 19:45
E: 21:45 - woke, crying, dreamfeed
E: 2:08
E: 4:34
I have tried topping him up an hour after every feed for a few days to see if that made a difference but it didn't. Thanks for all ideas and suggestions!
