5 more old nursing every 2-2.5 hrs

[zportiss]

Hi!

I'm hoping to get my 5 month old on a 4 hr EASY schedule.  She's currently eating every 2-2.5 hrs.  What is the best way to stretch her feeds without compromising supply and most importantly ensuring baby gets all the calories she needs during the day. Thanks so much for any advice!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

How does her day look in terms of EAS now? ie timings of feeds and naps. I imagine with feeds that close there may be a bit of a snacking habit or one of feeding to sleep? We did do a top up bf that ended about that age so our routine looked more like EAEAS but the second E was more like a snack due to long A times.

[zportiss]

We just started attempting a schedule and she was on demand ebf, and nursed to sleep 80% of the time.  We're working on removing the nursing prop now also. The schedule is different every day because she has a hard time falling to sleep & staying asleep.  Over the last 3 days it's been eat sleep awake and if it's a long nap eat again after sleep. Here's a sample from my crazy last three days...please ignore the irrelevant notes thanks you so so much for your help!
Brielle schedule
 
3/20
Night feed at 12am &  5:45
Up at 8
sleep Feed at 9:45-10:10 unable to stay asleep while holding
Bottle at 12
Nap from 12:15-2:15 held by grandma
Feed at 2:15
Sleep feed at 4-4:15 unable to stay asleep while holding
Feed at 6
7:15 - Start bedtime routine
7:30 - nurse and sleeping while nursing and totally asleep within 10
11:10 wake escalate to crying unable to self soothe, nurse, sleeping soundly within 5 min, place back in crib


3/21
3:45 am - wake escalate to crying unable to self soothe, nurse, sleeping soundly within 5 min, placed back in crib

4:15 wake, escalate to crying, rocked to sleep standing within 10 min

6:30 wake, escalate to crying, nurse side lying in bed until 7, co sleep until 7:15 - awake

7:15 play time

8:45 started to get cranky & yawn, tried to put in crib with soothing mobile, cried, tried to rock to sleep for 5-10 min, escalate to crying along w rooting,

9:00 nursed to sleep, (hold for nap because she wakes if I put her in her crib within 20 min) sleeping within 5-10 min, woke & rooted at 9:20, 9:40, & 10:00, 10:15 nursed for few min, continue sleep until 10:50
10:50 active playtime

12:20 nursed
12:40 - active time
1:30 - cried intensely on the way to store and gave tired cues once in store (turning face into side of car seat, yawning, tired eyes)
2:00 cried for 10 min on the way hone & then fell asleep in car
2:10 removed from car seat (sleep doesn't last in car seat once home) and rocked back to sleep, held while sleeping (resettling 2x), until 3:20, woke crying & rooting, unable to settle
3:20 Nursed (eyes closed)
3:40 - active time
5:00 seemed cranky & maybe tired, tried to put in crib for cat nap, soothing mobile, white noise, complained but not crying, stayed in room next to crib on stool doing ssssh- pat, escalated to crying at 5:30 nursed, sleep until 6:15
6:15 active time
7:00 bathtime & nurse to sleep
1:45 - wake up crying, nurse
6:45 awake in crib, not crying, nursed side lying in bed until 7:15
7:15-7:40 dozed in and out of sleep together in bed
7:40 - active time
8:30-9:05 started getting fussy during active time, tried rocking in nursery, cried immediately, went outside for 10 min & then back to nursery, tried to swaddle and just put her down in crib w soothing aquarium, cried immediately, tried to rock in kitchen while singing softly because feel like the other rooms she associated w nursing, fussed off & on, almost drifted off, then started fussing again & escalated to crying, seemed very tired
9:05 - nursed on couch, eyes closed, rate of sucking slowed immediately, attempted to unlatch at 9:15 while still flutter sucking, rooted, 9:17 unlatched when counted to 10 after no sucking, SLEEP! 9:45
Startled &rooted, nurse back to sleep, tried to unlatch multiple times, counting to 10 after sucking stopped, woke, tried to shush pat, started really waking, nursed back to sleep at 10:05-10:20, unlatched & continued to sleep for 2 min, really woke, tried to rock for 10 minutes didn't fall back to sleep
10:30 active time, started getting fussy at 12;30, asking cues
12:30 nursed
12:45 started falling asleep, unlatched and patted on shoulder, fell asleep immediately, laid in crib and startled & woke (dog barked), at 1:45, picked up and rocked back to sleep, slept for another hour
2:45 nurse
3:15 active time
4:45 tried to use swing to nap, stayed in room and sang lullabies as she got upset, 5:20 crying began, tried rocking, started sucking on blanket, hunger cue
5:25 nursed, slowed sucking rate within 5min, switched sides, never fell to sleep
6:15 fussiness, lots of groaning & grunting, gas? No bm today
6:45 bath
7:00 nurse to sleep, unlatched while slow suck,  fell.asleep immediately, not the best feed, sleeping by 7:20

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Hmmm....seems like the issue is more the prop of feeding to sleep than snacking. I would probably start by working on moving the E from the S even if just by a few minutes at a time and using something like shh/pat or pu/pd to help with self soothing for sleeps. My kids were never able to go a full 4 hr easy until closer to 6 months but we did 3.5. Your supply will get used to the new normal and if she feeds bigger feeds less often then she will be getting enough, though do keep in mind many ebf babies continue night feeds for some time - we still have one, and an early morning feed that I pop her in bed after to suit the older kids routine.

[zportiss]

Thanks for your response :-)  I think I will start with the 3.5 schedule and try to continue working on gentle removal of the nurse prop.  Thanks again for your help!

[zportiss]

MasynSpencerElliotte

 just wondering do you think it's normal for my lo to go down at 7:30 and then need a feed at 1 or 2 and then every 2 -3 hrs after that?  The times are always slightly different by an hour or 2 and sometimes she skips the first feeding and wakes around 3 for her first.  Any suggestions on how to stretch her feedings out at night?

Do you think I should do a dream feed? If so what time would you recommend?

Thank you!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

At that age I started trying to settle first and then if within 10-15 min nothing worked I fed if it was 3 hrs from last feed (unless I suspected a growth spurt, in which case I fed fed fed!). A df could go either way really, may get you a long stretch later or may cause more wakings . I would try for a few nights just to see, probably at 10:30 or so. It never worked for us, as she would not latch on but I am tempted to try it with a bottle some nights just out of curiousity (we still have a 3 am ish wake up).