Just starting EASY with 2 week old

[Jack and Cians mum]

my DS is now two weeks old and i am starting him on the EASY routine and i have just a few queries.  It says that you should feed your baby every 2.5 to 3 hours (i am BF), does this mean that you should wake him from his sleep?  My DS seems to have problems going off to sleep at the moment because he was suckling on the breast to get himself off to sleep and i have now stopped that, but what happens if he has been fed and then takes him a couple of hours to fall asleep?  This would mean that he has only had an hours sleep!  Im worried that it will make him overtired.  He was a big baby when he was born, nearly 10lb but he is not chubby he is a very long skinny baby and is very hungry and tends to gulp his milk down and therefore only feeds for around 15 mins and im then worried that maybe he is still hungry in an hour or so's time.  When it comes to night feeds, the first part of the night isnt too bad, he can go down for anywhere between 3-5 hours, then he will probably only feed for around 10-15 mins and fall asleep, i tend to change him and then try and feed him again which sometimes works, but again only for 10-15 mins.  He is also a very sucky baby and i have introduced the dummy which sometimes he loves, but my question here is, is it ok for him to fall asleep with the dummy?  surely this will be the same as using the breast as a prop?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[* Paula *]

Welcome to the BW Boards, and congratulations on the birth of your DS 

At this age introducing EASY is more about just following consistency than a routine as such, as your lo is still very young and still adjusting to the outside world.

Yes, if you are looking to start EASY, I would wake your lo when he is due for a feed.  This is triaining your lo to take most of his calories during the daytime, so that he will eventually learn to sleep through the night.  I would not let him go longer than 3 hours between feeds at this age.

There is no harm introuducing a dummy at this age.  Some lo's need the extra sucking reflex, and if your lo is used to suckling to sleep, this may help break that habit.  The dummy only becomes a prop, when your lo starts waking in the night looking for the dummy, but you could generally wean him from the dummy before it becomes a prop.

With regards to nappy changes at night - there is no need really to change them unless your DS has soiled his nappy.  You want to keep the night feeds as quiet as possible, feeding in a dark room with minimal interaction, so that your lo is sleepy enough to go back to sleep.

For A time during the day after a feed a nappy change is all he will need.  As he gets older he will be able to extend his awake time, but for now, all he is going to be doing is eating and sleeping.

Have you tried Pat / Shhh to help your lo settle to sleep?  Do you swaddle?

Also if your lo wakes early from a nap you can always try Wake to Sleep to help your DS extend his naps.

Here are a few links that may be of some use to you getting you started on EASY

Starting EASY with a Newborn

How to Start your Baby on EASY

EASY Log Downloads

Hope the above info helps.

Good luck and please keep us posted on how you get on.

Paula

[RachelC]

These links from the breastfeeding FAQ board may help as well:

Breastfeeding and Easy in the first few weeks

My babys doesn't nurse as long as she used to

[*Mona*]

hi there

congrats on your new baby
here you have some links to info on starting a baby on EASY and growth spurts.
starting EASY
growth spurts

about your questions: at 2 weeks your son is very very young and you shouldn't really expect him getting on EASY just yet. right now I think you could just focus on feeding him when he's hungry and learning his cues- hungry cues and sleepy cues. It will all help you to understand his needs and put him on EASY routine when his a bit older.

if you're BFing you will probably not be able to maintain 3 hrs breaks between feeds. 2,5 hrs is much more likely but if you end up feeding him every 2 hrs it's fine as well as like I've said, he's still a tiny tiny newborn. If his sucking instinct is so strong, best thing you could do is give him a dummy to suck on when falling asleep- you surely don't won't him to get used to feeding to sleep.

try to relax and take a rest whenever you can now. it will all get better, you'll see.

whenever you have any questions just don't hesitate to ask- we're all here to help. 

Monika

[*Mona*]

lol, we have all just posted the same time...

[* Paula *]

lol 

[Jack and Cians mum]

thanks guys for your advice   Its hard to know what to do and we worry about the slightest of things, ive got a toddler at home aswell and im sure i wasnt this paranoid when i had him!!

Since DS was born i have noticed that he has two really good naps, one during the day, could be up to 5 hours! and another during the first part of the night which is great.  However i thought about starting the EASY because i cant wait for 5 hours before feeding, plus the fact he is very hungry, surely he must be starving when he wakes up.  If only i could get the two long sleeps at night!  I might try the feeding every 2-2.5 hours, provided he has had a good sleep but not let him go for longer than 3-3.5 hours, maybe that would be why he falls asleep after around 10-15 mins of feeding.  Would he be getting the hind milk if he is only feeding for this short of a time??

Ive started writing everything down and so hope a pattern will emerge. I will also use the dummy more but dont want him to get used to it as my other DS loves his dummies, and i remember the problems we had with him when he was alot younger.  Thankfully he only has them at night now and loves them for security.

I do swaddle DS but he seems to wriggle out of it every time, i suppose im worried that he will either get too hot or im swaddling him too tight, either that or im doing it completely wrong, lol.

Tracey

[RachelC]

Tracy - My dd2 was a sleepy girl and would sleep forever if I let her (during the day)... this all changed around the 2 week mark!

I would definately wake him during the day at 3 hours.... get him taking more during the day hours, which may help him sleep more at night, and also allow him to learn the difference between day and night.

Yes, he can get the hind milk in 10-15 minutes.  My girls were dubbed "super suckers" as they never fed for longer than 10 minutes (I was paranoid about dd1 until I found she gained 3 pounds in her first month!).

I am thinking the swaddle may be too loose for a 2 week old to wriggle out of 

[* Paula *]

Hugs, take a deep breath and relax.  Remember you have done this all before 

I would definitely not let your lo sleep that long during the day, as he will soon get his days confused with nights and will end up sleeping all day, and wanting to eat all night.

I would aim for 2.5 hours to 3 hours.  If he is asleep let him sleep and wake him lo later than 3 hours after the previous feed.

You could also consider clusterfeeding in the evening say at 4pm and 6 pm to help your lo tank up, and also consider doing a DF.  Remember that the cluster feeding and DF can take up to a week before you see any signs of it working.

I would not worry too much about the dummy at the moment.  You can always wean at a later stage if it starts becoming a prop.

Have you had a look at this link about Introducing EASY to a 2nd Child?

I was thinking the same thing too about the swaddle - perhaps a bit loose?