3hr to 4hr at 2months?

[drsinpa]

I am wondering if anyone has switched from 3 hr EASY to 4 hr EASY at 2 months instead of 3 months?  The situation we have could be due to a variety of causes and I am trying to think this through before deciding what to try first.  Some background:

N is the third LO in the house right now.  A is 5YO and O is 2YO.  A is pretty calm, but O is a bit of a wild child.  N is 10 weeks now.  She was 8.5 lbs at birth and gaining very well as EBF baby despite having some food issues that I believe I now have a handle on (she is very sensitive to dairy, gluten, and soy).  Due to the older 2 LOs, she mostly naps off and on in my carrier/wrap.  She does get a good nap in the bassinet during O's afternoon nap.  She started sleeping through the night (8:30p-7a) at 8 weeks.  This seemed to coincide with a growth spurt because she was eating a lot during the day.  Since then, however, she has started napping less and less well during the day.  She doesn't seem as hungry at feedings.  And this week she has started getting up early in the morning to eat again - anytime between 2:30-5a.  Here is her routine during the day:
E - 7a
S - 8:30a (roughly)
E - 10a
S - 11:30a (roughly)
E - 1a while O settles in for his nap
S - 2p
E - 4p
S - 5:30 (roughly - though this is always the most chaotic time of the day when DH and my teens are all coming home)
E - 7p
S - 8:30p

She was my biggest baby, so I am thinking that it's possible that she's just ready to start moving toward 4hr EASY?  Could be that she's OT/OS, but my others consistently had a waking at 11p when that was the case and she isn't doing that.  Doesn't seem to be food related - unless perhaps my body didn't quite catch up with her growth spurt?  Thoughts?
Danielle

[jessmum46]

The main determining factor in switching to a 4h EASY (usually between 3-4m) is actually the A time LO can handle, not just how long they can manage between feeds.  How long are your naps typically at the moment?  I'm guessing when you say she isn't napping well that the EASY you posted is more of an ideal than what is actually happening?

What makes you think she isn't as hungry at feed times?  Could it be she is just feeding more efficiently?

It's very normal for a EBF baby to have at least one night feed at this age, and it's also normal for night feeds to come and go.  Do you do a DF? 

[drsinpa]

Well, I suppose that's the tricky thing in this situation.  The times that she eats and goes to sleep are pretty consistent, but because she mostly naps off and on (with the exception of that one good afternoon nap) it is difficult to say how much time she spends awake and how much time she spends sleeping.  She often wakes up before her feeding, but is content to wait until I prompt her to eat.  She is definitely most efficient and she eats okay, but it just seems like I am telling her when it's time to eat rather than her telling me when she is hungry.

I have never used the dream feed (with any of my babies).  They are all pretty heavy sleepers and I find that the only way I can get them to latch on is to unswaddle them and change their diaper.  Since they have all started sleeping through the night at around 8 weeks, I haven't felt compelled to push it (yes, I know I am spoiled).

[drsinpa]

I have been continuing to think about your reminder that A times are important and your question about why I feel that she isn't hungry at E time.  This morning, she was clearly hungry at breakfast - rooting and impatiently trying to suck on my arm while I got ready to nurse.  She was up for a total of 1.5 hours before drifting off.  She slept for about an hour, but then was mostly up for the last 30 minutes of S time.  So then I went ahead and fed her at the regular E time, but just sucks half-heartedly and ends up going back to sleep.  Does that make sense?  I think it seemed more straightforward with my others because they were able to nap in their beds for every nap.

[jessmum46]

It can be really tricky with these LOs can't it?  I was in a similar situation to you in that my LO didn't really show hunger signs (certainly never really demanded) and slept through early on, no dream feed.  Lucky us hey?

If you feel she can go longer than 3h between feeds, just try it and see.  Some babies are more than happy to go 4h at this age.  It may just be that she doesn't follow a standard EAS pattern (more like EASAEAS) until her A times catch up with her E times, and that's fine