9 week old EASY?!

[sianipeters]

Hoping you can help! My daughter is now 9weeks and we have been trying to implement EASY since birth.... our days mostly look like this..

E- 7.00am
A (only manages 30mins)
S - 7.30

E-9.30
A-
S-10.30/11.00 for about an hour

E-12.30
A- limited here dependant on last sleep length
S- 1.30 (best nap of the day- often having to wake her up)

E-3.30
A-
S-4.30 (hard work getting her off to sleep for this one- often ends up waking after 30mins)

E-5.30 (tanking up? but she is often crying at this point)
A-bath or not, gets ready for bed

E-6.30/7.00
S-7ish

But then my husband gives her a bottle of EBM between 10.30/11. She only takes 1oz, sometimes 2, and can be awful to settle back with my husband crawling into bed at 1am most nights (thats without intentionnally waking her up and not changing her nappy). Can't work out why! She can then be up in the night two more times to feed but seems ok to settle back for me after BF. I then wake her at 7 and we start again.

I cant work out what's happening in the night or why! She has a few times managed 5/6 hour stretch but this seems random. My older daughter was sleeping through from 11pm til 7 at this point and we havent even dropped one feed yet!?

She's ganing weight well but is very windy so wondered if that might be disturbing her sleep? have tried the usual infacol/gripe water but no improvement.

Any ideas very welcome! Thanks for reading !

[Ima shel Alon]

Do you mean he gives a DF at 22:30-23 or she wakes crying and he offers a feed?

[sianipeters]

It's usually an attempt at a dream feed but she occasionally wakes up for it as he's getting the bottle ready. 

[Ima shel Alon]

Ok, now I get it. As a start I would think to try and let her wake up for this feed by herself because maybe she really doesn't like to be woken up for the DF. I know, usually one doesn't wake up the baby for a DF but sensitive babies DO wake up when lifted out of the cot.
Have you considered Reflux? I am just thinking that she IS probably hungry by then as last feed is at 18:30-19 but maybe she doesn't take much of the bottle because she is in pain? That would also explain why it takes so long for her to settle back to sleep.
Could you tell me what is he doing when he tries to settle her? Is there any prop or AP that would make her fall asleep fast?

[sianipeters]

I had considered reflux but she seems quite settled for her other feeds and is happiest lying on her back in the day. She has more recently been very sleepy for the dream feed but is clamping down and not drinking at all. My husband is trying for an hour with no success! For the last two days ive been expressing milk at the 3.30/4pm feed to give her that in a bottle - she is really fussy and takes an hour to take 2oz 

I'm desperate for her to get better taking a bottle as we're suposed to be going to the theatre next weekend and she needs to take a bottle from her grandmother!

I've worked out that if she took a bigger feed at 10.30pm then she would go longer through the night giving me more than a few hours sleep. Just how to do it!?

[Erin M]

Is the dream feed bottle the only bottle she's getting during the day?  It could be that the flow is too fast or that she needs a different bottle type. 

[Ima shel Alon]

Have you considered not doing the DF for a couple of night to see if you are getting a better night? An hour to try and give a DF is a long time .
I agree with Erin, perhaps there is something with the bottle that is bothering her.

[sianipeters]

Last night after hearing her crying again for my husband (10pm), i decided to join them!She's basically hungry and routing lots but when offered the bottle she would latch on hungrily then suck suck choke, cry, arch back, fuss etc. I'd wind her, and then more of the same. It's the lowest level teat option so isn't pouring out at her. we tried again for nearly an hour whereby she fell asleep from being so tired. I then saw her again at 1.30am and 5.00am 

We've tried the Dr Browns bottles and then the last few days have switched to MAM ones as recommended by a friend with similar problems.

The last few days when i have tried to give her a bottle in the day (EBM) she's taken an age, fussing and crying but not choking (same bottle and teat).

I don't understand why she struggles so much more in the night?! This is probably now an issue for the bottle feeding board?

If she had a good dream feed then i may only be up once in the night with her. As things are I'm worried she'll get used to waking and will struggle to ever STTN! 

[Erin M]

It seems like your issue is more with the bottle -- some babies are really resistant to them.  Have you seen this: Breastfed babies and bottles -- there is lots of good info there.