Hi all
I have been following an EASY pattern with my 4mo daughter since about four weeks old. It is going pretty well, she goes down for naps without too much fuss and goes to bed after her bath etc by around 7.30 each night. I dream feed at 10 or 11 (depends how tired I am!), sometimes she wakes up for this feed but goes straight back to sleep.
I have recently been trying to break the pattern of a 4am wake up. The first night I didn't get up to her, made a decision not to unless she really started crying - she didn't and went back to sleep, to wake again at around 6.30 to start the day.
The second night she cried a little more, I tried reswaddling but she was hard to settle and I was unsure whether she was hungry or not so offered her the breast - of course she took it - only a small feed and fell back asleep not to wake until 9.30am!
The third night I decided to try wake to sleep, set my alarm for 3am but when I got down there I could hear her awake and talking to herself so didn't go in, just crept back to bed. She didn't do the wake up then until 5am, when I went in and thought she must be hungry as she hadn't fed since the dream feed at 10.30pm, so fed her. Again she went back to sleep and didn't wake until 9.30am.
It was like she had done the wake to sleep technique on herself! she has been waking at 4.15 on the dot for a week and last night it was 5am.
So I guess my question is does anyone think she is actually hungry at this 4am wakeup? If I could resettle her another way I think she would make it through to a more routine 6.30/7am wakeup. The feed is obviously getting her through until the 9.30 wakeup which really throws us out for the rest of the day, especially getting her bathed and into bed at a decent hour.
Any opinions would be most appreciated.
