struggling with EASY

[cassidy&Jamie'smom]

I posted this on the sleep board but maybe it was more suited here...Hope someone can help.


DD is 4 weeks old today. So far i have been just "winging it" but now would really like to get her on an EASY plan since it worked so well with my first.

problem is that jamie (dd) is so hard to keep up after a feed DURING THE DAY. It seems she eats, sleeps eats, sleeps. if I try to keep her up even just with a diaper change or some face to face interaction she demonstrates all the classic signs of becoming overtired, so I listen to her cues and let her sleep, tho not for more than 2 hrs.

At nite it is a whole other ball game. I always have the lights low, minimal interaction, etc.. but she is still difficult to get down after her night feeds. She is not much for being rocked or held, so I really don't know what to try. I read the post on pat/shh technique for babies under 3 months but she sleeps on her back so i am not sure how to do the pat...

I am just a little frustrated. I know that she is only 4 wks, but i don't get some sort of structure in her day and nights I fear i will soon lose it..

Any advice?

Sheri

[KellyC]

Hi Sheri

It seems to me you're doing all you can for such a young LO by trying to do things in the right order of EAS.  My DS couldn't handle any activity at that age either so I just worked at keeping him awake for his feeds (by massaging his hands, sitting him up part way through etc.) then I would change his diaper, swaddle him and sit with him for 5 minutes in a dark room listening to lullabyes before putting him down to sleep - I would let him get very drowsy before putting him down but try not to let him fall asleep.  I also used a paci for the first 3 months (wish I'd kept it longer!) as he sometimes needed this.  To begin with I never had to use pat/shush as the paci was enough to comfort him.  When I started using pat/shush I would do it holding him as I wanted him to sleep on his back.  Now he's a little older and stronger he sleeps on his side and we pat/shush in his crib.

Do you swaddle your LO?  Zander is 15 weeks now and still can't sleep without being swaddled.

I don't know if that helps at all but good luck!

Kelly x

[Mom2katiebug]

I echo everything that Kelly said above.  My DD, Katie, struggled to sleep when eating (I struggled to keep her awake).  A diaper change was all the activity she could handle, then off to dreamland for her!

To establish some type of routine, just keep it all in the proper order (as much as you can):  Eat-Activity-Sleep.  And, wake her to eat during the day to keep her on some type of schedule and get the calories in during the daytime; let her sleep as long as possible at night.  Tracey says this helps them sort out days and nights.

For nighttime, we use every trick in the book:  white noise (rain sounds), paci, lullaby, swaddle, rocking, dim lights.  But we do try to get her in the crib awake or drowsy awake.  The shush part of pat/shh doesn't work for my DD, so we just have a pat.  And, she sleeps on her back and will tense up if I hold her on her side (HATES being on her tummy and she thinks she's going to get rolled over).  So, I pat her on her shoulder.  I really didn't even think the patting was working until 2 nights ago.  It still only works when she's sleepy/drowsy. 

I remember Katie sleeping all the time and wondering if that was normal.  Yep!  And, now I wish she'd nap like that during the day.  Usually when she's up she's cranky from not sleeping!