Starting EASY from day 1

[MadeleinesMummy]

I am due anyday now, and am excited to start EASY from day 1.  I've read the book twice, and read many posts on this site but now am confused!!!  Too much information!!!  What advice would you give a novice who wants to use EASY from the get-go?  What is important?  In hindsight what would you have done differently from day 1?  Any help would be appreciated.  Plus, I still don't quite understand what a dream feed is?

thanks!

[*Mona*]

hi

congrats on your soon to arrive new baby

starting easy with a newborn is not exactly possible, as newborns are all about basic instincts eat-sleep-feel mommy's love etc. and you can't 'force' a newborn into a routine. it takes about 5 to 7 weeks for a routine to settle [sometimes shorter].
what you needs to do from the start thou is to observe your baby closely and learn her/his cries, sounds, faces, preferences etc., to learn her cues and to follow them. you need to learn to know when she/he's crying because of hunger and when because of being tired and not feed her/him when she/he's showing tired signs and not being hungry [a very common 'mistake' ].
the point is to try to maintain the rhythm of sleep-eat-play-sleep-eat.... and avoid feeding to sleep, except for the middle of the night feeds when any activity should be avoided.

DF is feeding your baby at night [around 10pm or so] in her/his sleep to fill her/him up for the night and have your baby not waking up later at night to feed. does not work for everyone but it's worth trying. not really for newborns, they eat 24hrs anyway

good luck
Monika

[Samuel's mum]

You also need to spend a while getting to know your baby, listening to their cries, seeing how they communicate, building your own confidence as a 'listening' mummy. You make observations, make logs, try and relax a bit.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself at the beginning.
If you are going to breastfeed you may find this helpful:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64627.0

Your first EASY routines should come in response to their natural cues. A very young baby will feed unpredictably, be on a constant growth spurt, fall asleep feeding, not necessarily have an obvious A time. None of this is 'wrong' - it's the way nature makes it. Don't worry if it takes time for a routine to develop. Have support and look after yourself and listen to your mummy instincts.
It may be a good idea to try not to feed to sleep if you can but to be honest it can be virtually impossible to keep a very young baby awake when they are feeding (if you are breastfeeding the milk contains high levels of a sleep-inducing hormone called oxytocin - this fades after a few weeks which is one of the reasons EASY can be easier to establish once they are a little older.)

[Grace's Mom]

In hindsight what would you have done differently from day 1?

I would have enjoyed it more.  I didn't know about BW yet and was following another book and stressed out for the first two months about having her on a more ridged routine and because I was so wrapped up in that I didn't take the time to really get to know my baby and enjoy her being so young.   

I think it's great that you are started with some really great habits from the very beginning.  That will help you greatly. 

Congrats and praying you have a really wonderful delivery and time with your baby. 

Melissa

[**Clare**]

You've got some fantastic advice here so ill just ditto what everyone else has said!!! Good luck and welcome!!

 

[IndiaJenn]

I didn't start EASY until the 2nd month (didn't hear about the BW until then) but the biggest thing that I would change with my first few days is that I would have let my little one nurse a lot more until the milk came in (my well-meaning but childless midwife told me not to let him nurse if he wasn't actually drinking -- impossible before the milk comes in, and I think the advice delayed it). I'd also not freak so much about only bf-ing -- my ds screamed the entire second day of his life because he was hungry (I found this out in hindsight when on day 3 we gave him 2 Tbsp of sugar water and he slept for 6 hours after no sleep the previous day).

Good luck I'm going to start earlier (or at least start observing earlier) next time around.

[ShelleyE]

Totally totally agree with Graces Mom on this one - take time to enjoy your new baby as their babyhood is over so quickly.  It may seem impossible at times and you will be exhausted have no doubt but really cherish this special time without getting too caught up in what you are "supposed" to be doing.  Enjoy your baby, hold him/her and love him/her.  Every time you feel sad or angry/frustrated (and you will believe it or not!) just look at your baby and think about how infinitely precious they are and what you went through to make sure that they got here safely.  Sometimes you lose sight of why you even had a baby in the first place with the pressures around you to be "perfect".
Everything will come in time and despite you sometimes, not because of you!  As Tracy says in her book, most babies will sleep through from 12 weeks and its not such a long time on the scale of things.  The feeding part can be the most frustrating - getting them to take enough and breastfeeding itself can be very very hard work.  I would say to you from experience with DD #1 don't get too hung up on BF as if it is causing you more problems and heartache you will not be a happy mummy - and every baby deserves a healthy and happy mum.  You will make your own decisions I am sure and can only take others experiences as a guide.  I have just had my second baby girl and she is now a week old.  I too wanted to implement EASy as far as possible from day one but its verydifficult to do with these sleepy little ones!  The advice that I have had is that most babies respond better from about six weeks and to try to incorporate certain things like a bathtime routine and a regular wake up routine to start with and that the rest will come. 

wishing you all the very best for the rest of your pregnancy and the safe arrival of your baby

Shelley

[tylersmommy]

You can always have the EASY routine in the back of your mind, but like the other gals said, you really can't have much of a routine until 6-8 wks. One thing I did from the start with both my kiddos was wake them every 2-3 hrs for feeds during the day. This can help newborns learn the difference between day and night, ensures they're getting enough to eat, and gets them used to eating on a routine. Of course, feed anytime your LO is hungry in those early days/weeks, but if you have a sleepy baby I think it's important to wake for feeds during the day.

Like the other gals said, def enjoy those early weeks. They're tough but so amazing, and it's easy for time to slip by and the next thing you know, your sweet newborn is walking and talking. Best of luck!