2 x really silly questions about Shh-pat and waking from naps

[anna*]

Hi

I'm just starting (literally, just started yesterday) with my 11 week old boy trying to get on a consistent 3-hour EASY. With shh-pat, we're supposed to pat on the back, right? Well, Stanley sleeps in a miracle swaddle blanket that holds his arms down by his sides. So if I tilt him onto his side so that I can get at his back, he's effectively lying on his arm. Is that right?

Also, if he naps past the three hour mark (ie he fed at 7, still asleep at 10), should I wake him or let him sleep on into the next three hour chunk of time?

thanks from a newbie

anna
x

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi Anna

Ideally you would do shh/pat by patting on the middle of his back but it is also effective on his chest or arm if you prefer him to sleep on his back. My ds also slept in a miracle blanket and I would position him on his side, simply because he seemed more comfortable like that. So yes, he was effectively sleeping on his arm but didn't seem to mind.

As for the other question I am not sure what your routine is to answer that better but a 3 hour nap seems pretty long to me, if it were me I would wake him for his feeds so you can really get him in a routine.
HTH

jess x

[anna*]

Thanks for the reply Jess! I've been sort of tilting him a few degrees onto his arm so that I can pat his back, and then when he's asleep and I stop patting him rolling him onto his back. It seems to work so far.

I'm trying to get him on a three hour EASY, so I was just wondering about oversleeping, ie if he sleeps past the start of the next three-hour chunk. But I think I'll wake him for feeds, because otherwise we'll never get into a routine.

Have a lovely day! It's beautifully sunny here and Stan has been all sunny smiles this morning, so I don't feel so bad despite the night of no sleep!

anna
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[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi Anna

Sorry for taking so long to reply, how are you getting on with Stan's sleep?

As you said about getting into a routine, that's what I would do, anyway, to try to balance out his naps and feeds as much as possible. Keeping in mind, of course, that not every baby slips easily into the ideal EASY routine in the beginning so don't get too stressed out about it. But I would try to be strict with restricting the length of his naps so that he wakes up and eats on the 3 hour mark and you have more likelihood that he won't need quite as many feeding during the night.

HTH!
jx

[*Nicola*]

Hiya

Tracey advises that you pretty much always wake to feed. So even if you just get LO settled and it is 20 mins til feeding time you wake him up, feed and then bring next nap forward. 

We have always woken DD for feeds.  In the early days I would pretty much always feed at the 3 hour mark.  Now that she has a good routine established I am a bit more flexible but never more than 30 mins. 

Of course, if LO is poorly etc then you would be adapting things to him but mainly we wake to feed 

[Jennerific]

everyone is right, wake them up if they're sleeping past a feeding, otherwise that negates the whole point of going on a routine right?

we couldn't do the back pat thing, so instead we did the shushh part with a gentle but firm hand on the chest or patting on the chest. i know its unconventional, but it worked for us.

[anna*]

Wonderful to have so much support - thank you! I've been waking Stan to make sure he eats every 3hrs and he's feeding brilliantly, full feeds on both sides every time.

Jess, nights are pretty bad at the moment. Last night I was up 3 times and after the last time (5.15) he didnt really settle. I gave up and started the day at 6.30.

He's on the 91st centile for weight and took a full 7oz at dreamfeed so I dont know how he can be that hungry! Part of the problem is also wind - after a night feed, no burps are forthcoming no matter how long we try for, and they inevitably come back to haunt us later. If he only took one feed in the night there would be less gas to contend with too!

Hey ho. We'll get there, I hope 

anna
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[jess, lukeys_mom]

Poor you, you must be tired Hope you are getting to catch up during naps.

As you said you are just starting a routine, and hopefully once he falls into it more smoothly you will get less NWs especially for food.

Gas is a pretty common thing in babies his age, my ds was very gassey/colicky and the gas would get compounded with night feedings so that by 4.30 or so he had a really hard time resettling. It does go away in time though, and luckily your ds is already 11weeks so he should be pretty close to getting a more mature tummy.

Re the DF, For us since Luke was so gassy I had to stop that for a while as it wasn't seeting him well in the beginning and it was actually creating a problem rather than solving one (everyone has different experiences! but ours was due to the gas). However when his tummy was more mature around 14 or 15 weeks we started the DF again and boy did we all sleep peacefully then......

[anna*]

Thank you Jess! We had a much better night last night. He still woke twice to feed, but I persevered longer at winding him after each feed and did eventually manage to get a small burp up each time. I figured it was better to have him a little more awake (apparently Stan can't burp in his sleep), and spend a little longer settling him back afterwards, than to be woken up again and again later in the night. (what can I say I blame sleep deprivation on my logic failure prior to last night 

I know better than to assume that tonight will be better too, but goodness I feel a lot better today!

anna
x

[Jennerific]

there is a product, called K.I.D.S by Homeocan, the formula "colic" is almost an instant gas reliever, it also takes care of tummy pains associated with gas. my baby didn't have colic, i'm sure you'rs doesn't either - but this product, wow is all i can say! it literally saved my life in the first few months

anyway if you have a natural food store close to you, see if you can find it. give it to him before a feed & i promise you will see burps immediately after

here is a link for the box:
http://www.healthatyourdoorstep.com/catalog/item/4507669/4732267.htm

the ingredients work like this...

THERAPEUTIC INDICATIONS:

COLOCYNTHIS: Relieves baby’s violent intestinal colic pain, agitation and irritability. Also helps dispel abdominal gas and soothe nausea and vomiting.

MAGNESIA PHOSPHORICA: Recommended during acute colic attacks with violent cramps appearing and disappearing quickly.

CHAMOMILLA: Indicated in cases of acute attacks of gastralgia, flatulent colic with fetid gas and eructations that smell like rotten eggs. Stomach ache. These symptoms are generally accompanied by anger, nervousness, agitation, hypersensitivity and bad humor. Feel improvement by applying warm compresses.


DIOSCOREA: Excellent remedy used for acute intestinal spasmodic attacks with strong pain.

[jess, lukeys_mom]

will have to remember that for the next one (though fingers crossed that he or she does NOT have colic!!!)

[Jennerific]

well, like i said above, mine didn't have colic (there were no hours long bouts of crying) but he DID have bad gas & this product really helps with that

[christiewi]

Just wanted to say hi and offer support!  My Noah (12 weeks) was/is the same way...I never knew it could be so hard to burp a baby!!!  We were in the same boat as you; some nights we would try for 45 minutes and still...NOTHING!  And just like you, it always came back to get us when the poor thing would cry in pain from 4-6 each morning.  SO hard for him and us!  But, like Lukeys_Mom said, it does get so much better with time.  We can almost always get a burp out of him now, sometimes he even does it on his own, and his stomach/gas problems are almost gone.  Still happens occasionally (like this morning), but it is more the exception than the norm.  Thank goodness for temporary problems!  Good luck!

[anna*]

Thank you Christie! It's good to hear that Noah is suffering less with gas these days. Stanley turns 12 weeks this weekend, so I hope the end is in sight for his tummy troubles!

anna
x

[Jennerific]

once liam turned 4 months his tummy problems pretty much disappeared overnight. so hang in there!!