E takes too long, no time for A

[mayamom]

Hello - I posted this on the EASY forum but someone suggested I post it here too.  I just started EASY about a week ago.  My daughter is 10 weeks old.  Before starting EASY, it was very difficult to get her to sleep and she would get very OT by the afternoon.  Now, I try to get her to sleep before she gets too tired.  As soon as I see her first yawn, we start wind-down.  Her A time is usually 50-60 minutes. 

The problem is that she takes a long time to eat (she is breastfed), so this leaves little time for any actual activity (except changing her diaper).  I have been having to wake her from her naps so I think she is still tired.  What should I do?

Here is our schedule:

E - 7:30am - 8:20am
A - 8:20am - 8:30am
S - 8:30am - 10:30am (start wind-down at 8:30, usually asleep by 8:50am)

E - 10:30am - 11:20am
A - 11:20am - 11:30am
S - 11:30am - 1:30pm (start wind-down at 11:30, usually asleep by 11:50am)

E - 1:30pm - 2:20pm
A - 2:20pm - 2:30pm
S - 2:30pm - 4:30am (start wind-down at 2:30, usually asleep by 4:50am)

E - 4:30pm - 5:15pm
A - 5:15pm - 5:30pm
S - 5:30pm - 6:15pm (she doesn't always sleep here)

E - 6:15pm - 7:00pm
A - 7:00pm - 7:30pm (bath)

E - 7:30pm
S - 7:45pm/8:00pm

She will then wake up between 1:30 and 4:00 am to eat again.  Then usually stays alseep until I wake her at 7:30am.

She is a good sleeper when she finally falls asleep.  But, I feel like she will be behind developmentally b/c she has no time to play/learn.  Has anyone had the same problem?  Do I need to just wait until she can handle a longer A time?

She takes so long to eat b/c she falls asleep most of the time.  She will eat for 7-8 minutes, then fall asleep, eat more, fall asleep.  I change her diaper in between boobs to wake her up.  It helps for a little bit but then she falls alseep again.  I try everyting to keep her awake during feeds but she still falls asleep.

[EllenS]

This is really normal.  Her A times are normal for her age.  Your baby will NOT be behind.  She is receiving all the stimulation her brain can handle just from being in contact with you and the sensory experiences of touch, diapering, bath, etc.  Tiny babies need far LESS stimulation than you'd expect.  It's great that you can tell her tired cues and know when she needs more sleep, etc. 

Most newborns "wake up" somewhere between 10-12 weeks.  If she is gaining weight appropriately and having plenty of wet & poopy diapers, I wouldn't worry.

I might, however, just to make your life easier, do a close observation on those feed times - what is the signal that makes you decide she is "done" rather than just falling asleep again?  Can you tell when she is really swallowing milk and when she's just sucking for comfort?  She may be finishing her feeds a bit sooner than that and using you for a pacifier.  There's nothing "wrong" about that, it is perfectly natural, but it can be a bit draining and you might be able to end the feed sooner and get on with other things.

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Hi, like Ellen has said your routine looks really good. My ds was always a long feeder, until someone suggested how many letdowns was i getting. When i consentrated on a feed i noticed that there was two close together (10-15 mins) then nothing for about another 10-15 mins, so after the fisrt two letdowns i switched to the other side and did the same again and he seemed much more content and the feeds ended up much quicker. Have you noticed what your letdowns are like?

Kate x

[mayamom]

Thanks for the replies.  I usually just go by time.  She will suck good for 7-10 minutes then slow down.  If I pull her off, she curls her mouth like she wants more so I put her back on.  After about 15-20 minutes (she isn't sucking the whole time), I decide to switch sides.

I think I only get one let down at the beginning.  Sometimes, if she is on for 15 minutes I will feel another one but not every feed. 

I'll pay more attention today and see how it goes. 
Thanks.