EASY from birth now 4 weeks and going wrong!

[thomassm]

I have but my baby boy on EASY from birth cos it worked well for my daughter, now don't get me wrong I don't expect miracles cos he is still only 4 weeks, but we were doing well and only 1 night waking and he was self soothing himself off to sleep, no rocking or nursing to sleep.

But last night was horrendous, I couldn't get him to sleep until 4am and I had to be up at 6.30 so I am shattered.  He didn't have a nap before his bath-time, do you think this could have affected it?  Or could it just be a growth spurt, cos today has been a bit or a nightmare as well, he has wanted to feed alot more and he has had trouble falling asleep again.

I will keep at it, cos EASY was the only thing that kept me sane with my daughter and we had it cracked by 9 weeks after only 3 weeks of trying. 

Will things just fall into place by 6 weeks if I keep going.

[* Paula *]

Hugs sorry you have had such a rough night.

Yes, if your lo skips a nap, and is awake longer that can definitely make him OT, and this can cause NW's

At this age, he is probably only going to be awake for about 45 mins - 1 hour max including the time it takes him to feed.

If he skips a nap, I would aim for an earlier bedtime and leave the bath time routine out.

Can you post what your day looks like at the moment so that we can have a look at it.

E
A - how long
S - how long.

[thomassm]

Ok thanks for replying, it goes something like this

E - 6am
A - 6.40am
S - 6.55am

E - 9am
A - 9.40am
S - 10am

E - 12pm
A - 12.40pm
S - 13pm

E - 15.30pm
A - 16.10pm
S - 17pm

18.00 bathtime, then feed then bed, feed again between 22.00-23.00 (struggle to settle him after this) then another feed at 4am(ish)

When written down this looks perfect but it isn't always like this but its what I aim for, I have a 4yr old and I have to get her to school so thats why the 6am wakeup for bubs.

Your right when I tried the bathtime routine he was way too tired by this point, and that set off a bad night.

[* Paula *]

Looking at the routine that you are aiming for, it looks really good.  Remember your lo is only 4 weeks old, and he is not going to be following a strick routine at this age.  As long as you are following the concept of EASY, that is what youa re aiming for. 

The 22:00pm feed, are you doing this while your lo is asleep, or do you wait for him to wake up?   

[thomassm]

he is usually awake at this time, can't seem to catch him for the dream feed.

Also want to ask about short nap times, do I s/p or allow him to wake when he wants to.

[Adaias mom]

Hi,

Sorry to but in on your forum but i have a quick question. My LO doesn't sleep from 7 until a dream feed like most, she instead chooses to scream if i try and put her down, and goes on a feedin frenzy for these 3 hours! It seems to work as at only 3 weeks i had a 6 hour stretch our of her, and still now at 5 weeks its the same, so we haven't had a peaceful evening since she was born! Any advice?

Sorry went off on a tangent then, my quick question was about doing a dream feed on a breast fed baby? As mine will not feed if she is asleep, and i have tried sticking mipple in her mouth, tickling the top lip etc, but to no avail. Its my first baby so i have soo many questions but will try not to bombard the forum!

Many Thanks xx

[* Paula *]

thomassm - how long into the naps is your lo waking?  Does your lo wake happy or crying?

Adaias mom, Welcome to the forum.  Please can you post what your routine so that we can see what your day looks like
E
A - how long
S - how long including wind down routine.

With regards to the DF, have you tried offering a bottle of Expressed Breast Milk?  Might be easier to get her to take a bottle.

[lele]

I am so glad i found this post, my lo will be 4 weeks tomorrow so we are in a similar boat.  although it seems you are doing better sticking to EASY than i am.  I am trying but also have a 3 and 5 year old.  I have also wondered what to do when my lo wakes after only a short time of sleep.  She seems to have the order right, she knows after she sleeps she wants to eat but if she has only been asleep for 30-45 minutes it seems way too early.  I have also wondered if I should try pat/shhhh.

[Adaias mom]

My routine is as follows:
E 0700/0730
S 0830-0930

E 1000
S 1100 - 1230 ISH

E 1300
S 1400 - 1500 OR MAYBE LESS

E 1600
S 1700 - 1800 ON A WALK

E 1830 ISH
E 1930
E 2050
E 2145

She may catnap for 10 mins or so inbetween these feeds but absolutely screams if i try and put her down. She also doesn't really sleep all those times, thats a good day!

Thanks for your advice in advance

[* Paula *]

lele, it sounds like your lo is not getting into the next phase of sleep.  I would stay in your lo's room when she goes down for a nap.  What her closely, and when you see her starting to jolt, put pressure on her legs, and pat / shhh her into the next phase of sleep.  You may need to do this up until the 45 minute - 1 hour mark.  Doing this for a few days, will help your lo learn how to transition int the next stage of sleep.  Do you swaddle?  If your lo is swaddled, it does make it easier for them to transition as their bodies do not jolt as much with them being wrapped up.

Adaias, perhaps after the cat nap between 5 -6, you could do bath as A time, then Feed your lo in a dark quiet room and try and put your lo straight down for bed and see how things go.

How are her naps generally?  On a bad day, what does her day look like?

[Adaias mom]

Well its just taken me over an hour to get her down! Today has been as follows:

She didn't feed well at 10pm last night so she was up at 2.30 then 5.30 even though normally she sleeps from 10 til 4 then after only 15 mins goes down til 7. But anyway so er first fed was at 8.

E 8am
S 9.15 til 11(but was fretful as i was out and she was in her car seat)

E 11am
S 1145 - 1215 ( had to go pick the dogs up. Tried to get her back down after but she just cried and wanted feeding)

E 1330
S Finally got her down at 1440. Massively OT and was a nightmare, but got her down eventually

She is still asleep now, but normally this nap won't last more than an hour, and then she won't sleep properly until she drops to sleep at 10 from exhaustion!

I will try feeding her at 4, then go for a walk and see if i can feed her and get her straight down. I find bathing her when she is slightly hungry or tired massively upsets her, but i will try and see. Will let you know how i get on!

Thanks for your advice!

Helen

[* Paula *]

Hugs Helen 

Perhaps with regards to the bath, if she is hungry, you could do a split feed.  Feed her half before bath, do bath, and finish the feed after the bath, so she is nice and relaxed and cosy for bedtime.

Sorry about the rough day, it does sound like she was OT.  We always found that if we had a bad nap day due to errands etc, we would stay at home the next day to try and catch up on naps and get back on track - are you able to do this?

[Adaias mom]

Hi Paula,

Yes i am going to stay home for the next few days to help her get back on track. I tried the bath bed thing tonight and she was great! Well as great as i can expect.

She seemed to really enjoy her bath, then she fed quite well and even though she was massively OT as she was woken several times by wind (bloody wind!) and it took an hour to get her down, she is now asleep at this time for the first time since she was born!

Oh and she also slept from 1440 til 1640 earlier. First for that too as she has never napped in her cot for more than an hour and a bit!

Just got to keep going now, and keep her to it so she gets used to sleeping at this time. I'll keep you posted as to how i get on, but many thanks for your advice. Also being able to identify her Sleep Cues and knowing what she is telling me has helped no end!

Big Hugs to all! xx

[* Paula *]

Fantastic news.  You are on the right path 

If you use this as part of your wind down routine - not sure if you bath every day, but if you do, it can become a good sleep cue for her.

You are doing a great job, things will get better I promise.

[Adaias mom]

Hi,

Well last night went pretty well. She slept from 8ish til about 10 to 9, then i gave her a dummy until quarter to 10 when the hubby gave her a bottle and put her to bed. She took just under 5 oz and went down brilliantly! My only problem is that for the last 3 nights she has woken twice. Once at 2 to 2.30 and again 5 to 5.30.

Should i cluster feed her at 7, 9, and 11 (DF). She woke up naturally at 10 to 9 anyway and seemed hungry so this may be a good thing. What do you think?

Oh and today is going ok. She fed at 8, and it took a while as again OT, My child seems to be constantly OT, but she went down after alot of shhhing, but she settled herself which is good. She even awoke after about 5 mins, let out a cry and has gone back off. Will let you know how the rest of the day goes.

BTW, i have to say that i love this site! It has helped me no end, and given me so much confidence in my abilities as being a mom, as i live 200 miles away from my nearest relative so i am pretty much unsupported.

Thanks for your support

Big Hugs!