EASY from birth now 4 weeks and going wrong!

[Adaias mom]

Well Paula,

I decided to see if she would settle herself last night after putting her back down at 7, and she did and she slept until i sort of dream fed her at 10! It wasn't a DF as such as i got her up and changed her bum so she was alert enough to latch on. She then took a really good feed, and woke up at 1.40 this morning. I thought i was doomed to at least 2 NW when she woke this early, but i fed her then she stayed down until 10 to 6! I was very impressed. She then fed, woke on her own at 7.30 as per our routine, took a little feed and has gone straight back off as she is now used to being asleep at this time!

I think i messed up a bit by going straight in at 1.40 so tonight i will try leaving her for a bit and see if she will put off feeding for a little longer to help her get through to a time closer to 6.30-7 am. I am impressed though and the little bags under her eyes are disappearing!

I really cannot thankyou enough for all your support and helpful advice, as my household is now calm and relaxed, i have a happy baby who sleeps really well, and if the evenings go on, i will also get some me and hubby time at night!

Wonder how long it will be before the 6week GS blows it all out of the window lol. Oh she has her 6week measurements and weigh in today so am looking forward to how she is getting on as i am still EBF.

Hugs Helen xx

[Mum of girl, boy, boy]

Congrats all the mums.

Just picking up this post and finding it helpful. I've also got a 5 year old, 3 year old and 11 day old and going for EASY as much as possible. I think we are doing ok. Trying hard to not get into any bad habits but it is kinda tricky getting this monkey awake to feed sub 4 hours at the moment during the day. We had swimming tonight so thought I would try and rouse him and feed but no such luck. Seeing what you are all up to is helpful and keeping me going in the right directions.

Note to self that I really must try and do the pat / ssh at the 3rd waking tonight to avoid habits forming. It's tricky when tired not to just stick baby back down etc. We are working at it so that's the main thing.

Keep going girls it's worth it!!!!

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

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.

[Mum of girl, boy, boy]

Thanks for this post. Bringing back memories. This is exactly what I ended up doing with my DS during my daughters nap time. I committed to working at this nap per day because I knew that I couldn't do it at all of them. Gosh I can't believe how much I have forgotten but this post is helpful.

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?

[Mum of girl, boy, boy]

With my DS I found that from 6 weeks the bath time was a brilliant sleep cue. Also when we went a bit AWOL on the morning nap I could use it along with a dark room to kind bubba into a long nap am nap if needed. This worked even for my toddlers from time to time at lunch time!

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.

[Mum of girl, boy, boy]

Can you tell I'm commenting as I read the post.

I tried EASY from day 1 with my daughter. By six weeks I was feeling just like you said here. I was almost (correction - was) in tears. Hubby told me to throw the book out the window and I felt the same. Well after 3 days I returned to book because things were just as bad without it!! After 2 more weeks I started to see the rewards and all that effort I had put in in those first 6 weeks came good and you could see it. My daughters cues are still harder to read at nearly 5 than my 3 year old but goodness knows I would have been lost without EASY. When DS came along I promised myself to hold on for dear life and put the work in. I decided not to question it until 12 weeks and it all came good again but there were times it felt like I was wading through mud.

Hi Paula,

Well today has been a complete meltdown! Just when i think things are going well, they go horrible. She has slept for all of 2 1/2 hours today total. Todays routine has been:

E 0800
S 0930 - 1020

E 1030
S 1155 - 1230

E 1300
S 1400 - 1440

E 1600
S 1730 - 1800

E 1800
E 2015

She is now with dad and a dummy to keep her quiet. I have tried to get her down sooo many times today, and have spent hours shhh/patting her. I am literally sick of the sight of the nursery. Today has been a complete disaster, i haven't even got dressed! I am very fed up at mo, it seems just when i think i have done something well, everything else has gone to pot!

As for the DF interfering with sleep, i have never actually done a DF. Its just been another feed at 10 as she has always been awake at this time. My Lo only slept for an hour last night between 7 and 9 and that was the first time since birth. She is normally always awake during these hours.

Any advice would be lovely, or just a big fat shoulder to cry on. Dad doesn't understand how hard it is when you have the same thing alllll day. He moans he had a hard day at work! Oh the joy of a break!

Sorry for moaning, but feel better now...oh and i am addicted already!

Hugs xx

[Adaias mom]

Hi Paula,

Well it was all going sooo well until this afternoon when i think she may have started her 6week GS. Is it possible for her to only feed for a few hours in the day and then return to her normal routine? As she was fine until her 3rd feed, then went mad feeding and i had to do some APOP to get her to get some sleep, but then she finally fell asleep at her usual time the next nap and has just had her bath/bed routine and gone down fine. Bit strange i thought, and i am sure she wasn't OT. What do you think?

Also just thought i would let you know, i got her weighed today and she was 10lb 4oz! I am soo happy as she has put a whole lb on in 2 weeks! I was worried as before those 2 weeks i had doubted my milk supply so kept topping her up with formula, but 2 weeks ago i went back to EBF so was a bit anxious about her weight gain, (she is quite a slim baby) but she has done great! So i am now confident she is getting lots to eat. Bring on the increased supply to stop the afternoon binges lol

[* Paula *]

Hello mum of girl, boy, boy.  So pleased that this thread has been useful for you.  Feel free to ask as many questions as you need 

Helen, fantastic news on your great night  .

With regards to the extra feeds this afternoon, how close together were they?  It could very well be that your lo is hitting a growth spurt, or she could just very well be tanking up for the night.  Keep us posted on how the night goes 

[Adaias mom]

They were about an hour apart. I fed her, tried to put her down then she wanted feeding again and she emptied both breasts! Something she never does! She did this twice!

This evening has been fine though. I put her down at 6 after her bath and she went down fine, then she woke at 8, took 2 ounces off daddy out of a bottle and is back down. I'll do a DF at 10, then hopefully it'll be another good night. Will let you know. Is it possible that it could have been the growth spurt? I thought she would feed continously for days? Will her taking that extra milk be enough to increase my supply? Then again i'll probably wake up with 2 melons from it ha ha.

[* Paula *]

Definitley sounds like a growth spurt.  It can happen any time of the day.  I found that when my DD had her growth spurt she did the tanking up in the late afternoon / evening, so did not increase any NW's.  Fingers crossed this is the same for you.

Yes your supply will probably go up, and will cater for your lo's needs, but when she starts taking less, your supply will adjust.

Hope you have a good night.

[Adaias mom]

Hi Paula,

Well i gave her a DF at 10, and she took it really well, but then woke up at 1.20am and again at 5.45am. I am wondering if this is the GS and is just a coincedence that it has fallen at the same time as me sorting out the evening sleep?

I will stick with it for a week now, and see how it goes. Hopefully once its up, she will start sleeping 6 hours again as she is definately taking more milk than when she used to be awake all evening as she is rested so can feed properly instead of falling asleep after only a few sucks. Do you think a week is long enough to ride it out and see if there are any improvements?

[Isabella's Mummy (Lilab4)]

This thread has been great for me to read. I have a 12 day old DD and I am struggling to get on EASY with another demanding 3yo DD. I followed BW with DD1 from around 4 months and things were soooo much easier. This time around I wanted to start earlier, but it is so hard and DD2 is now starting to get OT and OS. Any tips for starting EASY with 2? I know that once I get it established life will be so much easier for all of us.

[* Paula *]

Hugs Helen  Yes I would definitley give it a week to see how things go.

Isabella's Mummy, have you seen this link in our FAQ's section?

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=80827.0

[Adaias mom]

Well Paula,

I think my GS is well and truly underway now! Yesterday was a disaster. Well the morning went well, but from 3pm it just went downhill. From 3 til 4.45 i fed her, swapping boobs for let downs etc, theni took her for a walk so she could get some sleep, then she fed again at 5.30, had bath/bed routine, fed about 6.00 and that went on until she finally went down about 7. She then woke at 8.20pm, 11.30pm, 02.30am and 0615, and agan at 0830! Have just put her down now. I am so glad i went to bed after her 8.20 feed otherwise i would be exhausted now! Also her 0230am feed went on until 03.45am as she was sick, so had to change her, then she decided she wanted more food, then she was OT and it just went on! Took her ages to settle.

Please tell me i will be able to get back into my dream routine that i had as right now i am just thinking its all gone wrong! Also why is it, just when you finally get confidence in the amount of milk you have and your ability to BF well, she has a GS and it all vanishes again and i sit there doubting my self again!

Oh the joys eh.  Sorry to be miserable x

[Adaias mom]

Hi Again!

Tell me if you get bored of my running commentry!

Today she has fed every 2 hours, so i have just kept her awake time as short as poss and gave her as many short naps as poss! I think i have more milk today as she hasn't had to empty them over and over to get enough milk. She actually hasn't emptied
both at once yet! Also i think by expecting it i have had more control.

Due to the short feeds though her bed/bath routine happened earlier, but i think she needs the extra bit of sleep. I put her down when she started to get sleepy during feeding and after a few mins fuss she went to sleep, so she obviously had enough milk. I'll make sure i feed her again a few times before i go to bed to try and limit the NW's but this is day 3 of the GS now so hopefully it won't last forever! I just keep telling myself it wont last much longer! 

Well i'm off to the chip shop now as due to my 50mins between feeding ending and starting i haven't sorted anything for tea!

[* Paula *]

Wow it definitely does sound like your growth spurt is well and truly underway.  Sounds like your supply is adjusting perfectly.  Don't doubt yourself hun  She would not settle for sleep if she was still hungry.

Yes, you will get your routine back, but it will just take a bit of tweaking to get it back to where you were.  One thing I have found by having 2 lo's is that as soon as you think you have them sussed and everything is on track, they throw us a curve ball, and make us wonder what is going on.  They sure do keep us on our toes