My 11 week old son has started to wake more frequently in the night after the introduction of a DF.We have followed routine from about a week old, using Baby Whisperer EASY and a little bit of another sleep method. Tried to combine the two.
He has a good daytime routine and is very content during the day (see routine below), naps well and settles with swaddling and about 5 mins shush pat easily. Rarely use dummy only if needed during wind down.
We were following his lead regarding night time feeds when we would feed him when he woke-this was about 12am-1am, occasionally 2am, and then he would wake for a feed again at about 5-5.30am. He is EBF (single-side feeding) but would take one of the night feeds via a bottle of expressed milk which DH would give. We were happy with this as he was managing 1 long stretch of 5-6 hours but thought it might be wise to start a DF which was a better time for DH.
We have been doing it for 2 weeks, with a DF at 10.30pm (taking 6oz via bottle easily and going back to sleep) but we are finding he now wakes for 2 breast fed feeds which are getting earlier and earlier each night and then he's becoming very difficult to settle afterwards. Last night he woke at 1.20am and I tried settling him for 30 mins with dummy and shush/pat, he slept for 15mins then woke again. I then fed him, he didn't eat for long maybe 8 mins,whilst usually he'll eat for 20-30 mins during day, and then wouldn't settle. He finally settled for an hour only and woke again at 4.10am. I left him to cry for 10 mins but he didn't fall back to sleep. DH spent 30 mins settling him, and he did fall asleep for about 1 hour again. He woke at 6.15am crying again so I fed him and he only drank for 5 mins and was not interested in dummy either. Fortunately he did settle till 7.30 this am. I'm exhausted!!I don't mind feeding him twice in night if he's really hungry, but the crying isn't a hunger cry, I think he just wants to suck, and when he is fed he's only taking a small amount. He doesn't suck well on a dummy and it falls out really easily or he spits it out.
Can't work out what doing wrong, or whether its developmental stuff, growth spurt (but not eating more during day, sticking with 3 hours), or he's got bad sleep associations (but he settles well during day with little input).
Please help!!
Should I lose the dream feed and go back to following his lead and hope we will only have 2 feeds between 7pm and 7am again or should I stick with it??
Yesterdays EASY routine:
7.30 am wake
E 7.30am
A 8.00am-8.45
S 8.45 wind down then sleep by 8.55 Sleep till 10.15 ( I wake him for next feed)
E 10.30am
A 11-11.40am
S 11.40am wind down then sleep by 11.50 Sleep till 2.15pm ( I wake him)
E 2.15pm-2.45
A 2.45pm-4.00 (we were out so more difficult to wind down and put to sleep but not terribly fussy)
S 4pm-5pm
E 5pm-5.30pm
A bathtime and bedtime routine 5.30-6.30
E 6.30-6.45
S wind down 6.45, asleep (awake in cot when put down) by 7pm
DF 10.30pm
Thanks,
Claire (mum to george 11 weeks old)
