Need help with cluster feeding...

[emuk00]

Hi Sarah!

I used EASY for my DD too she is 20 months now, just finding it difficult to do the ssh/pat etc with two but we are getting there slowly!

Gonna try some cluster feeds again tonight, she fed 1 hour and a bit later today so its pushed everything back a little. Gonna feed her at 4.30pm and try 6.30pm for bed time then 8.30pm maybe and DF hopefully. Then she will wake around the 2/3am mark as per usual

I am Emma

[huntersmummyinoz]

sara, just wanted to add that while your bub is soooooo little it's fine to pat/shh until fast asleep on your shoulder. over time start to put her down drowsy and then gradually more and more awake, but for now she is so tiny it's fine to get her fast asleep and work on establishing the rest of the routine.
good luck

[Intransit]

Huntersmommy: Thank you..Ive def been doing that, as I hoped it would lead to easier sleep training in a month or 2. Thank you Its nice to have positive reinforcement Last night was good...df was succesful at 10:15 pm then up @ 1, and 5, and then usual time @ 730(which is now 630) for wake up and start of our day. Each time she fes at 1 and 5, it was a good feed and then back down with hardly any fuss. Which is nice! I feel like I got a bit of sleep..now to have a shower...lol

[~Sara~]

Hi Sarah!  It sounds like things are improving!  I'm so happy to hear that the DF went well and so did the night.   I completely agree with Huntersmommy: shh/pat until she's asleep on your shoulder for a while (sorry if I didn't say that before).

Has she been able to last longer during the day today?

[Intransit]

Hey Sara....Yes, yesterday I did hold her off for 1/2 hour. I had to walk around with her with a paci, but she made it longer than before. I know nothing is going to be like clock work just yet...and Im not starving her..so we are on the right track.
No worries about the patt/shh...I know I cannot do everything at once..and have really come to grips with that. Im still being called a nazi by a certain man in my house tho lol

[~Sara~]

That's good news about extending the E time.  I bet her tummy got nice and full at that feed!   As I've mentioned before, give her another week, and I'm confident that she'll be going 3 hours easily in between feeds.  If not, keep working on it!  Like you said, us mommies can't do everything at the same time, so we need to pick what to work on first.  Establishing the sense of a routine is paramount right now.  Things will fall into place as she gets older

And don't worry at all about being a "routine nazi."  I get it allllllll the time from family member, and at one point, DH--finally convinced him that EASY is healthy for Aaron.  You can tell him that when she gets older, things become more flexible.

[Intransit]

So last night she was unsettled from 8pm to 11 again...I might be missing her window to get her to sleep...and again tonight shes been sleeping on and off, but not a nice deep sleep. She also woke a lot this am between 4-6. She had a hard time making it 2.5-3 hours between feeds today, as well........and her sleep was all over the place. Id get her to sleep, and then after an hour she wakes up...then legitimately was hungry within 2 hours of the last feed. We did have an appt today...which she had to go to..and she was sleeping, but then had to be woken so the midwife could weight her etc etc....just...a very up and down day.
Her E times today were 630-930-1130-130-300-500-700-1000 I did a wind down with her @ 7...changed swaddled.....and put her to sleep, but she didnt last too long. put her back to sleep, and then she was up again...I really dont know!

[~Sara~]

Hmmm, how about this: would you keep track of your days and nights for 2 days in the EAS format, then post those days here?  Also, would you include how much she is eating at each feed?  I think that will be the next best step to take in figuring out what's going on.  I'm thinking it's her A time, just off the top of my head; but there could be another issue.

In the meantime, keep trying to do your best and follow her cues.  I know it's hard, but when things go "off," it's sometimes best to take a step back, observe and record everything thing, and then take a closer look.

[Intransit]

Will do...I also think you are right about the A time....I will keep track...and post in 2 days.....I hope todays sleeping goes better.....I feel like she will stay asleep if I hold her all of the time, but I cant be doing that! I  have a spiritied 4 yr old who needs drinks etc lol......wish me luck, and thank you

[Intransit]

question...if I can't get her to last 3 hours (like right now) she went 2 hours from 1215 to 215 and then she ate 2. 5 ounces... do I put her right back down? Or do I treat it like an A time, diaper change, tiny bit of tummy time..and then back down? I find this confuses me a lot...and then I wonder about what the next time is that I should feed her. 3 hours from the last time she was SUPPOSED to feed? or from the time that she last fed ie. 215, so she would then feed around 5-515, or would it be 6 8 and then df...

[huntersmummyinoz]

was she premmie?
how old is she now?
how often in a day is she needing to feed earlier than 3hrs?
are you waking her to feed 3hrly or is she waking on her own?

if she does need to feed early then count 3 hrs from then as it would be far too long for her to wait otherwise. on a day like you posted i'd prob feed 215 515 and 8 and give her a slightly longer last sleep to help her catch up (i assume she needed a feed earlier cos she short napped somewhere??)

and as pp mentioned, please start posting your EASY for the day so we can try and see what is going on and help

[Intransit]

was she premmie? no
how old is she now? 2 weeks 2 days
how often in a day is she needing to feed earlier than 3hrs? 1-2 times on average
are you waking her to feed 3hrly or is she waking on her own? she typically wakes on her own-only once have I had to wake her
As far as why she needed an earlier feed, yes she had woken up early from a nap, I would have tried to get her back to sleep, wouldnt have worked---and fed her early based on her cues.
I will post my EASY tomorrow....well, as it has been yesterday and today. This evening was a struggle...after a fairly good day! She was awake from 730 till after 9pm....so she's eaten again...and Im waiting to do the df...
and then die in my bed.

[Intransit]

My dd is 15 days old today...weight 8 lbs on tuesday, was 7 when born..no health issues

So here is my easy for yesterday and the previous day:

645-eat
710-activitit-change diaper, wind down
740-sleeping

830-woke up
845-back to sleep
915-woke up, fed changed and wind down
945:sleeping
10-awake
1015-sleeping
12:15-eat
12:45-diaper change, wind down
1:00-sleeping
2:15-awake, change diaper, wind down
2:45-sleeping
3:30-eat, change diaper, wind down
5:00-eat
5:20-sleeping
5:45-awake
6:00-back to sleep
6:30-cluster feed,bath, wind down
7:05-sleeping
7:30-eat
8:00-eat
8:30-wind down, finally slept @--
9:00-slept
11:15-df
up at 12, 2, 5--eating at least 2 ounces at each of these times

Thursday

7:00-eat
7:20-diaper change, wind down
8:10-sleep
9:00-awake(tried to resettle, would not)
9:15-eat, diaper change, wind down
10:00- sleep
12:15-eat
12:30-diaper change, wind down
12:45-sleep
2:35-eat
2:50-diaper change, wind down
3:15-sleep
5:15-eat(cluster feed #1)
5:30-bath, wind down
5:45- sleep
6:35-eat(cluster feed #2)
8:10-sleep( I had tried to put her right back down after the cf # 2, but to no avail)
9:00-eat
Procceeded till 11 pm to get her to sleep, but could not. we then fell asleep on the couch..both over tired and cranky!!
12:45-df (I overslept)
3:30-eat, change(she had soaked thru)
7:00-start again...and today has been a 2 hour easy day for some reason..
If this is in a weird format..Im so overtired I cant think straight...
any of you lovely ladies/gents help would be appreciated.

[huntersmummyinoz]

hi hun, hope you have had a good weekend.

ok, well she is still so little that it is fine if she is not always lasting 3hrs for a feed. keep doing as you are, in that if she wakes early from a nap try to resettle but if she doesnt that's fine go ahead and feed and try for another EASY cycle. over time you can try to gradually extend her feeds by holding her out a little if she wakes early. eg. if she wakes early and it's only been 2 hrs since last E, try and hold her out just 10/15mins until E, you can use a paci to help with this if she'll take one (and of course if there is no holding her out then go ahead and E, just keep trying to gradually extend).

looking at your EASY, you could try winding her down a nudge earlier. aim for her total A time to be 45/50 mins (it helps to look at A time as total time from eyes open to eyes closed), so start wind down around 10/15 mins before you actually want her to be asleep. try this for at least 3 to 5 days as this may reduce how much she is waking during the naps.

also, is she waking on her own for the 8pm cluster feed or do you have to wake her?

hang in there hun, you are doing great

[~Sara~]

if I can't get her to last 3 hours (like right now) she went 2 hours from 1215 to 215 and then she ate 2. 5 ounces... do I put her right back down? Or do I treat it like an A time, diaper change, tiny bit of tummy time..and then back down?

Go ahead and feed her, do a bit of low-key activity, and shorten the whole A time as she will be tired sooner.  It's a skill to master, to be sure...I'm STILL learning how to adjust A times after a short nap

You'd feed her ~3 hours from then.

How have the past few days gone...sorry, not much advice in this post as I think it would be better to see more recent days.  My fault for not responding sooner (Aaron's had a cold--as do I).

I hope things have been better...*fingers crossed*