Settling a newborn??

[NatashaB]

Hi there

LO is a week and a half old.  Other than some cluster feeding that can last up to 4 hours, he eats "very" well every 3 hours...never lost weight from birth... He sleeps generally well for 2 hours between feeds.
I'm finding it difficult to settle him for naps.  I feed, attempt a burp, change diaper, swaddle him and do a short cuddle time and then put him in his crib.  Sometimes he grunts and stays awake with an occasional cry here and there for an hour.  I go in hold him and either give him a short feed or just cuddle him and he falls asleep.  He usually will stay asleep and I can transfer him back to his crib....sometimes he will wake and the cycle starts again.  If he is gnawing at his hands I will feed him as it is most likely another cluster feed, but if he is lying there just squeeking and grunting, he seems unable to settle.

Thoughts
Thanks
Natasha

[~Sara~]

Hi there!  Congrats on your LO   Since he's still so young, he probably needs more help going to sleep.  At this age, using the shh/pat method until LO is very, very drowsy (if not asleep on your shoulder) is the best way to help them settle down and tuck in for a good nap.  Here a link that might help:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=26672.0

Also, at this age, LOs are able to stay awake for ~50-60 minutes at a time.  That means that they're eating and basically going right back to sleep.  So what I recommend doing is starting the shh/pat about 10-15 minutes before the 50-60 minute mark so that your LO is asleep by then.  That should help with the laying awake in the crib for an hour.

Hope that helps a bit   Let me know how things go!

[NatashaB]

Thanks Sara

Would burping lightly on my shoulder also be considered a sh/pt at this age??

I will try this today, thank you :O)
Natasha

[~Sara~]

I would say that the burping--while very similar to the patting of the shh/pat--isn't necessarily shh/pat...but only bc you're burping him   However, if you think he's ready for the shh/pat right after eating and just wants to go to sleep, then by all means, start to use the burping as part of the shh/pat.

How'd it go yesterday and today?  Anything you need help with?

[NatashaB]

Thanks for the reply.  He is on a clustering frenzy!  I had his first doc's appointment today and the little feeding machine has gained 11 ounces since birth 12 days ago...hasn't lost an ounce! 

When he is in a cluster it seems he gasps in more air and is just ravenous not eating properly.  Then he gets so tired he's asleep.  When I put him down he's back up, fidgety and gnawing at his hands making lion cub noises!   After a couple of hours of this he gets so exhausted he ends up napping for 2-3 hours.  Sometimes it's all clockwork.  I remember dealing with the clustering with my daughter but I want to make sure this is clustering and not over tired!

Thank you for your support and input
Natasha

[~Sara~]

Yeah, those first few weeks, it seems like they're going through a growth spurt every week!

I had a sleepy breastfeeder, too.  We tried every trick imaginable to get him to stay awake long enough to take a full feed.  It's the oxytocin in the breast milk that makes them sleepy...and the best trick I found was to let LO's body metabolize the oxytocin (takes about 10 minutes) and then start feeding again.

Your DS is still very little and trying to figure it all out.  If you'd like some BF help, have you had a chance to look on the BF board?  Or I can get someone to pop over here and take a look.

[NatashaB]

I will try letting LO rest for 10 minutes after they fall to sleep from a feed.  Definitely worth a try.  If I have any other BF questions I will check out the BF message board.  Thanks so much for your help.
Sincerely
Natasha

[~Sara~]

You're welcome!  Best of luck to you

[NatashaB]

I have one more question Sara.  If my LO is cluster feeding in the morning for 3 hours.  Should I put him down each time he stops to take a rest even if it's 5-10 minutes or is it okay to sit him in a bouncy chair until he calls for food again? 

Thank you in advance
Natasha

[~Sara~]

Hmm, I'm not sure I understand.  Could you post an example with times?

[NatashaB]

Hi,

To be more clear, here's an example:

I will be starting a cluster feed at 8am.  In 20 minutes he appears tired and full.  I do a diaper change and burp.  Instead of putting him in his crib, sometimes I will rest him on a chair in our living room because he is still bright eyed but not gnawing at his hands yet.  Then in 10 minutes back at his gnawing and growling.  This cycle lasts for 3 hours straight when he clusters.

Does this make any sense??
I guess my question is, when he is clustering should I just keep him with me instead of attempting to put him down.

Natasha

[~Sara~]

So, are you doing a cluster feed to build your supply?  Just trying to fit everything together

Okay, so I think I get it:

E: 8-8:20
A: you burp him, do a diaper change
S:...he should go down for a nap after being awake for ~50-60 minutes.  The nap should last until approx. his next E time (at this age, this might be 2.5-3 hours, depending on him).

Regardless, though, if he's not sleeping in that 3h period, he'll get OT as we don't see 3h A times until ~6 months.

Did that answer your question?

[NatashaB]

I'm not clustering to up his supply but rather he is clustering from me...he just won't stop eating???  Can I control this??

[~Sara~]

I see that you've got a thread going on the BF board re: the cluster feeding.  I'm just going to post a link to that so that any advice re: feeding can be posted there:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=167056.0

However, re: his sleep needs, try to get him to nap around those feeds as best as you can.  If he spends pretty much the whole E/A time eating, I don't think that's a problem; but you'll need to have him down for a nap by the 50-60 minute mark.  As much as he needs to eat, he also needs to sleep

[NatashaB]

I agree and I'm hoping to correct this or get him on some type of sleep pattern at his little age.  If this is a growth spurt I hope it is through soon.