Wendy, thanks for chiming in! Really look forward to your response.
My routine, before and after my baby’s 3 month growth spurt, have been the same except that as of a few days ago—that is, as the “2 wk. growth spurt” seemed to drag on endlessly—I decided to increase the activity time by 15 min. Initially, I upped it to 30 min., but it overtired her, so I went back to 15 min. So, now, her awake time is 1 hr. 30 min. Has it helped? Not with the night wakings. However, her day napping seems to be returning to a routine. I need to keep up this new routine longer to see, for sure.
Before 3 months:
E (1): 8:00
S (1): 9:15
E (2): 10:45
S (2): 12:00
E (3): 1:30
S (3): 3:30
Bath: 5:00
Cluster Feed: 5:30-8:00
** Baby will eat & doze off, continuously and interchangeably at the breast. The eating is most rigourous in the first 45 min. Thereafter, she dwindles in energy until she falls asleep for the night. I’ve never known exactly how long altogether or how soundly she actually sleeps, but the dozing off usually lasts 8-12 min. each, throughout the long period of CF.
DF: 11:00
NW (1): 5:00
After 3 months:
E (1): 8:00
S (1): 9:30
E (2): 11:00
S (2): 12:30
E (3): 2:00
S (3): 3:30
Bath: 5:00
Cluster Feed: 5:30-8:00
** Baby’s CF has been shortening towards the third month.
DF: 11:00
NW (1): 2:00
NW (2): 5:00
I want to add a note here concerning cluster feeding (CF): I know that Tracy suggested CF for newborns to occur at 7:00 and 9:00, and then by the baby’s 9th wk. to cut it out entirely. I tried to, but it was impossible! From birth to 6 wks., my baby CF 6:00-10:00! I literally camped out in bed to serve her. My older daughter only CF briefly, and closer to 1.5 hr. intervals. So, when my younger daughter was born, I couldn’t understand it. When the same fussy scene would occur nightly, the only thing that calmed her down was to feed and feed for hours! Her dozing breaks were so brief, I had time only to use the washroom, and grab a few bites of dinner in between. Then, always, at the end of CF, she would dramatically pop off my breast, turn her head, and be conk out completely. It wasn’t till I brought up this “strange” phenomenon to my midwife, that she introduced me to the term “cluster feeding”. Despite the fact that it was very time-consuming, I believe it was the key to my baby’s 6-7 straight hrs. of sleep thereafter.
To continue: My baby started to change her CF habits gradually towards the 3 month mark, so that it eventually settled at 6:30-7:30/8:00, with approx. 2 dozing off periods (catnaps) of 15 min. each. Then, the growth spurt started, and everything went topsy turvy! Just this week, I started to experiment with increasing her activity time.
I suspect that her NW’s are due to insufficient tanking up from CF. But, why won’t she return to it? In fact, over the last few evenings, as I’ve extended her A time during the day, I’ve tried to coax her to eat more before bedtime. Instead, she fusses as if overtired. So, tonight, for the first time, I put into her routine an E & S (4). Here’s what I did after E & S (3):
Tonight:
Bath: 5:00
E (4): 5:30
S (4): 6:30
** She wasn’t eating steadily, as she hasn’t been at this point for a while now. When she finally dozed off for more than 10 min., this time, I let her sleep continuously without coaxing her to eat more. Until I implemented the extra 15 min. in A time, she seemed to have problems dozing off for more than 10 min. Tonight, she woke up on her own after half an hr. Hurray!
Evening Fussiness: 7:00-7:15
** Baby wouldn’t eat or sleep. So, I changed her and played with her. (What's this fussiness about?! It was happening on and off for the last week or so.)
E (5)/CF: 7:15-8:00
** She ate ravenously for 20 min. Then, slowed down for the next 20 min. Then, sped up again for 10 min. And, finally wound down for the last 10 min. This pattern is reminiscent of her former CF, but done much more efficiently!
I don’t know if this will do the trick.
What I don’t understand is this: If her former lengthy CF’s were due to her rapid growth but smaller stomach as a newborn, then as she matured over time and especially through this last growth spurt, shouldn’t her body be able to take in more quickly yet sustain it longer? My guess is “yes”, but towards her third month, she’d become overtired by the time of her lengthy CF’s, and needed an added structured nap instead of briefer, intermittent catnaps (previous dozing off periods during CF). That’s why I decided to try out a fourth S tonight. BUT—Why wasn’t she tanking up a longer and fuller DF, if she didn’t get enough before bedtime, and plus so she could sustain that last intake for 6-7 hrs. into the night? If the answer is because she’s too sleepy to, then why are her two NW feedings now comparatively fuller and longer than her DF?! By the time she eats at 11:00 P.M., she'd already had 3 hours of sleep, just like the 3 hrs. between 11:00 and 2:00 and 2:00 and 5:00.
So, I don't know if the extra nap will do the trick after all.
