Implementing EASY after holidays

[LifeGiver]

Hi ladies! I warn you this post will be kinda long.
I don't call it a "back on track" issue because we've never been on track, that's why I'm posting on the EASY board.

My DD is 3.5mo now and we'll be back from holidays tomorrow, resuming "normal life" on the January 3rd. I want to start EASY with her.

When she was born I tried to put her on a 2.5h or 3h routine but I couldn't because she was a very very very VERY sleepy baby, so she wouldn't ever take full feeds, she had slow weight gain, I ended up having problems with my milk supply because she didn't feed well the first 6 weeks or so. I was basically demand feeding, but around 8 weeks she started sleeping from 11pm-7am. It lasted 2 weeks until she got a cold and would wake up EVERY HOUR at night because of her coughs and she wouldn't put herself back to sleep on her own. She still doesn't feel hungry at night (the times I thought she was, she fed for 2 min -or 20ml on the bottle- and went right back to sleep) but she keeps waking up at 3h and 5h. I couldn't do PU/PD with her because she was too young... Well, she never slept for more than 4 hours after that...

Daytime sleep was also messed up. Now I know she can go 3hours between feeds because I've worked on my milk supply and now during the trip she would wait sometimes even more than that. But she her naps always break at 45min. When we were in the car driving up and down I could see when her eyes popped open at 45min mark and, because of the rocking of the car, she'd go back to sleep. I tried sometimes at home to shh/pat her to extend her naps, but some of the times I had success I had to shh/pat her until she got into a deep sleep (she moves quite a lot during her light sleep!!).

At home I tried to get rid of all props to teach her sleep, but during the trip it wasn't possible, specially because we spent a lot of time in the car... And the other down point is that DH is the king of AP >___< He came with some ideas like "is there any machine that can shake the travel cot to keep her asleep?", "she will sleep when she wants to! (she was already OT and OS)" or "why don't u give her milk to settle her?!". Of course I did a lot of APOP during the trip, like rocking her to sleep, otherwise she'd be 3hs awake nonstop! But he'd keep doing this at home if I hadn't taken the time to explain that I was trying to train her to sleep independently so we wouldn't have to go to her room 2 or 3 times at night just to put her back to sleep!

I know I have to tackle one problem at a time, but I don't really know where to start.
I thought about trying to get the daytime routine right becuse I know they influence nighttime sleep/night wakings...

Any comments, ideas, suggestions will be appreciated!
TIA, and Happy 2011!!

[Jiinx]

Hi there
Hope you had a nice holiday.

 Would you be able to post your routine, whatever you have? I know you said you didn't have one but just a rough estimate so I can see when she goes to sleep and eats...

E - any fussiness at the breast, feeding okay during the day...
A- from eyes open to eyes closed
S - how long she slept for, if she woke, any sleep training done to put her back to sleep

In the meantime, i'll post some helpful links that really helped me when I started out here:

* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164253.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164034.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85499.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85130.0

At 12 weeks most babies start having short naps.  It's a developmental phase they go thru.   It happens because their REM/non-REM sleep pattern changes, causing a light sleep phase at around the 45 min mark.  Since that hasn't happened prior to this period,they tend to wake up.  We have to teach them to go back to sleep.  For this, HTTJ (holding thru the jolts) tends to work best.

If LO typically wakes at 45 min, you go in around the 40 min mark and wait to see LO start to move.  One the jolting begins you apply gentle but firm pressure to arms and legs.  (note: you may have to experiment with timing -- even tho you hear her cry at 45 min, she may begin jolting much earlier.  So the first nap or two you may just want to sit quietly in her room and watch how she sleeps).

The first couple of times you attempt HTTJ LO will probably still wake up. continue holding until LO really protests.  By the 3rd or 4th time you'll probably see LO open their eyes but then go back to sleep.  After about 2-3 days of this (doing it every nap) you should see LO rouse less and less until when you go in to hold her down she will just stir a bit then roll over and go back to sleep.


HTH a bit..will wait for your response

sarah

[LifeGiver]

Hi Sarah.

Thanks for taking the time to help me. I've read some of those threads u posted, they r very helpful! I haven't got the books yet, but I intend to get them soon. The forum is pretty much explanatory though!

I thought I'd be able to start getting things on track today but she woke up from the first nap vomiting her guts off...

I would normally feed her every 3 hours and her A time would be around 1:30h. The problem with the awake time and sleep time started because of her 45min naps... whenever I couldn't extend her naps I'd feed her before the 3hour mark but of course she wouldn't feed well, and she wouldn't hold the next 1:30h and it would mess up the whole day.
I know she can make more than 3 hours without a feed, so I was wondering if it wasn't better try to get into a 3.5h routine instead of a 3h one. In talking about feed, it'd normally take 30-40min because she is very fussy and lazy... I was EBF but started combine-feeding again during the trip. I'm now trying to work on my supply to get her EBF again!

I started a bedtime routine now. I didn't include the bath in it because it's very cold here now and we're constantly having problems with water supply. I preferred not including it and then having to "miss" a bath every so often because of water problems... Well. yesterday she slept from 8pm-5:15am! yaaay! Last feed at night was 7:30 and DF at 10:30 (3oz she drank). It was also the first time I kinda swaddled her. I think most of times she'd wake up because she moves her arms a lot (and she scratched her whole face before!).

I'll go to the doctor now since she vomited all again!
I'll post my easy as soon as things get back to normal and Im ably to do one...

[Jiinx]

Hi there,
 What did the doctor say about the vomiting? Often times it's something that doesn't agree with their stomach. My lo hardly spits up now and she didn't vomit ever when was younger, but she did bring up food. Reflux, I know a lot about. Is she sick or have a cough or anything?

Swaddling does help babies. Dark room. White noise. All good things
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64277.0

She's still really young to be transition to 4 hour EASY..sometimes it takes EBF babies to get to 5 months to be able to do that easily. However, it's not uncommon for babies to start to withstand longer stretches between feeds. if she's not hungry at 3 hours, then try 3.5 hours.
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63161.0

Hope that helps?

[LifeGiver]

Hello!
The doctor said it's probably a tummy bug, since she didn't have a temperature. It might settle in some 2 or 3 days. So I'll have to postpone the plan again :/ Doctor said to feed her less time but more frequently during this time, and to water her bottles if I decide to give her one. It means she'll be hungry more often then.
I was just reading the transition thread!

I'm not having problems to put her to sleep, after I swaddle her and start patting her she normally drifts off very easily. It might also be because she's been VERY tired... specially today after all those vomiting and doctor thing. Poor baby, whenever she doze off for a nap we ended up waking her up to go to the doctor, and then to go back home! :/
I think maybe she was making more than 3 hours between feed during the trip because we were combine feeding. Let's see when things get back to "normal".

It's kinda hard to try to establish a routine without DH's support... But it'll work and he'll see it's better like this!
Thanks again! ^__^

[Jiinx]

yes..honestly the predictability and simplicity of EASY really saved my sanity and helped me diagnose my daughter's reflux. It was such a lifesaver.

We'll be here when your daughter feels better, which I hope she does soon!!!

sarah

[LifeGiver]

Now that she kinda settled I got the tummy bug :/
But she's not feeding well... I tried to keep the 3 hour feed now but until her tummy settles again she won't make it. It's seems like whenever I decide to do things (work on my supply, get right with the routine) everything goes wrong... :/

[Jiinx]

Can you pump in the meantime to maintain your supply? sorry you're ill too there's always something..

[LifeGiver]

I tried to pump, but I got only 40mls... I guess it's probably because I'm not eating well and she's not feeding well...
let's see how it goes... I'm using a "suplemental nursing system" as well.. I've used it before and it boasted my suppy in 2 days. Not sure if it'll work this time since she's taking short feeds every 2 hours...

Thanks for ur support!

[Jiinx]

hey hun
If you're really concerned about your supply..please do post in Breastfeeding. those women are so knowledgeable.

* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65905.0

[LifeGiver]

back to the topic now.
I'm trying the routine again. It seems like things are "normal" now at home after the trip and the bug.

I think things might work now. I'm actually doing a kind of EAESY for now to see if my supply gets up a bit. We're on 1h45min A time. I'm trying to extend to see if I change her feeds for 3.5h instead of 3h. It seems to be working! And I'm having to extend her naps as well...

Today, for example, I came in her room at 30min into the nap and there she was with her eyes wide open! O_o she didn't even jolt or anything (I hear on the monitor when she does). I think she might have just stirred and opened her eyes   It didn't take long for me to pat her back to sleep though. :-)

Can anyone tell me how this w2s works? I think I've read about it but I don't remember...
I'll keep u posted about how the routine is going.

*hugs*

[Jiinx]

Hi there!
 

I'm actually doing a kind of EAESY for now to see if my supply gets up a bit.

Are you concerned about supply?
* http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

Today, for example, I came in her room at 30min into the nap and there she was with her eyes wide open! O_o she didn't even jolt or anything (I hear on the monitor when she does). I think she might have just stirred and opened her eyes  Undecided It didn't take long for me to pat her back to sleep though. :-)

that's wonderful. Did you give her a chance to settle herself? What would she do if you weren't there?

Can anyone tell me how this w2s works? I think I've read about it but I don't remember...

Sure. Here it is:
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64168.0

Good luck

[LifeGiver]

Sarah, yesterday I thought she'd put herself back to sleep when she woke up at 45min. I deliberatly didn't go in but was listening to her on the monitor. She started mantra crying, she did that for maybe 7 min then her cry started to escalate. Then I went in and it took me some other 10 min to put her to sleep :/
It happened twice during the day and at bedtime too :/

I don't really know how to change this thing. She still seems to see bedtime as one more nap and the first nap in the morning as nighttime sleep (she's now sleeping since 7:40, no interruptions and she will keep sleeping if I don't wake her up now...)

It's driving me mad! I just can't relax after putting her to bed!!

[Jiinx]

hmmm waking after going to sleep can be a result of OT usually...maybe maybe UT but that's less common.

Yes, seeing the first nap as a night extension is common. What was her A time following her wake up?

*hugs* you're doing great!!! You really are.

[LifeGiver]

She woke up at 6:20, I fed her and kept her up til 7:40, altough she was already yawning and rubbing her eyes.
It seems to be getting later and later... So she was up (this time) 1hour and 20 min. The normal A time she is having now is 1:45.
yesterday she woke up at 5:30, feed, right back to sleep then up again at 8:40. But I wouldn't consider nighttime sleep if she wakes after 6 (although it's really dark here until 9am...)

I tried w2s with her this first nap. I went in at 28min, she stirred, sneezed, stopped, but woke up at 42min anyway. It was easy to settle back though! Phew! Let's try again next nap, maybe a little later...

I feel my life is tied to her sleep now, specially because I'm not a very "stay home" person. My Y is always in 40 min blocks... :/ Frustrating, but I know it's temporary!