hungry night wakings - next feed?

[stevesmum]

Ok, if your bub wakes during the night and cries for feeding (say 4ish), having had a df around 10pm and bedtime 6.30-7.
- Do you feed or try to push out first?
- If you feed, when do you feed next - upon waking for the day and WIDE AWAKE (regardless of 7 or not), 3/3.5/4hrs from night feed?
- if you feed upon the bub being wide awake, ie  say 6 and they don't take a full feed - does this mean you then let them have a short e interval to make up for it, or hold them out until the next 'allotted' feed - in essence, they took a small feed as nw feed and morning feed close together so first 'day' feed is short. Now hungry before 3.5hrs up - do you hold them out to as close to 3.5hr as possible or feed whenever hungry (2.5-3hrs)
- for us early nights often mean ew... so is it better to push the day out longer, ie squeeze a catnap and a cluster feed in if necessary to bring bed time back to 7pm?
- does less day sleep = worse night sleep?
- what if naps are wonky anyway - bother extending or just get up and give shortened a time (do they cue as obviously as unovertired babies - ??)
I want to be consistent but I don't know what I'm doing so how should he???!!!
The only thing consistent here is that I'm trying to keep to a 7pm bedtime and at least 3hrly feedss....  I'm tired, exhausted, and i don't know what i'm doing anymore.... not sure I ever did. At least, thank the Good Lord, my DS1& 2 seem to be easy going and can handle/put up with their mumma...!

[Kirhei]

I would say it depends on the age/weight of your baby and then on how he takes the "wake-up" feed in the morning. When he starts cutting down the wake up feed in the morning I would say it might mean he does not need that much or at all during the night. The it would be the time to start cutting down the NF so that he would take all his milk between the wake up time and dream feed.
I have always tried to have a regular wake up time in the morning (7 am in my case) and the EASY would work from there on. If your baby wakes up at 4 and then at 7 he might not take a full feed at 7 but then need to have the next feed slightly earlier than 10:30 until he does take a full feed at 7am.

[stevesmum]

Thanks - I'm starting to think he's waking out of habit and feeding cos he can. I'm trying not to feed before 6.30 regardless. Thanks again

[Ima shel Alon]

How old is your LO? Would you like to post your day in an EASY format and let us have a look at it?
Little day sleep USUALLY means more NW and EW, but really not for everybody. I read here mommies who tell that their LOs still sleep well at night even though they napped 2x30min naps... talking about lucky... I never had that - I knew that if DS napped bad then I'll be up many times during the night.
But really, NF and NW have to do a lot with the age of the baby and if he/she are BF or FF.
About the naps going wonky, it really depends. I say it's always worth trying and extend a nap, but I learned (and this is my experience only) I only have a chance extending if it's an OT nap, not an UT.

[stevesmum]

Well we had a shocker in town the other and very little naps sleep but on the same note, the night was same as always but the next day was fantastic - i managed 3 1hr25+ naps, then two the same the next day... I cursed myself by posting on here so the third nap yesterday was short... but oh well. My lo is nearly 15wo and whilst I'd post a routine it changes day to day on his wake up so I'll just say we're feeding 3.5hrly, with about 1ht20-1hr45 a time depending on his cues and towards the end of the day there's a bit of a cluster feed as the gap is too big otherwise. Bub is BF and the naps the last few days haven't needed any help - woohoo!!

[Ima shel Alon]

Ok, now it's a bit easier to answer your questions that I know his age.
Your question is very valid and there are many moms who ask that, and the only answer I can give to that is that it's a feature of their age. The don't STTN yet, still have NF, but those get in longer and longer stretches which will bring it close to Wake up time (for the day). There is not much you can do about it and it's just something you need to wait to pass. You could, if you wish, try and push that feed. If he wakes up at 5:00 and you want to start the day at 6:00-6:30 then you'd push it with trying to settle him in bed. I know of other mommies who give half a feed at that time so baby wakes up hungry again. I fortunately or unfortunately could never do that, as DS wouldn't hear of taking half a feed and would take a full feed at 4:30 and another one at 6:00
As you said you also have the possibility to give them a short E in between.

I'd be totally certain about early nights = EW before going ahead with it. Just be careful that he is not getting OT.

The only thing consistent here is that I'm trying to keep to a 7pm bedtime and at least 3hrly feedss.... 

It sounds like you are doing a great job, honey, don't be so hard on yourself.

[stevesmum]

Ok so yesterday he fed in the morning 6.30, went down at 8 and then only managed 45mins... so tried to extend, didnt work....didn't seem interested for feed at 10 so thought i'd hold out til hungry - about 10.30. he fed well and then was tired so put him in backpack (we were heading out anyway) and he slept for 1hr. Came home, made lunch and he wanted to head back down at 1hr30... he then slept for 2hr30 when I woke him up!!! He'd slept through a feed but i figured the sleep was better.... SO nearly 4hr30after a feed he fed again, and well and then i scored another 30mins later that afternoon. I got him to sleep by 7, and then the fun began... he woke at 1.10 and i could settle him down again, 2.20 when i fed him about 7mins on right side only, and then up again at4.50 and wide awake... eventually i got him back to sleep at 5.30 and he slept through to 6.30 (which is ok for me).... I fed him and he seemed tired/fussy about 45m-1hr later so down he went for 35m!!!!! Took me 30min to get him back to sleep for 1 hr. By now it was 10am, so I got him out and fed at 10.30 (4hrs) when he seemed to be hungry.  wdyt?
post more as day goes on

[Ima shel Alon]

Well, you are in an UT/OT loop or so it seems. You need to focus in figuring out how much A time he needs. Maybe this will help:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164029.0
and http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85134.0