Author Topic: New to BW...NW/NF issues  (Read 1087 times)

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Offline dcanepa

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New to BW...NW/NF issues
« on: June 21, 2012, 13:14:15 pm »
Hi! I am very new to BW.  I discovered the book and these forums through a friend.  My DD is 10 weeks old and all in all has been doing very well.  I decided to give BW a try because I wanted to try to get her to skip her one (usually) NF and I wanted to have set nap times during the day that I could depend on.  She naturally fell into a 3-3 1/2 hour EASY with her feeding habits.  She is FF and eats 4 oz per feeding.  The days have been great - eating, activity for about an hour and 15 mins and sleeping for about 2 hours - repeat.  She has been doing this well all week and two nights ago I tried a DF to see if I could get her to sleep thru her usual NF which is usually about 3 or 3:30.  During DF 1, she only ate 2 oz and was up at her usual NF time and the rest of the night played out like usual.  However, last night was terrible! Put her down to bed at 8:10 and DF at 10:15.  She only took 1 oz before she fell into deep sleep again and wouldn't take anymore.  I sat there with her for at least 10 mins to see if she would take more.  Like every night, she woke at 2:30 but would only eat 2 oz instead of her usual 4 oz. When she fell asleep while eating, laid her back down.  She was up again at 2:50, so I figured she was still hungry cause she didn't eat her usual amount.  She ate another 1 oz, then fell asleep.  Laid her down, she woke up, cried, put in pacifier and sshh/patted her until 3:00.  Up again at 3:20, 3:50, 4:30 and 5:00. At 5:00, I tried feeding her again; she took 1oz.  Put her back down.  She was then up about 3 times between 5 and 7, and I was able to put in the pacifier and pat her.  We got up at 7:00 and she only ate 2 1/2 oz. She has always drained her first morning feed.  I put her in her swing about 7:30 and she started drifiting off at 8:10.  In the morning, she is awake and very alert for at least an hour and almost never goes to sleep in her swing.  So, i picked her up and put her in bed.

So, I guess my question is, have I tempted fate?  She already had a great routine on her own, am I just being inpatient with wanting her to go without her normal NF?  It seems that the DF has completely messed her up.  Oh, I also tried to cluster feed her last evening and she wouldn't even eat it.  All comments and suggestions are welcome  :)

Offline katie80

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Re: New to BW...NW/NF issues
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2012, 20:29:26 pm »
Hi and welcome to BW! :) It sounds like you've got a textbook/angel baby on your hands.

So, I guess my question is, have I tempted fate?  She already had a great routine on her own, am I just being inpatient with wanting her to go without her normal NF? 
Yes, I think the best answer here is to follow what she naturally does.  The DF doesn't actually work for all babies, as it can disrupt their sleep and cause them to wake more frequently. It sounds like you're more likely to get better sleep if you just go to bed at a decent hour and feed her when she wakes.  Is she only waking that once?  That's really very good for 10 weeks!



Offline dcanepa

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Re: New to BW...NW/NF issues
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2012, 16:47:11 pm »
This is her usual night routine:

bed - 8 -8:30
wake - 5 hours later (always 5 hours later), up for about 15 mins to eat
sleep - another 3 -4 then up for the day

Lately the first feeding (btw 1 and 1:30) she has hardly eaten.  I've been having to force her to take 2 oz instead of her usual 4 oz.
This suggests to me that this is turning into a habit and not hunger.  Would you agree?  Then she wakes up again at 4:30 and again I had to force 2 oz into her.  She goes back down after that for another 2 hours or so and we start the day at 7.  So, I'm thinking that I should try and wean her off the 1-1:30 feed but not sure the best way to go about this.  What do you suggest?

Offline katie80

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Re: New to BW...NW/NF issues
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2012, 19:22:25 pm »
It does sound like she can be pushed a bit. Is she an independent sleeper? How do you settle her for naps and BT? I would do shh/pat or whatever you use to settle at that first waking, and get her back to sleep instead of feeding. If it doesn't work after 20 min, I'd pick her up and feed her, because she's still quite young. If she does go back to sleep, I'd feed her upon the next waking. How does that sound?



Offline dcanepa

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Re: New to BW...NW/NF issues
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2012, 20:03:11 pm »
For both naps and BT, we just watch for her sleepy cues - rubbing and yawning.  With naps, once I see that I cuddle her for a minute and lay her down in her crib awake but sleepy.  Sometimes she fusses a bit after a few minutes and then I will go in sshh/pat her and offer the pacifer and sometimes she just goes to sleep right away.  She sleeps in her crib in her room for BT and all naps,if we are home.  We do the same bedtime routine everynight -- a bath or just a wipe down with a warm washcloth (we alternate nights), clean pjs, last bottle and a story.  One of us reads the story while the other one feeds her the bottle. When she is done eating, we swaddle her, kiss her goodnight and lay her in her crib.  It is very rare that we have to go back in and soothe her at BT.

I think your plan sounds good.  Thank you for your advice and if you think of anything else, please let me know  :)

Offline katie80

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Re: New to BW...NW/NF issues
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2012, 20:46:04 pm »
Wow, she's a dream. That's so cool! I think the shh/pat will work well for you. Keep me posted! :)



Offline dcanepa

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Re: New to BW...NW/NF issues
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2012, 21:58:21 pm »
I will!  Thanks so much  :)