Short naps and new NW at 14 weeks - longer EASY or OT?

[Awillemse]

My DD is no longer napping well or STTN. We have been on a 2.5 / 3 hour EASY since about 4 weeks. By 10 weeks she was napping relatively well (most naps over 1 hour with at least one longer nap over 1.5 hrs) and STTN for at least 7 hr stretches. When bedtime moved up a bit to around 8 pm she had one NW at around 4 am. We have never done a dream feed. She would also use a paci to soothe to sleep. She did not need it to sleep with.
We got off sched. with the 12 week growth spurt, when NW started more frequently, but now the NW has continued, at least 2 wakings, sometimes 3. I was feeding about every 2.5 hrs but now think I need to go back to 3 hrs. Her total wake time including E and A is between 1-1.5 hrs. She starts to whine before naps and BT. is she overtired? Naps are not longer then 45 min. She also will no longer take a paci and gets upset if I try to give it to her. She has also started to roll so I am swaddling her arms out for sleep.
I've been practicing putting her down drowsy but awake and it has worked pretty well - she can usually soothe herself to sleep. Now however she won't go back to sleep for naps! She generally goes right back to sleep after NWs if i feed her. We also will have one good feed during first NW but not for other NW.
So I am wondering a few things:
1. What should i expect in starting to use PU/PD? In trying to prolong her last 30 min nap, we did PU/PD and she screamed her head off when ever I put her back down. This continued for an hour until the next feed time. Cries escalated each time i put her down. She could barley stay awake for her feed b/c she was so exhausted. Heartbreaking to see her scream that way! She is not a big crier. Do I stay with it even if she screams?
2. Should I start a dream feed?
3. Is this a phase I just need to wait out in hopes she will go back to only one NW?
4. Is bedtime too late at somewhere between 8-9pm? I've tried earlier and she tends to cry - but this could be OT too?? Our 12 hour day is usually 8:30 - 8:30. Should I change to 7:30 - 7:30?

Thanks in advance for your advice. I'm at a loss and can't figure out how best to help my baby sleep!

[ZacsMumme]

Welcome! Sorry no one has responded to your post yet. I'm just tutting my DS down for a nap but I'll be back with a reply!

[ZacsMumme]

Around this age a lot of LOs start to short nap, it is developmental so we can try to tweak routine but don't beat yourself up if she continues to do short ones for a while

I think she could probably have an increase in A times. 1hr is likely to short, and the 45 min nap could be UT....how do you think she would cope with moving the first Zs up closer to 1.5 hrs min. By 4 mths a lot of Los can do 1hr45-2 hrs A.

They start to change theway they sleep as well around 3-4 mths,stirring through the night every 2-3 hrs. This is a vulnerable time if you start feeding at all NW and when the paci can be omea prop. Can you post the last 24 hrs including NW and how you settled?

I would try not to feed any closer together than your LO can go during the day. Is your LO bottle or Bf?
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63161.0

On the short naps, how does your LO wake? Crying, happy, quietly???

[Awillemse]

Thanks for the reply! She is EBF. The last two nights I didn't feed her at her 5:30 am wake up, so that's progress I suppose. Yesterday the naps were a bit better, and she ended up having a 6 pm bedtime! Also over the last 3 days her wake up has been earlier, closer to 6:30 am.
Yesterday looked like this:
Wake time at about 6:40, got her just before 7 am
E 7am
A 1 hr
S 45 min (in carrier while out for a walk)
A 45 min
E 9:30am
A 30 min
S 30 min
A 30 min
S 1.5 hr
E 1pm
A 1.5 hr
S 1.5 hr
E 4:15pm
A 1.75hr
S - bedtime at 6 pm, but woke at 8:30 for a feed and treated it as a night feed, right back to bed
One night waking at 3 am, then up this a.m. at 6:30 am

Bedtime last night was accidental as I thought it would be her catnap, but I didn't wake her when she slept past 7 pm. Should I consider her fourth nap dropped and move bedtime earlier? Also, with her short naps she has trouble staying awake while feeding because she is not well rested but I'm not letting her fall asleep on the breast. I feel somewhat bad about this because she is obviously tired!

And she does have very light sleep after her night feeding, rolling around and making noises so much that I think she is awake but when I check here eyes are still closed. Will this also pass?

[Awillemse]

Forgot to mention, she wakes sometimes crying or whining from naps, but quickly sports big smiles when I go to her. She wakes very happy in the morning and babbles to herself before I get her. I think the bigger problem with the short naps is that she gets whiny before the next nap and it's harder to put her down. I also notice hiccups a few times a day - sign of OT?

[Awillemse]

Re settling, at night she never really wakes up fully so I put her back in her crib and lay a hand on her and shhhh for a minute or two. For naps, we use the pack when she is in her crib for a few minutes, but I always take it away before she fully falls asleep. Doesn't seem to be a prop at the moment.

[ZacsMumme]

Hiccups are more likely a sign of wind/gas or reflux. Does she burp after feeds?
I would try adding a bit more A before that first nap she gave lovely 1.5 hr ones in the pm didn't she

Your night looks great!