14 week old Touchy struggling with EASY.

[candersen]

Hi Everyone,
New here and hoping you can help us!

We started bub on EASY at 12 weeks because her naps were all over the place, wouldn't settle herself, she was screaming all the time from OS and wouldn't eat. She had been this way since birth - little and often is just how she rolls with food.

For 3 days she followed the 3hr EASY perfectly, taking 110ml feeds 3 hourly and sleeping at the suggested times (once we taught her to self settle). We did not do the dream feed as she only woke once per night around 1.30am for a feed then would go through til 7am (she has always slept well at night)

Then she had a growth spurt I assume, wanting two feeds per night after 7pm bottle. So I gave them to her for two nights (she downs the bottle in 10 mins flat). I then started trying to add more to he day bottles and reduce the night feedings, and she's having none of it. After  waking from naps and in the morning she doesn't want to eat right away, shes happy playing, and never does hungry signs! By the time I get her to take anything it's almost the end of her awake time and even then shell only take 50-80ml so of course shes bloody hungry at night. She pushes the bottle out and either wants to play, or when I try again gets really angry at me. Her awake time is an hour before she gets OT, but she wants to play that entire time. When I do get her down she will sleep well for 1.5-2 hrs.

I will give an example of a typical day as it stands:

6.20 wake happy
6.35 60ml
7.45 sleep
9.20 wake happy
9.30 40ml
10.15 60ml
10.35 sleep
12.35 wake happy
1.00 80ml
1.50 sleep
3.50 wake
4.45 80ml
5.00 catnap
5.45 wake
6.20 bath
7pm 110ml
7.30 sleep
12am 110ml
3am 110ml

She does suffer with bad wind pain on and off and it seems to be bothering her at the moment. Would like to get her on a 4 hr easy to see if the space between feeds makes her eat more but cant see how if her awake time is only 1 hour??

Why will she only take full feeds at night!?

Thanks,

Claire

Hope you can help

[candersen]

Now having issues with naps. Can't get past an hour!

[*Kara*]

Hmmm, first have a look at this:  Reflux 101 - General reflux information

Anything ring true?  Reflux often worsens around 3-4 months...

[candersen]

Hmm bits, we have thought reflux on and off but came to the conlusion it was just bad wind, if she burps shes fine. Yesterday her feeds were better 110ml at 3.5hrly but naps terrible...

[*Kara*]

Have you tried gas drops in her bottle? 

[candersen]

Trying to get my 15 week old touchy baby on a 3.5hr easy.

Problem is her awake time is an hour tops. I have tried to increase by 10 mins and she gets cranky (screaming is cranky for this one) and wont self settle. If I put her down after an hour or so after awake time she settles well. (I do wind down for about 10 mins, so have been trying this 10 mins later)

She only wants to eat 3.5 hourly though or she wont finnish the bottle, so how does easy work when she wants to nap after an hour but eat every 3.5?

She also eats best straight after a nap, so in order to stretch feeds, she would have to be sleeping 2 hours each nap?

Her last nap today was 2.5 hours and she woke up hungry (we have had trouble with snacking also, hence the need to try 3.5hrs).

Easy today so far:

6am wake crying 110ml
7.30 sleep, self settled in half an hour (just whinging)
9.15 wake 110ml
10.30 sleep, self settled 5 mins
1pm wake 90ml (awake time here 1hr 15min and she was cranky)
2.20pm sleep - pat to sleep

Last night we tried a DF for the first time she took 160ml I thought it might see her through, she woke at 3am and took another 110ml (she won't take more than this in the day, only at night), woke at 5am and stirred on and off til 6am.

Help please!

[candersen]

yep they make her vomit.
Gripe water is best for her, although I do not think that wind is the issue here....

[*Kara*]

Okay.. so what do you think is the issue?  Is she distracted when eating?  Does she seem not hungry during the day at all?

I can't tell you to reduce volume overnight at this age.. but I do wonder if we need to push out her first feed a bit... if she is ready for a 4 hrly feeding routine, the big feed at 3am could mean she won't eat well until closer to 7am... so by feeding earlier, she snacks and then continues to do so for the rest of the day...

Also, some kids just don't like to eat right after they wake up and need 30-45 mins to "wake up." 

What do you think?

[candersen]

She is distracted yes. I have today been feeding her immediatly on waking in her room while it is still dark and so far been ok,  she has taken more food. This is not suitable however if we want to get out and about (we have not tried yet only been on EASY for 2 weeks).

It seems that perhaps, for today at least that if she has chance to wake up she gets distracted and then isnt interested. She gets distracted if she needs to fart or poo while she is feeding also, then there is no hope of her finnishing the bottle.

What do you suggest? Have a look at my other post I have posted todays easy at eating 3.5 hourly.

[*Ali*]

I've merged your two topics into one so we can keep all your advice in one place.

[candersen]

Yesterdays naps were better did have to extend some, feeds were also better but then an horrible night! Can't win with this, when does it get easier?!

[*Kara*]

when does it get easier?!

I'll let you know when I do   Kidding.. around 6 months, things become much easier in terms of sleep when bubs moves to 2 naps each day...  at least until things change again!

Honestly, the best you can do is offer a feed to her and stop at 20 mins.  Push as close as you can to the next feed time to encourage her to get good and hungry and hopefully get down to business and take more...

What size nipple are you using right now?  Any chance she may need a faster flow?

[candersen]

I tried the one for 4 mo plus and she gags and chokes..

The ones we are using atm are 2+mo and the next size up is 4mo.

Just feel like were not getting anywhere with easy at all and I have to go back to full time work very shortly.

[candersen]

how does easy work when she wants to nap after an hour but eat every 3.5?

She also eats best straight after a nap, so in order to stretch feeds, she would have to be sleeping 2 hours each nap? Surely thats too much and then would result in EW....

She needs that catnap too. An hour awake and shes horrible!

[*Ali*]

Sleeping 2hrs after only being up an hour would likely be too much sleep yes. Based on the easy you posted above, I would really try to push that second A time. You can do it in 5 min increments and keep the extra A time really low key like singing a song or walking around the house. She is probably just acting tired because she is used to sleeping at that time but she isn't doing a full nap (1.5hrs+) as she isn't quite tired enough. Then she can only manage a short A time after that shorter nap and it continues that way for the rest of the day.