4 Hr EASY for 5 month old that is EBF??

[echohush]

Hi everyone,

I apologize as I may have posted a very similar topic before.  My DS just about 5 months (in 1 week) is exclusively breast fed/ and given breast milk in a bottle.  His day time naps were a no go 4 weeks ago and 3 weeks ago we started PU/PD to lengthen them. This worked really well after just three days of doing the technique and for two weeks we were getting 1.5 hr naps and sometimes even a longer one in the afternoon. Lately, the two first naps are shortening again but he wakes happy and cooing but hungry???.  He does do a longer one in the afternoon (most of the time). His awake time is getting towards that 2 hrs but we are stuck on a 3 hr eating schedule.

I am just confused about how to move him. I have Tracy's detailed day by day of how to move from a 3 to 4 hr schedule but I just don't see how he can make 4 hrs between feeds based on what is happening.  I fear what is happening is he goes the 2 hrs awake, goes happy down for a nap and then an hr later is hungry again.  I fear I am only getting lengthening between feeds from PU/PD and he is really just hungry.

Any thoughts.  Below is the ES times last couple of days.

E 6:30 wake up and eat
S 8:20 to 9:00ish  (usually do PU/PD for 20 min then stop)
E 9:30
S 11:30 to 12:30 (have to put down earlier here- tired from PU/PD)
E 12:30
S 2:00 to 4:00 (most consistent nap)
E 6:00pm and to Bed

[jessmum46]

I think there are a couple of separate issues - one is the feeding but the other is A time.  Feeds wise some EBF babies never make 4h between feeds, DD did easily but DS couldn't at all.  You can offer a top-up say 30 mins after the first feed (milk is higher in fats at that point) or 30 mins prior to Naps so you have an EAEAS pattern.  A time-wise I think you need to push a bit more, 2h should be easily do-able at 5 months+ for most babies, I think what's happening is that you are getting an UT first nap (he is waking happily which is a big clue) and that is making it tricky for you to time things the rest of the day.  Try pushing to 2h minimum, and you may need to push a little more if after a few days the nap hasn't lengthened.  Hope that helps

[newkidontheblock]

Many ebf babies cannot go 4 hours between feeds. Mine couldn't at that time & I nursed twice in every A time. You could always offer to nurse either 30 minutes after the last feed, as the fat content is high at this point, or as a small top up before the nap. You could then replace the second feed with solids, once they enter the picture. Are you sure that he waking up due to hunger, though? It might be that your routine needs a tweak again and more A time is in order. I saw huge jumps in DD's A at 5-6 months.

[echohush]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to try these suggestions!