Newborn Questions

[Domestic Engineer]

My little Thomas was born two weeks ago. I've been doing EASY since we brought him home, and he's doing amazingly well with it. I think he'll be an angel baby - such a blessing with my incredibly high maintenance spirited toddler!

Here are my questions from the first weeks:

Morning. What time do I start giving awake time after a feed? Is there a certain time,, like 7 am? Whenever the sun is up? 12 hours after bed time? He tends to take a feed at 5 or 5:30, so I'm always conflicted since it's 6 when he's done and the sun is out, but I'm going back to bed. This morning he finished at 5:30 and I put him down, but I think he slept poorly because he needed A time.

Afternoon:  He often eats around 2, and then I'm confused about the cluster feeds. Do I feed him at 5, 7, 9? 4, 6, 8?

Night: The dream feed doesn't seem to be going well. I've tried both breast and a pumped bottle. I have to wake him up quite a bit too get him to take enough milk, and then he still wakes 3 hours from the start of the feed, almost on the dot, and does that all night. I don't mind if he's just not old enough to go a longer stretch (he's 7 lb 5 oz now), but last night I was up late and he went from 8 to 12 and I woke him at 12. So maybe if I didn't DF he would do a longer stretch?

[lily_layne]

Congratulations!

At that age neither of mine were on any sort of predictable, consistent routine. I did try to keep the EAS pattern as much as possible but even that didn't always work. I kept trying to go for consistency with DD but it just led to more frustration than anything. With DS, I worried a lot less about things happening at the same time each day and it was so much easier. I tried not to look at the clock and just fed when he was hungry and put him down when he yawned. Looking back, I could have let go of the "rules" even more. I did worry too much about 12 hour days, etc. and I really didn't need to.

WRT mornings, I usually would just treat it as a NF if it's before 7 and then put him down and see what happens. DS would almost always go to sleep even if he fed at 6:30 and was PD at 7. DD often didn't if it was anything after 5:30 but that may have been because it was light out (DS was a winter baby).

I didn't DF either one. DD woke like clockwork every 3 hours for the first 10-12 weeks. DS did longer stretches. I would rather get to bed early (sometimes 8 in those early, exhausting days!) and get up an extra time in the night if needed - I just feel better that way as opposed to staying up to DF. I would try 2-3 nights without a DF and see what happens.

[wilow]

Congratulations to you!

I had my DS2 recently as well -he is 15 weeks, with my DS1 I did not start routine till he was 6 mths and he was bad sleeper at that time. With my second I started after 3 weeks as the first two you need to feed very often to get milk supply. He fed every 2.5hr in the beginning after few weeks every 3hr during the day and every 3.5 -4.0 at night. He fed well so I did not wake him for feeds at night time just let him sleep. I did try to keep some kind of routine but babies at this age usually just eat and sleep because they can mange only 40 min A time and most of the times you will have time only for feed and nappy change.

I would not worry about DF in the beginning if he sleeps just let him sleep. I did not do DF till my LO was 6 weeks because he did not feed at all just sleeping. After some time I tried again and he started to eat nicely. When you do DF has to be before 11.00pm as after that is NF. I fed mine around 10.30pm - 10.40pm different time so he wont get used to it to one time.

If you feed at 2.00 and every 3 hr then next feed will be 5.00 and 7.00 and 9.00 and then DF if you want to do this if not just wait when you LO will awake.
My feeding time after 2 weeks were 7, 10, 1, 4, 6, 8 then he would awake around 11pm. and 3 am and then 7am again. I do not know what time you feed If he waked earlier I would feed but put back to cot and come back again to feed him at the time you want him to get up - mine time is 7am.

If you don't want him to get up with the sun just make room dark so he wont see light. I put blanket over my window. You make WU time not the baby He will learn eventually just need time mine was awake many times before 7am I just fed him and put him to bed.

[Domestic Engineer]

Thanks!

Sounds like I need some blackout curtains.

I tried skipping the DF last night. I fed him at 8:30, then he wanted to eat again from the other side at 9:00, and he woke just a bit after midnight. So, three hours. I guess it makes no difference whether I do the DF at this point or not. It's good to know that it might work better in a few weeks.

If the baby is only doing 40 minutes awake, does that mean they're on a 2:40 EASY, or do you let them nap for 2:20? Mine is actually often able to stay awake for an hour then sleep for two, so that puts us nicely on the 3-hour EASY, but it seems strange for him to be awake so long at 2 weeks old. I guess I would be able to tell if he were overtired, and he doesn't seem to be. Other times he has no A time at all to make up for it, I guess.

[michaeljacknnugg]

If you cluster feed you don't need to df too. We fed around 7,10,1,3,5,7 and then whatever he wanted at night.

When do you want to start your day? We're normally awake by 6.30 thanks to DS, so I'd be happy with any time from 6 for that first feed. Personal preference though.

[lily_layne]

My ds often did 1 h a time. I went by his cues. I only woke him from naps if it had been 4 hrs since he last ate.

[wilow]

Some babies can do 1 hr, DS2 was able to stay awake for 40 min max sometimes even 30 and then he was sleeping over 2hrs, every baby is different. I remember my DS1 was able to stay longer but he never sleep long, different type.
I did not know cues in the beginning as he wasn't really crying or yawing just fell asleep Now it is different story because he is more aware of sounds and some noises wake him up. Now I can see when he is tired because he is crying really upsetting.
You can stop cluster feed at 8 weeks probably so around 6 week you can try DF and then just wait when he will awake during the night. Or you can cluster feed to the 12 week when he will need more food as he will go through massive growth spurt. I was cluster feeding my DS2 to this time.