Do I need to move to 4 hour EASY?

[maybell245]

Yesterday's first 2 naps were 2 hours and then the third nap was 35 minutes and I couldn't extend.  I figured it was her naturally moving to the 2 long and 1 CN in the 4-hour EASY, but we'll see what tonight brings.  She went down like she usually does last night.

Tonight we have a sitter (my BFF) since it's our anniversary, so I hope she goes down ok for her and her DH.  They are just talking about having a baby, I don't want my LO to scare them off, lol.

She is still EW and NW - last night NW was at 3:30 and she really cried.  DH shush-patted and did a little PU/PD (she isn't 4 months yet so we don't rely on that) and she just cried.  It was his night and I was asleep (somehow!) and when she really screamed he assumed she was hungry and fed her.  She went right to sleep after.  Not sure if that was the right decision or not?!  I don't know how old is appropriate to feed in the night.  Someone told me the Tracy's book is a bit outdated and that babies feed in the night longer than the BW book says.  I just don't know how long is ok before it is accidental parenting.

EW this morning as at 5:55, which isn't that bad, but she was awfully tired for the nap at 9.  I shushed and she took the pacifier and slept for maybe 20 minutes between 6 and 7.  She wasn't crying once I shushed and gave pacifier. 

I do think she is adjusting, I just want to make sure I don't do any AP in this transition!

[maybell245]

Naps were all over the place today and she seems OT again tonight.   Came home from our date and she was still awake at 9:00.

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Happy anniversary!

Having a feed in the night is normal at this age.  Do you also do a dream feed?  It's possible she's having a GS so could need her regular DF and also an additional NF for a few days. In any event if she was up and crying hard that long she likely used up a lot of calories so needed some food. A GS could go on several days and a way to know is if she takes a full feed. if you prepare a bottle in the night and she only takes a little every time then it's habitual and for soothing and you would probably feel confident to just drop it and sooth her with shush/pat instead.

Try not to judge too much based on her still being up late when you had your date.  Just one of those nights.

[maybell245]

She does take a full feed when we feed her for NW.  We don't always feed her if she NW, depends on the circumstances of her waking, crying etc.

We give a dream feed at 11 and she has never ever taken a full amount no matter how hard we try.  She always takes 2.5 oz and that's it and she eats 4.5+ during the day.  We have played around with when we give the DF and she always takes 2.5 oz if she takes any.  On the occasions where she feeds at 9 or is in a GS and cluster feed at night, she may take 0 at the DF.

Today her first nap was 1 1/2 hours, but I had to shush-pat in the middle to carry her through.  Her 2nd nap was 2 hours 15 minutes (let her go a little longer) and then the third was 40.  She is down now, woke up after 40 minutes with her arm out of her swaddle went back down easily.

I do think she doesn't need that 4th nap and really doesn't seem to want the 3rd long nap.  However, having a super early bed time or regular bedtime haven't been consistently working yet.  And if she wakes from the 3rd nap at 5:15 (like today) a late bedtime seems like a bad idea too, if she had slept until 6:00 it could have worked.  I shush-patted, but she didn't go back to sleep at all for the 3rd nap.

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It looks overall like she's starting to nap and eat a bit better since your first post so that's good news

I wonder if she just slept a shorter last nap because she'd had two really good naps in the day and maybe she could have done a slightly longer A time before that last nap?

[maybell245]

The A times are 2 hours for the first 2 cycles.  I haven't tried stretching the 3rd yet, keeping her up the 2 hours the 2nd cycle is hard so I am hesitant to move on.

Any advice for dream feed?

She slept last night until 4 this morning and woke hungry.  Was hard to.get back down.  She slept 5:15 to 6 and I shush ed and she slept 6:30 to 7.

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As you have already tried different time for the DF I don't think I have any other advice but you can post on the bottle feeding board if you like.  Probably more ideas there.

It's great you are managing to her get back to sleep for the 7am WU.  It sets good habits for the routine even if that last bit of sleep is disturbed.

[maybell245]

I posted on bottle feeding forum as you suggested, a few people there said they would skip the DF altogether so we did that last night and there was really no difference, so I think I would opt for the sleep in the evening at this point.  I could go to bed at 9 instead of 11:20 and then waking up at 2 or 3 or 4 isn't so bad.

Anyhow, today was a bit odd.  She had a 1.5 hour nap in the am after a 2 hour A time.  Then, we went to visit a potential babysitter, not sure if the scenery change was too stimulating for her or what, but we had to rush home for naptime at 1 and she slept 30 minutes that nap and I shushed and offered her a pacifier and that was all she could sleep.  Then, she was awake for 2 hours again (which is usual, just not at the time that it occured).  I put her down for the catnap at 4 because she just couldn't stay awake and she slept for almost 2 hours there.  She went down ok so far for the night, so I guess flip flopping those 2 naps didn't matter?

Anyhow, not sure if I should post on the sleep forum about this, but when she has a NW that does result in a feeding (like obviously hungry), how long should she be up?  This morning she work at 2:50, she was fed and it took until 4:20 to get back to sleep with shush-pat after the feeding.

Similarly, if she has a NW and isn't hungry, but doesn't settle on her own how long is too long there?

I guess I again just want to make sure we aren't having any AP going on with the feeding or shush-patting.  I worry she can't sleep without shush-pat and that's probably bad, right?

Is she too young for pu/pd? 

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Sounds like things are going well even if the naps were not quite as expected.  Two long naps is great.

Feel free to post on the night waking board if you like. It is a different question to the one you began with here.
I would just get her back to sleep as soon as you can in the night, I wouldn't worry too much about helping her if she needs it as she is still able to self settle at other times.

[maybell245]

Well the last 2 days were 1.5 hour naps am and pm and I got her to extend to 2.  Then, a 40 minute catnap.  Asleep by 7:30 and slept all night with no NW and EW of 6:30 2 of those days, but we get her up at 7, so that was fine!

I don't know if the routine has finally set in or it's not doing the DF or what!?

Either way, I am happy!  I just don't know what I did or she did to make it all work!  Haha.

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Great news!