Any March & April 05 mums/moms want to chat?

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

Just wondering if anyone else wants to chat about where their baby's at and how you're doing (or not doing) on EASY and post your routines?

Fortunately Danielle's a cruisey baby and does 2.5-3hr feeds during the day easily (in fact I almost always need to wake her for a feed).  She's also a sleepy baby so feeds right up to the next time and settles easily for sleep - great considering Nathan wouldn't be too happy about me spending time settling her! :roll:

At nights she mostly does a 4.5hr stretch after bedtime and then 3-3.5hrly during the rest of the night (although I did get a 6hr stretch out of her the other night).  I haven't started with the DF consistently yet, but will do if only I can get my butt outta bed since I go to bed at 8.30pm and get DH to wake me - just dissapointing when the DF makes no difference and I've gotten up for no reason - I know perseverence will pay off though.

So how's everyone else doing?

[Nik99]

Hi Nikki.  My ds, Elijah is 7 weeks old.  We just started him on EASY two days ago.  So far we're already seeing a difference.  We're also doing the Pat/Shush method to teach him how to fall asleep on his own.  Up until now, he's been eating on damand, and would only sleep if we held him.  I had been sleeping with him at night last week because I was despaerate for sleep.  He would wake every hour after 1:30 am.  I would nurse him, (he'd only eat for about 5 min, and then fall back asleep).

Now we're doing 3 hour feeds, and very short activity times before we put him down to sleep.  At this point, it takes most of his nap time to get him to wind down and fall asleep.  We've discovered that he's a spirited baby, and gets over stimulated very easily.  We didn't know he was over stimulated b/c he never seemed to complain.  He could stay awake for 3-hour stretches, even when he was 1-day-old.  Then he'd have catnaps all day long, usually in my arms, then wake to feed every hour or so.  I don't know how we made it through the first 7 weeks! 

We did EASY with our first son, and it worked like a charm.  I don't know why we didn't start it right away this time around, except that I was listening to the "Experts" that say to feed on demand and carry your baby around with you all day.

So, it's only been two days, but already things are improving.  I pray things continue to get better!

[SouthernMom]

Hi Nikki -

My little guy, Pierce, was born on April 3rd. So, he'll be 5 weeks old tomorrow. We just started EASY a week ago. In general, he's a pretty good baby - part Textbook and part Spirited. That makes for an interesting combination. He seems to like his new schedule, but often is so drowsy after a feeding, that I can barely wake him. He feeds every 2.5 hours. Also, he seems to resist at least one of his afternoon naps. I'm not sure if I should continue to force a nap or just let him remain awake. (Luckily, he's happy during this period.) Pierce goes to sleep at about 10:30 and usually sleeps until 5:00. Sometimes he'll wake me at 1:15, but I think he just wants company. When I try to feed him at this time, he falls asleep after 5 minutes. I wish I would have found this method sooner.

[webfoot]

We're having a pretty easy time of it so far. I think I may have a bonafide Angel baby, but before you all get jealous let me tell you that my second one was a pistol, spirited (still is) and touchy and she gave much awful fits as an infant I was ready to pull my hair out, so I deserve an angel baby.

I tried to do EASY from day one with the first two and with this one I keep it in mind but I've been much more relaxed about it all. We're out and about almost every morning b/c the older kids have classes and activities so he's just had to kinda conform to our existing schedule. He puts himself to sleep great so far, I'm trying not to ruin that.

At night I usually feed him at 11 when I go to bed. He then sleeps until somewhere between 2 and 4, and then will go right back down. He's done that since we came home from the hospital and I am so thankful for that!  No late night party animal yet.  I hopeful that he'll sleep through the night early b/c the other two sure didn't (ds was 6 months dd was 9 months). 

So anyways... we seem to be in a good pattern so far eventhough we're not exactly on EASY yet.  I do have all three napping at the same time in the afternoon which has just been blissful as I get a nice break of alone time.

It'll be fun to hear what others are up to thanks for starting this Nikki. Love the portrait of Danielle!  I need to get my camera out and take more pics of Evan, I've been a BAD mommy so far.

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

Oh cool, some mums to chat to!

Nik99, glad to hear that Elijah has taken to EASY well.  When Nathan was a baby he also took ages to fall asleep and the first 7wks for us were a nightmare as well.  He was quite touchy as a newborn but later became more Textbook.

Southern Mom, sounds like things are going great for you - that nighttime sounds really good.

Tanya, wow, you sound really relaxed about everything and with number 3!  I think Danielle's an angel baby too, but somehow think that's changing a bit....I'm so envious you have all 3 napping at the same time.  Nathan's giving me hassles and I'll get him down and then D will be ready to wake up, or she will decide to fuss or stir at 45mins and so a no-go as well.  In the last two days (in fact since posting), Danielle's started only having 30min naps, soooo frustrating, things were going really well and today I just couldn't get her to resettle, admittedly I didn't spend a lot of time pat/shshing - just don't have the time with Nathan to sort out too.  She fussed on and off with big quiet patches, but just wouldn't go back to sleep.  Not looking forward to that tomorrow with DH back at work.

Well I attempted a DF again last night before I went to bed, it was only at 9.30pm, but I figured it was better than nothing, but the little minx wouldn't open her mouth and I gave up after 10mins of annoying her.  I didn't go as far as unswaddling her or anything, but wondering if I should?  Does anyone else have problems with this and what extent do you go to?  As it was she ended up sleeping from 7pm to 1am and then did a 4am wake up, so it would've been the perfect night if I'd been able to do the DF and she would've only woken me once for a feed.

Tanya, how do you get much sleep if you're only going to bed at 11pm, do your kids sleep late?

I really want to do the DF because it worked great with Nathan and by 7wks he was down to just a 4am waking and by 11wks dropped that and slept till 7am. 

Oh, enough blathering on by me.

[webfoot]

No I don't get much sleep, dd is up at the crack of dawn everymorning. Finally figured out the neighbor who's car is virtually parked outside her window feels the need to rev, rev, rev the motor on his car when he leaves for work at 6:30am and that's what's waking her up. But it gets me 8 hours and I can nap w/ kiddos in the afternoon. I was sleeping like 5 hours a night pg so this is much better!

On the nap thing when I had just the two I decided that the most difficult one would be the one to go down first. For a long time that was Kyle, then I'd put the easy one down. That has now reversed and I put Amy down first. I didn't want to spend a whole naptime putting one down only to have the other one get up.

So when Amy was an infant I'd keep her up, put K to bed, and then I was bad I shamelessly would bf her to sleep at naptime so that she'd sleep and I could have a good 2 hour stint by myself. Actually back then K was still on two naps a day so I could get a break twice a day, it was blissful!

Anyways... my advice for having more than one is to get them napping at the same time, otherwise you never have ANY you time!

[Nik99]

Today is the forth day of using EASY and the pat/shh method.  I can't believe the difference it's made already!  Elijah is now napping in his own bed!  Today he slept for 2 hours at a time for 2 of his naps.  I actually had to wake him both times to feed him.

DH has been doing the DF's and getting up to feed him at around 3:00 am the past two nights.  (He's doing night duty as a Mother's Day/Birthday present.  I get to sleep all night for tonight and the past two nights.  I haven't had a full night's sleep since I was about 4 months pregnant!)  Elijah is sleeping longer at night, but dh has been having trouble settling him back to sleep in the wee hours.  I hope tonight is better for him.

All in all, we are so impressed.  We actually had a nice sit-sown dinner tonight with company.  We were so relaxed knowing that Elijah was sleeping peacefully while we enjoyed ourselves.  We feel like we're getting our lives back.  I hope this continues.

[piggywig]

Hi.
My baby is nearly 4 weeks old and I've been doing a very loose version of easy for about two weeks. It's been hard!
The day time routine seems good, I know exactly when he'll eat (he's always been on a 3 hour routine from birth), and how long his activity time will last and then sleep etc... he's always fallen asleep in his basket which is good I guess?
I too have been struggling with the night time routine, I tried the 6pm and 8pm cluster feeds but he hardly had any of his bottle on both occasions and not a great deal at 10.30pm either... needless to say, we had many rough nights! He didn't seem to know where he was! Maybe I should have contuned with them?
I've since dropped the cluster feeds as they didn't make any difference to his night time waking (2.30 and 4.30).
Over the last few days I've fed him at 2-3am, but when he's woken at 4.30, I've left him to grumble a bit and he's sent himself back to sleep as he has never eaten very much at all at these times any way. He then usually wants a bottle at 6am which works fine for me!
I'm always wide awake through his grumbling but I can't believe how he manages to get back to sleep! Is this just a fluke?

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

Well I got both down for a nap today - yay!  Unfortunately it was a day Nathan decided an hour was enough, so half an hour of rested eyes lying on my bed in the sun for me at least, so that was bliss. 

Danielle had two 30min naps this morning unsuccessfully extended since I couldn't take the time to pat/shsh for 20mins, I know if I did she would've gone back to sleep - but we just went with the flow so had EASASE.   She goes to sleep on her own without any patting required, so that's a bonus at least. But when I got her down midday she slept for 2.5hrs, so I'm happy with one big nap a day out of her at this stage.  We're on the run most mornings or afternoons anyway with Nathan's activities, so I think she'll be catnapping on the run a lot anyhow.

Nik, your boys are just gorgeous!

Piggywig, my DF hasn't worked the nights that I've done it, but from memory with Nathan it took a week for him to change the pattern ie. before DF he would sleep 7pm, 1am, 4am, 7am.  With DF he'd then go 7,10,1,4,7 - then after a week he went 7,10,4,7.  So I think stick with the feeds that you want to offer and give it a good go (should take my own advice! LOL). :roll:

We had a 4am waking last night after she'd already had her 3am feed, so DH did the resettling for that one, have no idea what that was about.  Unfortunately in this house, both kids tend to wake each other if their crying isn't responded to immediately, even grizzling.

Does everyone swaddle?  Do you do it for both naps and nighttime?  I've found Danielle will sleep quite well during the day without a swaddle and wonder whether to encourage it since she won't take a dummy (and I have tried and tried) and it means she may find her fingers?

[BiancaB]

Hello all,
Nikki, Danielle and Sienna sound very similar so far...
Sienna has also been very easy for me (she is almost 6wks), Kyan was a touchy/spirited so I have been through it all the P/Shh the Pu/Pd and the sitting in dark room with an overstimulated bub.
This time around it seems so so much easier, I started her on EASY from day one and she has been content with a 3 hr BF routine and just loves to sleep...I don't want to get to excited but she has been sleeping 5-6 hr stretches at night for the last week!!! :shock:  Can you believe my fortune
Thankfully Kyan is like clockwork with his nap and goes down for 2 hrs at around 12, so when there sleeps coincide it is blissful!!
I have stopped swaddling Sienna as she doesn't seem to have trouble settling, I just support her with rolled cloth nappies either side of her (she sleeps on her side). She also goes to sleep on her own without needing any help from me.
With the finger sucking I used to help Kyan by holding his hand close to his mouth while doing Pshh and he finally latched on to them, he was 3mths when I weaned his dummy. The best thing I ever did as he has never had problems self soothing, and I never had the dummy fall out at night problem. When she gets wind pain I do hold her through it until she settles. I haven't been successful with DF yet but I will post on that subject soon, at the moment I'm just topping her up after her bath and she lasts for 4 hrs usually. Got to go....baby to feed... Take care Bianca

[SouthernMom]

My good little sleeper has turned into a wake-up every three hour baby. I'm not sure what changed in his routine, but I'm now getting pretty exhausted. We do cluster feedings at 6 and 8 and a dream feed at about 10:30. Instead of sleeping until 5 am, he now gets up at 1:30, 4:30 and then 7:30. Suggestions from any of the moms out there? He seemed very hungry during each BF and wouldn't take a pacifier. Perhaps it's a growth spurt? He's gaining weight like crazy.

[armands mama]

Hi Everyone,  this is my first time posting a reply...what a great site.  So good to know that I can chat with other new mom's.  Armand was born on March 24th and I think he is a textbook baby...although I am beginning to think he is a little spirited as well because he tends to get over stimulated at times. 

I can totally relate to southern mom...armand started out getting up only once at night and then in the last couple weeks started to get up twice and last night I was up 4 times.  He also used to sleep alot during the day, but now he gets in usually one 2-3 hour nap and several other cat naps.  We have been trying to do EASY..but since he has short naps during the day it does not feel like we are getting the pattern...seems that we go on more of a EA EA S cycle.  I have been trying to put him to sleep in his own crib so that he falls asleep on his own, but he usually cries and cries and then it seems to take 2 hours to get him down.  Because of this I have started getting him to fall asleep in the stroller or swing, but then he wakes when the motion starts.  Any tips for getting through those crying bouts in the crib?

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

SoutherMom, sounds like it could be a growth spurt.  But also, Danielle lost her 5-6hr stretch for a week or so and now it's starting to come back, so just persevere and go with it for now and hopefully it will readjust again. 

Well did the DF last night and D went 4hrs afterwards, so that's an improvement on only lasting 3hrs anyhow.  So just wanting that to increase back to the 6hrs and we'll be on track.

[SouthernMom]

My only suggestion for crying in the crib would be to swaddle him tightly - with his little hands by his sides. He may resist at first, but this usually helps my little guy when he gets overstimulated. The nurse at the hospital told me that when their arms start to move, babies can actually get themselves even more upset. I don't know if this is true in all cases, but it seems to make sense. Pierce also does EA EA S in the afternoon sometimes. The crib is also useless for me during these periods. He will, however, fall asleep in my arms or the Baby Bjorn. Go figure...

[piggywig]

Nikki, I'm obsessed with swaddling! I've always done it, but now he won't nap when we are visiting friends unless I wrap him up. My friends think this is odd as with their babies, they can just lay them on the sofa with vests on and they go to sleep!... however, the same babies can't send themselves to sleep like mine can! I can just put him in his moses basket, swaddled, and leave him to it! so I say "hurray for swaddling!"